On Pizza and Some Italian Scenes

We had to leave our trip early. These things happen. Our last days in Italy went by fast. Add in a whirlwind of unexpected modern travel, and I’m now back home wondering how to write about it. But the good news, is the jet lag is keeping me awake at night, so I decided to wrap up this dispatch while whiling away the hours.

On Pizza

I will say, I ate an unhealthy amount of pizza in Italy. It was a fact finding mission, I was determined to try it all. We ate pizza once a day. Im surprised Im not dead, from all that deliciousness. It was worth it. I found my answers.

I had 4 truly great pizzas in Italy from 4 different regions. And these average normal pizzas you can get on a Tuesday night, were 98% better than all the rest of the pizza I’ve ever eaten. A lot of good food remembered is based on timing, experience, location, and who you were with. It's very subjective. And no doubt these pizzas fall in to that, but objectively, Italian pizza has a lot going for it.

Their ingredients are fresh. The toppings fresh. The flour special. They care. I had a simple pizza of cherry tomatoes and buffaleta from “The pizza whisperer” in Naples, and he came out after a bit to watch his clients eat. We were all satisfied. Another guy we went back to to compliment his pizza, saying, “it was the best pizza ever.” To which he barely gave us as glance, but smiled and said, “Yeah, I know.”

They have the portion size down perfectly. Everyone gets their own pizza. The have an ingenious accesory of olive oil picante which makes everything taste better. And finally, it’s what they do, and have been doing for a long time.

Visual Vignettes

Here are the rest of the vignettes of Italy.