Let us first talk about the celebrated pizza napoletana. Appearing on the list of UNESCO’s intangible cultural heritage, pizza napoletana has a separate fan base. The pizza dough is made with a flour high in gluten, natural yeast, salt and water. However, the dough made from these four ingredients needs to be fermented from 24-36 hours to reach the optimal bonding of protein molecules. Once the base is ready, the toppings can vary. The most famous one is called Margherita, which was named after Queen Margherita of Savoy. The red sauce spread across the dough can only be made from pomodorino Vesuviano or San Marzano tomatoes, both of which grows on the volcanic soil of Mount Vesuvius. The cheese used is mozzarella di bufala campana, which origintes from the water buffalo of Campania region and has a PDO status. The green colour of the flag is bestowed by using fresh basil leaves. Before going inside the wood-fired oven to bake, drizzle some EVO oil. To get the perfect smoky and slightly blackened crust, only a wood-fired oven needs to be used since the temperature inside reaches above 450°C. The pizza needs to cook fast under a high temperature in order to retain its crispness.
Carpe Diem is around 230km away from the third largest city in Italy and the home of pizza, Naples. Pizzaiolo Emilio Brighigna seized his day by making delicious napoletan styled pizza in Abruzzo. For now, he has successfully opened three branches in this region, and I’ll be writing about the one in L’Aquila which opened in 2020. Situated in via XX settembre, I would call this my favourite pizzeria in the city. Carpe diem is featured for 4 years consecutively in the 50 Top Pizza, which is an website ranking pizzerias around the world. They also managed to earn Due Spicchi, a rating invented by Gambero Rosso (an Italain food and wine guide) for pizzerias. The maximum rating handed out is three, and is given to the BOTB in each category.
The first time I visited was in 2020. Their pizza menu had all the classic Italain flavours and the seasonal specialities. Normally, I always order a Margherita whenever I visit a new pizzeria. I believe, if a pizzeria’s Margherita is not well made, then none of their varities could satisfy me. Pizza Margherita is the ultimate taste test for any pizzeria across the globe. As usual, I ordered their DOP Margherita, which was made with all the authentic products from Campania. The dough was chewy and extremely light on your stomach, an incredibly satisfying dinner. Upon asking, they informed us that their dough ferments for around 50 hours.
The second time I went there for a dine-in experience was in 2021. Nevertheless, we always ordered a delivery via Justeat couple of times during the lockdown. This time, I wanted to try a pizza bianca, and opted for Ricordi di Nerano, translated as memories of Nerano, a small village along the Amalfi coast. Known for its famous Spaghetti alla Nerano which uses fried zucchini, the pizza uses the same as a topping along with zucchini flowers, and shavings of pecorino (semi aged sheep cheese). The base is made with a zucchini pâté and mozarella di bufala is used for the cheese. Every bite had layers of flavours hidden underneath. The crunch is provided with the zucchini chips, the sharp saltiness from the shaved pecorino, the flowers provided a certain sweetness, and the base was creamy from the pâté and cheese.
Fast forward to 2022, after going through 3 months of pizza abstinence, I decided to order a stuffed crust pizza. I wanted something spicy, so I decided on Diavola (devil). Diavola is a Margherita along with some spicy salami. Carpe Diem uses Ventricina, which is a typical spicy salami from the Abruzzo region. The crust was stuffed with ricotta made from buffalo milk, and that reduces the spiciness induced by the salami. The delivery was fast, probably because it was a weekday and we always order before the restaurant opens. During the weekends, you might have to wait for 3 hours to get the delivery. If you want to enjoy a fresh and hot pizza on a weekend, dine-in might be a better option.
Every corner of Italy has a random pizzeria or kebab shop, so you can satisfy your pizza/kebab carvings anytime you want. However, if you are in L’Aquila, Montesilvano or Villa Raspa, and you are craving for a good pizza, seize the night (they only open for dinner) by having a pizza from Carpe Diem.