The little shop that sells “the best pizza in the world”
But what is surprising is its price – a Margherita pizza from the best pizzeria in the world costs only £6 (€7).
I Masanielli has been ranked No. 1 on the list of the “50 Best Pizzas” for four consecutive years.
I Masanielli is a concept from pizza chef Francesco Martucci, who was forced to work from the age of ten due to financial difficulties at home.
He started working at “Solito Posto”, one of the oldest pizzerias in Caserta, and when he was 14 he was working alone in the kitchen, making the perfect dough recipe and creating new flavors and opening.
In 2001, he opened his first pizzeria “I Masanielli” with his brother, the shop was so small that it only allowed takeaway.
In 2017 I Masanielli opened his new – and much larger – restaurant, which can be found in the center of Caserta, which is about 25 minutes’ drive from Naples.
The pizzeria is also a stone’s throw from the stunning 18th-century Royal Palace of Caserta – arguably the largest on the planet.
A classic Margherita pizza costs just £6, while a Buffala pizza – a margherita with mozzarella made from buffalo’s milk – costs £8.
However, Francesco Martucci became known for his pizza cooked at three temperatures.
The pizza is steamed at 100 degrees, fried at 180 degrees, and then baked in the oven at 400 degrees.
The three temperature method is available on three distinct pizzas.
One is the Futuro de Marinara (£10.50), with cream of roasted tomatoes, olives, anchovies, wild garlic pesto, capers and oregano.
The ‘DOC’ is also £10.50 and is the original Margherita, with tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella, Parmesan and cherry tomatoes.
The last pizza is “Genovese according to Martucci” – “Genovese according to Martucci”, costing £11.50.
This special, with a white base and latte cheese (a semi-soft, fresh cheese made from mozzarella), onions, pork cheek and “conciato romano,” which is the oldest cheese in the world.
Martucci told the Italian magazine “Identità Golose” that the pizza he serves in his restaurants “is really mine.”
He said, “It has a personal identity that I developed over these years, as a result of the many concepts I gained through studying and running around questioning myself day in and day out.”
The restaurant has a rating of 4.5/5 stars on TripAdvisor, with over 3,800 reviews.
Customers have called it “simply the greatest ever,” “flawless,” and “pizza to die for.”
For more bargains in Italy we found a bar with drinks from 88p in Naples.
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