The osteria

Osteria “Il Pizzaiuolo” is a Neapolitan pizzeria restaurant in Florence, located on one of the city's most central and charming streets, Via dei Macci, just a few steps from the S. Ambrogio local market and the vibrant heart of the historic center. The entrance to the restaurant invites guests to discover a unique culinary experience, with its ancient and historic door leading into the dining area.

The decor creates a warm and welcoming atmosphere, perfect for an evening with friends or a quick meal during the day. The kitchen of Osteria “Il Pizzaiuolo” offers a wide selection of Neapolitan pizzas baked in a wood-fired oven, as well as first and second courses, all prepared with high-quality ingredients carefully selected. Our osteria is also suitable for celiacs, offering gluten-free dishes to meet every dietary need.

If you're looking for authentic Neapolitan pizza in Florence, osteria "Il Pizzaiuolo" is the perfect choice: an authentic spot where you can enjoy an excellent Margherita, Marinara, fried pizza, or other Neapolitan specialties. A little piece of Naples in the heart of Florence, where the quality of food and impeccable service are our top priorities.

Our pizza

The dough

The original dough for Neapolitan pizza requires only four ingredients: water, flour, brewer's yeast, and salt. For our dough, we use only the best products (Caputo flour, fresh yeast).
After mixing, we cover the dough with a damp cloth and place it in a draft-free area (as wind is its worst enemy) until it has doubled in size; this phase is called "puntata." Then, we shape the dough into "staglio" balls, which are about 250-280 grams, and let them rise for another 24 hours. We take great care in this process, moving them to the fridge when necessary, depending on the climate and humidity, to ensure the best possible rise.

The Stretching

The stretching of the pizza is a crucial step for the successful outcome of the final product. The dough should be placed in the oven when it is sufficiently relaxed and risen. We can tell this because it stretches easily without resistance, thus avoiding the spring-back effect.
In this phase, we shape the pizza, aiming for it to be as round as possible, and especially, we push the air inside the dough towards the crust, so that it increases in volume, giving the characteristic shape to the Neapolitan pizza with a raised edge of 1 or 2 cm.
The entire stretching process must be done with the hands; no other tools are allowed.

The Cooking

The final step, but no less important, is the cooking process. For an authentic Neapolitan pizza, the oven must be wood-fired. Ours is a Valoriani, one of the best. The fire should be positioned on the left side when facing the oven to promote the even circulation of hot air inside (clockwise). The mouth of the oven should not be straight, but slightly tilted to avoid the clash of opposing air currents that could lower the temperature in certain parts of the oven.
The ideal temperature is 485 degrees, and the cooking time is between 60 and 90 seconds, until the crust has taken on the typical 'leopard spot' coloring.
An authentic Neapolitan pizza never has a uniform color; this would indicate either a low oven temperature or, worse, poor dough fermentation.