Neapolitan Pizza Tasting Tour

Free CancellationSmall Group

Category: All Naples Food Tours
Cancellation: Free, up to 24 hours before
Price: From €45 / adult

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About this experience

Neapolitan Pizza Tasting Tour is one of the tours on this page. Worth knowing: it centres on tasting. Prices start from €45 per adult. Open the booking page for today's availability, the start time and the exact meeting point before you decide.

What to expect

Pizza was born in Naples, and the Neapolitan version is a very particular thing: soft, thin in the middle, puffy at the edge and blistered from a roaring oven. In 2017 UNESCO added the art of the Neapolitan pizzaiuolo to its list of intangible cultural heritage, which says a lot about how seriously the city takes it. This guide covers what defines a real Neapolitan pizza, how it is made and how to taste and compare pizzas with a more informed eye.

What makes a pizza Neapolitan

A Neapolitan pizza starts with a dough of flour, water, salt and yeast, left to rise slowly so that it becomes light and easy to digest. It is stretched by hand, never rolled, which keeps the edge airy. The cornicione, the raised rim, should be puffy and slightly charred, while the centre stays soft enough that it is traditionally eaten folded or with a knife and fork.

Toppings are kept to a minimum. The two benchmark pizzas are the marinara, with tomato, garlic, oregano and olive oil, and the margherita, with tomato, mozzarella, basil and olive oil. The margherita is traditionally said to be named after Queen Margherita of Savoy, who visited Naples in the late nineteenth century.

The oven and the bake

The real secret is the oven. A domed wood-fired oven reaches a temperature far higher than any home oven, so the pizza cooks in barely more than a minute. That intense heat creates the leopard-spotted crust and a surface that stays moist. A pizzaiolo turns the pizza by hand during the bake so that it cooks evenly, which is a skill that takes years to learn.

How to judge a pizza

If you are comparing several pizzas, a few simple points help:

The rim. Look for an airy, blistered edge with some charred spots, not a pale or dense one.
The centre. It should be soft and slightly wet from the tomato and cheese, so it may sag slightly when lifted.
The tomato. The sauce should taste fresh and sweet, not cooked down or sugary.
The balance. No ingredient should overpower the others, and the pizza should not be greasy.
The aftertaste. A well-fermented dough leaves you feeling comfortable, not heavy.

Variations beyond margherita

Neapolitan pizza has more to it than two classics. Pizza with friarielli and sausage is a local favourite, while the montanara is a small pizza that is fried briefly and then finished in the oven. The calzone folds the pizza over its filling, and pizza fritta has long been a street food. Each style has its own history and its own devoted fans.

Eating pizza the Neapolitan way

In Naples, pizza is usually ordered as one pizza for each diner and served whole, not shared by the slice. It arrives hot and is eaten quickly, as it does not improve while waiting. Many locals fold it into quarters and eat it by hand, though a knife and fork are perfectly normal. Pizzas are often accompanied by beer or a simple soft drink, and wine is less common than you might expect.

Pizza and the city

Naples has a long tradition of pizzerias, and the streets around Via dei Tribunali are especially associated with them. The nearby Spaccanapoli, Piazza del Gesù Nuovo and the waterfront by Castel dell’Ovo make good places to walk off a meal. The city also has the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana, founded in the 1980s to protect the traditional method, which gives a sense of how much heritage sits behind a plate of pizza.

Useful information

Pizza is eaten hot, so start as soon as it is served; a cooling pizza loses its soft texture.
If you avoid gluten, dairy or meat, tell the organiser when you book anything food-related.
Wear comfortable clothes and shoes, as pizzerias can be warm and busy.
Bring a little patience; popular pizzerias in Naples often have a queue at peak meal times.

Know before you go

Traditional Neapolitan dough is not gluten-free, so check separately if you need a gluten-free option.
Most pizzerias in Naples serve at meal times and may close in the afternoon.

Frequently asked questions

▸What is the difference between marinara and margherita pizza?

Marinara has tomato, garlic, oregano and olive oil with no cheese. Margherita adds mozzarella and basil to the tomato base.

▸Why is the middle of a Neapolitan pizza soft?

It is baked very fast in an extremely hot oven, so the centre stays moist and tender while the rim puffs and chars. This is why it is often eaten folded or with a knife and fork.

▸Why did UNESCO recognise Neapolitan pizza?

In 2017 UNESCO listed the art of the Neapolitan pizzaiuolo as intangible cultural heritage. It recognises the skills and traditions behind making the dough and baking the pizza, not just the dish itself.

▸What is cornicione?

The cornicione is the raised outer rim of a Neapolitan pizza. A good one is airy, light and lightly charred.

▸What is a montanara?

A montanara is a small round of dough that is briefly fried, topped with tomato and cheese, and then finished in the oven. It combines the crispness of fried dough with the flavours of a pizza.

▸Why is Neapolitan dough left to rise for so long?

A long, slow rise develops flavour and makes the dough lighter and easier to digest. Fast, yeast-heavy doughs tend to taste flat and dense by comparison.

▸Is it acceptable to eat pizza with your hands in Naples?

Yes. Many locals fold the pizza and eat it by hand, though a knife and fork are also common, especially for a soft-centred pizza.

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