It's Franco Pepe, with his Pepper in grains, the super celebrated pizzeria of Caiazzo in the province of Caserta the absolute winner of the Pizza Awards Italia, real Oscars of Italian Pizza, assigned by a jury composed of around 200 of the most authoritative food and wine journalists in the sector, representatives and editors of the main guides, directors and editors of the sector magazines and managers of the pages of the newspapers dealing with food and wine with particular expertise in the world of pizza, and by the most important pizza experts in Italy.
Pepe, the undisputed authority on the subject who continues to win all the prizes in the various sector events, has won the prize for the best pizza chef in Italy as well as the prize for the best pizza, the best traditional pizza and the best pizza in Campania.
The ceremony which took place at La Nuvola convention center in Rome on the occasion of Excellence 2019 saw on the podium, everything from Campania, even the I Masanielli by Francesco Martucci, also from Caserta, which received the award for the best contemporary pizza and for the best fried pizza.
Absolute protagonist of the event organized by the publisher Fabio Carnivali and Vincenzo Pagano, patron of Shots of Taste, is therefore pizza, understood as Italian food excellence, judged on "classic" parameters such as raw materials, dough, toppings and digestibility, but also on factors such as tradition, creativity, innovation and attention to particular diets and intolerances.
Thirty-eight awards in total - 18 national and 20 regional - conferred during the ceremony, presented by two well-known faces of Italian food and wine journalism: Sara De Bellis director of MangiaeBevi and Chiara Giannotti of Vino.tv.
Two awards also for Le Parùle by Giuseppe Pignalosa in Ercolano (NA), Best Neapolitan Pizza and Best New Opening, Berberè in Bologna, Best Pizza in Emilia-Romagna and Best Organic Pizza, Patrick Ricci in San Mauro Torinese (TO), Best Pizza del Piemonte and Best Digital Communication and Da Lioniello di Succivo (CE), Best Pizza Canotto and Best Design.
Two women of pizza were also awarded: Teresa Iorio, of Dalle Figlie di Iorio of Naples, female winner of the title of Pizzaiola of the Year, and Sara Palmieri of 10 Diego Vitagliano awarded for the Best Gluten Free Pizza (assigned by the GustoSano magazine). Best Young Pizza Maker of the year is Luca Mastracci from Pupillo in Frosinone, awarded by Laura Mantovano, curator of the Gambero Rosso guides. The best Roman pizza is the one weighing 180 g. by Jacopo Mercuro and Mirco Rizzo in Centocelle (Rome), the Best Pizzeria Format that of Pizzium in Milan, the Best Wine and Beer List that of the brothers Francesco and Salvatore Salvo in San Giorgio A Cremano.
Also awarded as Ambassadors of Pizza in the World, Alessandro Condurro (L'Antica Pizzeria da Michele) and Gino Sorbillo (Sorbillo ai Tribunali).
And again, for the regional rankings, successes for Seu Pizza Illuminati (Lazio), Da Zero (Lombardy and Basilicata), I Tigli (Veneto), L'Apogeo (Tuscany), 400 Gradi (Puglia), Piano B (Sicily).
Pizza Awards Italia 2019 • all the prizes awarded
Ordinary awards
Best pizza in Italy: Pepe in Grani – Caiazzo (CE)
Best traditional pizza: Pepe in Grani – Caiazzo (CE)
Best contemporary pizza•Mulino Caputo: I Masanielli – Caserta
Best new opening: Le Parùle – Ercolano (NA)
Pizza chef of the year: Franco Pepe – Pepe in Grani – Caiazzo (CE)
Pizza chef of the year: Teresa Iorio – From Iorio's daughters – Naples
Young pizza chef of the year: Luca Mastracci – Pupillo – Frosinone/Priverno (LT)
Special awards
Best Neapolitan pizza: Giuseppe Pignalosa – Salerno
Best Roman pizza: 180 g. • Roman Pizzeria – Rome
Best canotto pizza: Da Lioniello – Succivo (CE)
Best fried pizza: I Masanielli Francesco Martucci – Caserta
Best organic pizza: Berberè – Castel Bolognese (BO)
Best gluten-free pizza: Sara Palmieri 10 Diego Vitaliano – Naples
Best wine and beer list: Francesco and Salvatore Salvo – San Giorgio a Cremano (NA)
Best Design: From Lionello – Succivo (CE)
Best pizzeria format: Pizzium – Milan
Best digital communication: Patrick Ricci • Terra Grani Explorations – Turin
Pizza ambassadors: Alessandro Condurro – L'Antica Pizzeria Da Michele – Naples and Gino Sorbillo – Sorbillo Ai Tribunali – Naples
Regional awards
best pizza in Abruzzo: La Sorgente – Guardiagrele (CH)
best pizza Basilicata: Da Zero – Matera
best Calabrian pizza: La Mimosa – Corigliano Calabro (CS)
best pizza Campania: Pepe in Grani – Caiazzo (CE)
best pizza Emilia-Romagna: Berberè – Castel Maggiore (BO)
best pizza Friuli-Venezia giulia: At Civicosei – Trieste
best pizza Lazio: Seu Pizza Illuminati – Rome
best pizza Liguria: Food Workshop – Sarzana (SP)
best pizza Lombardy: Da Zero – Milan
best pizza Marche: Mezzometro – Senigallia (PS)
best pizza Molise: Misery and Nobility – Campobasso
best Piedmont pizza: Patrick Ricci – San Mauro Torinese (TO)
best pizza Puglia: 400 Degrees – Lecce
best pizza Sardinia: Framento – Cagliari
best pizza Sicily: Plan B – Syracuse
best Tuscan pizza: L'Apogeo – Pietrasanta (LU)
best pizza Trentino-Alto Adige: Korallo – Trento
best pizza Umbria: Officine Bartolini – Perugia
best pizza in Aosta Valley: Du Tunnel – Courmayeur (AO)
best pizza Veneto: I Tigli – San Bonifacio (VR)
