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Appleby Horse Fair seems to land on a fortunate week for me. Having a mobile pizza business may sound like booming trade on the one hand, but could, conversely, spell unwanted trouble for me on the other. It’s happens to be the week of my birthday.
Using up my airmiles last year, I flew out to Geneva from London and spent almost a week in the French Alps.
It was Portugal I fancied this time round but prices were not in my favour. On a whim, I decided that rather than the planned drive down to Napoli this coming summer, why not fly there this week?
Flights and digs for little more than £200 and car parked for free in Wythenshawe, near Manchester Airport, off went the pizza man to Pizzaland. The traditional home of pizza. Ciao Napoli!
First stop off the flight was L’Antica da Michele. One of the original Neapolitan pizzerias, which has been dishing out pizzas since the late 1800’s. It’s more of a pizza pilgrimage than anything else. A bit like if you’re in New York and making a point of going to Greenwich Village to visit Joe’s Pizza (yes, I’ve been there too)
Da Michele only make two different pizzas. Traditional Margherita and a Mariana (no cheese just sauce, basil and oil)
I queued for an hour and when explaining that I was a pizzialo in the UK, got promptly asked if I wanted a job! (They are opening a new pizzeria over the road) after smiling wryly at him, I realised from his face, he was being serious.
I anxiously opened the box, only to be a little disappointed. The more you make, the more the quality goes down. First slice and in picking it up, it somehow flips over, splashing tomato sauce all over my clean, white T-shirt. Great start. I left most of it.
The next stop was in the famous cobbled street known as Spaccanapoli (translated as Napoli Splitter as it cuts right through the centre of the city) Here, I dusted off a much better pizza called Formaggio (four cheese) from Sorbillo
The guys gave me advice on where else to try and the ‘best’ flour to use for Napoli style soft crust.
With only two days here, my entry into The World’s Fattest Man competition was underway. After exploring the city for an hour or two, I walked even further afield for an evening pizza. “Further” turned out to be about 3 miles further away. This is a very big city, and it’s vast urban sprawl hugs the sea and the ports making it spread out very broadly along the Amalfi coastline. Idling away some time on my journey with the odd beer, a coffee and an Ice cream, I arrived at Vincenzo Capuano.
This pizzeria is part of what has now become a chain of restraunts. Unable to understand a word of the all Italian menu, I spotted the word ‘Pistachio’
So I ordered one of those. Beautiful base with a drizzle of a tangy pistachio sauce and Prosciutto.
When I finished It was well and truly dark as I wandered back through the alleys of Napoli. My belly arrived back at the apartment ten minutes before I did.
I ate very little yesterday as I was still full from my bready gluttonfest. A jaw dropping walk around the ruins of Pompeii made me peckish, I craved.. Pizza!
The recommendation and one which had cropped on many a blog etc was ‘50 Kalo‘ . This was a sit down inside, Michelin type affair. As in the resteraunt guide, Michelin, and not a reference to the extra tyres gaining round my waist.
Another bianca (white) base with Prosciutto and whilst it was a very good pizza, of the three I’d had, it’s difficult to set it out above the others. As it was my birthday I treated myself to a tiramisu and a lovely full bodied glass of red wine to finish the evening.
This particular pizza place was even further away than the previous one and I’d sensibly got the Metro this time. Knowing my way about town now, I confidently jumped onto the 23.16 train back to Napoli centre.
When I made for the station exit, I ditched my ‘Worlds Fattest Man’ ambitions in favour of a new title of ‘World’s Greatest Smartarse’ . Yes folks, I’d manage to travel an extra 2 miles out of town in the complete opposite direction. Great work Michael. It got better when I discovered there were no more trains for the night. Declining a 25 Euro taxi in favour of a “I’d rather walk” approach, a terminated bus driver (the bus was, not the driver. Arnie was nowhere in sight) suggested the 151 bus. With much relief, I happily hopped on at 1138pm.
Summing up, I enjoyed three of those four pizzas and it was hard to choose a winner. True, it was nice to say I’d been to Michele’s original place, (made famous by the Julia Roberts film “Eat, Pray, Love” apparently) but I wouldn’t recommend it to others.
All in all, I would say I’ve enjoyed pizzas elsewhere in UK and Europe than here in it’s original birthplace. I think this is the case with many things, companies, products and regional cuisine
Over time, people, take away the original idea, add their own spin on it and make it better. Ford don’t make the best cars any more. Jamaica somehow won a medal at the Winter Olympics
(ref – the movie – Cool Running) and Pop Idol became X Factor! Napoli has some fantastic pizza. But is it the BEST? Controversially, I’m not so sure on that.
That being said, would I recommend going to Napoli? Unquestionably!! It’s an amazing place to visit. There are approximately 250 pizzerias in the city I was told. Try and pace yourself if pizza is your main agenda mind. Or if you want to walk it all off in between pizzerias, factor in several extra hours. You’ll need them to tread the labyrinth of endless, stone slabbed streets of this vast, vibrant city.
