More than 200 countries will have to decide in October whether the Pizza Napoletana must join the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Unesco. A recognition pursued for years and so eagerly awaited that the Italian government has decided to present this unique candidacy in Paris for 2017. To tell the truth, the government's proposal was very attentive to the market: not Pizza was nominated but "The Art of Neapolitan pizza makers" thus attributing to our most famous gastronomic product in the world a high-level cultural value inserted in our history but at the same time aiming to defend the identity of Neapolitan Pizza, a sector worth 10 billion euros, from the imitations that are now rampant all over the world. Among other things, the Italian candidacy, if approved, will mark a historic record, it will be the first time that a food production will become part of the Unesco intangible cultural heritage.
In anticipation of the October decision, a worldwide campaign of events has been launched which aim to support the uniqueness and inimitable nature of our Neapolitan Pizza. A petition was addressed to the world director of Unesco, Irina Bokova, in support of the candidacy of the Pizza which bears one million signatures collected from all over the world. It reads: "this art, which was born and has been handed down in Naples for centuries, from generation to generation, consists in manipulating two basic substances such as water and flour in such a way as to create disks of dough, according to a technique and well-defined rules and an all-Neapolitan language (“alluccare”, “schiaffo”, etc.)”.
“Inscribing this art in the representative list means recognizing the value of a sustainable tradition, attentive to naturalness, which speaks of raw materials linked to a true love and respect for the earth, of the ingenuity of men and women who wanted to find tasty ways to feed their families and communities". And the Designating Commission added: “The art of pizza makers performed a function of social redemption, identity element of a people, not only the Neapolitan one, but that of Italy. It is a brand of Italianness in the world".
In the context of the initiatives aimed at spreading the culture of Neapolitan Pizza in Italy and in the world, Rome will also make its contribution by giving life to "The city of Pizza” in the location of the Guido Reni District. For three days, March 31, April 1 and 2, over 40 of the best master pizza makers from all over Italy they will meet in the former barracks of Via Guido Reni to present and propose to the public 90 different pizza recipes, a veritable riot of colours, aromas and flavours. But there will also be workshops for insiders, laboratories for adults and children, lunches and dinners for four hands with the company of great chefs. A space for raw materials and a pairing area.
There will be over 30 master pizza makers who will take turns in the "Case", the temporary pizzerias - 10 a day, starting from 18.00 on Friday until 23.00 on Sunday - from which the pizzas will be baked, divided into the categories "Neapolitan", "Italian style", "A tasting", "Al taglio" and "Fritta". To these are added, for the entire duration of the event, the space, awaited by many, "Gluten free", and "The House of Semolina”, for the 100% durum wheat semolina pizza signed by La Molisana. A virtual tour from north to south of the boot, to discover all the variations that the greedy universe of pizza offers.
Each pizza maker will prepare his own version of Margherita or Marinara, a workhorse and a special edition designed exclusively for La Città della Pizza. Space therefore for lovers of the great classics, but also for those who want to experiment with unusual ingredients that will give life to highly original pizzas: Sheep fillet tartare marinated in herbs and citrus salad, or Burnt wheat dough with Agerola fior di latte, buffalo blue, stewed pancetta of Caserta black ink, freshly ground pepper and extra virgin olive oil, or Foie gras, buffalo mozzarella and lemon jam, just to name a few. The only common denominator, essential, is the high quality level.
The calendar of workshops dedicated to insiders is very rich, with technical insights on the different interpretations of doughs, cooking methods, condiments and combinations. Starring names of the caliber of Gino Sorbillo, Gabriele Bonci, Massimiliano Prete, Pierluigi Roscioli, Piergiorgio Giorilli, Massimo Bosco, Teo Musso, Giancarlo Casa, Emanuele Liguori, Matteo Tambini, Renato Bosco, Enzo Coccia, Stefano Callegari, Ciccio Vitiello, Isabella De Cham , the brothers Salvo and Antonio Troncone.
All the pizza makers involved were chosen on the basis of a "manifesto" where the concepts of quality, research, care and attention for all stages of production and, above all, passion are fundamental. It was drafted by the 5 authors of the event: Emiliano De Venuti, creator of La Città della Pizza and CEO of Vinòforum, the pizza chef Stefano Callegari and the journalists Luciano Pignataro, Luciana Squadrilli and Tania Mauri.
Friday 31 March, first day of the event, will take place in the Houses: Massimo Bosco of Pizzeria Bosco (Sassari), Petra Antolini of Casa Petra (Verona), Marzia Buzzanca of Percorsi di Gusto (L'Aquila), Massimiliano Prete of Gusto Divino (Cuneo), Giancarlo Casa of La Gatta Mangiona (Rome), Pierluigi Police of O'scugnizzo (Arezzo), Gennaro Battiloro of La Kambusa (Lucca), Gianfranco Iervolino of Morsi and Rimorsi (Caserta), The Confraternity of Pizza (Rome), Ciro Oliva of Concettina at the Three Saints (Naples).
Saturday April 1th it will be the turn of: Luca Belliscioni from Grecco Enjoy (Rome), Mirko Rizzo from Pommidoro (Rome), Emiliano Aureli from La Taverna dei Corsari (Rieti), Pier Daniele Seu from Mercato Centrale Termini (Rome), Emanuele Liguori from L'Antica Pizzeria Da Michele (Naples), Alessandro Coppari from Mezzometro (Ancona), Stefano Vola from Vola Bontà per Tutti (Cuneo), Matteo Aloe from Alce Nero Berberè (Bologna), Antonio Pappalardo from La Cascina dei Sapori (Brescia), Cristiano Piccirillo from La Masardona (Naples).
Sunday April 2, last day of work with Gabriele Bonci of Pizzarium (Rome), Salvatore Gatta of Fandango (Potenza), Ciccio Vitiello of Casa Vitiello (Caserta), Edoardo Papa of Ticket Prego (Rome), Francesco Martucci of I Masanielli (Caserta), Salvatore Di Matteo from Pizzeria Di Matteo (Naples), Vincenzo Esposito from Carmnella (Naples), Giuseppe Pignalosa from Le Parùle (Naples), Matteo Tambini and Davide Fiorentini from 'O Fiore Mio (Ravenna), Diego Vitagliano from the pizzeria Diego 10 (Naples) , Isabella De Cham of 1947 Pizza Fritta (Naples).
