International Pizza Day falls on February 9th every year. And where else to celebrate it than in a pizzeria directly in Italy? The 400 Gradi restaurant in the Italian town of Matera focuses on Neapolitan-style pizza. The dough for this pizza matures for up to 48 hours, making it easier to digest. It has a significantly higher, puffy edge (up to 1 or 2 cm in height) adorned with black, charred dots (known as “leopardo” in Italy).
I chose a pizza with salsiccia sausage, mushrooms, and cheese, which cost 10 euros. It was excellent. The middle of the dough was paper-thin, the filling was rich, and the edges were beautifully puffy. I washed it down with an Italian craft beer from the Volpina Amacord brewery, specifically a double malt red ale, which has 6.5% alcohol, 0.4 liters costs 5.5 euros here.
The pizzeria’s work area with the oven is separated from the tables only by a counter, so customers can easily watch the concert that takes place during the preparation of their dishes. Although the pizzeria was fully packed with guests, the team worked together seamlessly, and we only had to wait a few minutes for our pizza. You can also taste excellent fried pizza Montanara here.
Best Neapolitan-style pizza in Matera
The restaurant is relatively new, but it is already very popular among locals, with some even calling it the best Neapolitan-style pizzeria in town. Advance reservation is necessary, and be prepared to pay a coperto of 2 euros per person. Card payment is available.
More information can be obtained by clicking on the map link:
