The Absolute BEST Pizza I Have Ever Eaten in the USA (and it's found in Naples, FL) with ADDENDUM & PHOTOS FROM NAPOLI

And I have eaten many pizzas in many places around the world and I can honestly say that the best I have ever tasted comes from Italy (of course!). My love affair with Italy has lasted over a decade and I have traveled the country extensively, tasting local pizza wherever I go. Generally speaking, when it comes to Italian pizza the crust gets thicker the further south you go in the country and thinner the further north you go. Pizza from Napoli is somewhere in the middle and one of the best and it should not surprise us since the Napolitanos invented the classic pizza Margherita! Topped with the colors of the Italian flag- tomato sauce(red) mozzarella (white) and basil (green)- this tasty treat was created in honor of Queen Margherita of Savoy during her visit to Napoli.

Once you have eaten pizza in Italy, your palate becomes spoiled and basically ruined. If you live in Italy, it's fine because you can get your fix whenever you feel the need, but if you don't, you will never feel the same way about pizza in your country. I am not kidding. The closest I ever got to good pizza outside of Italy was when I lived in São Paulo, Brazil in the neighborhood of "Bixiga ," which happens to be the biggest population of Italians on the planet outside of Italy. There were plenty of Italian pizzerias with wood fired ovens serving really good pizza.

I have not had such luck in the USA until very recently. While visiting my family in Naples, FL, we went out to dinner at an Italian eatery on 5th Avenue South, which is actually a restaurant chain in Italy: ROSSO POMODORO (rosso pomodoro= red tomato). I admit I was skeptical at first, but when the owner began to speak Italian, I began to relax. I ordered the "La Verace " pizza and it is definitely the real deal- the flour, tomatoes, olive oil and the mozzarella di buffala (best quality mozzarella) is imported from Italy. Even the pizzaiolo (pizza pie maker) is imported from Napoli! The pizza is cooked in a wood fired oven, which gives it a wonderful flavor and texture.

I have to tell you that I actually smiled when I took my first bite because it was just like being back in Bella Italia . The crust is deliciously tender on the inside and crisped on the outside. The tomato sauce is seasoned just right and the cheese...ah, the cheese! Top it with some basil and you have an edible masterpiece. I did manage to pull myself away from my pizza to taste my husband's dish- delicious tagliatelle with a savory ragu Bolognese . Mmmm...

I'll be back in Florence in just a few weeks to work the busy tourist season. If you cannot get to Italy and you want to know what REAL Italian pizza tastes like, visit:

ROSSOPOMODORO
800 5th Avenue South
Naples, FL
Tel. 239-692-8480 / Tel. 239-692-8482
www.Rossopomodoro.us

Try it out and let me know what you think! Thanks for reading!

Coming to Florence? VISIT: www.florenceinsider.com

xoxo, C

ADDENDUM FROM NAPOLI: My husband and I visited Napoli (Naples, Italy) from 10 - 13 July 2011 and we came across THE ORIGINAL Rosso Pomodoro. Having my camera on me, I decided to go inside and check it out. The staff was super friendly and allowed me to snap some photos. They confirmed that EVERYTHING gets imported to the U.S. to make an authentic Neapolitan pizza- even the water! I showed them this article and they were very excited to see their pizza making such a big success in the U.S. If you plan on coming to Bella Napoli, you MUST visit Rosso Pomodoro located on the Lungomare (along the seaside). The pizza and staff are WONDERFUL!!!