BOB Alchimia a Spicchi, at Montepaone in the province of Catanzaro, is Gambero Rosso’s Pizzeria of the Year for 2027. The award was announced in Rome on 26 October at La Nuvola, where Gambero Rosso presented Pizzerie d’Italia 2027 on the afternoon of its 40th anniversary. The guide covers 824 pizzerias, 112 of them new to its pages, and gives its top symbol, Tre Spicchi, to 120. Of those, 105 are for pizza al piatto, the round pizza served at the table, and 15 for pizza al taglio, sold by the slice. Twelve pizzerias are new at Tre Spicchi, from Vulcano in the Aeolian Islands to Varese. The figures and quotes follow Italia a Tavola’s report from the presentation, confirmed by other Italian press.
120 Tre Spicchi, and no more scores out of 100
The 2027 edition changes the way the guide rates. The Rotelle, the old symbol for pizza al taglio, are gone, and every pizzeria is now rated from one to three Spicchi, or slices. The scores out of 100 and the ranking have gone too. There is no first place this year. What remains is the symbol, and the awards.
“Italian pizza has a richness that deserves to be told through its styles, its territories and its people.”
That is Pina Sozio, the guide’s curator. “We chose to move beyond scores out of 100 and the very idea of a ranking, to bring attention back to the quality of the projects and to the experience at the table”, she said, adding that the 112 newcomers show how dynamic the sector is. Behind every symbol, said Lorenzo Ruggeri, Gambero Rosso’s editor-in-chief, there are anonymous visits, tastings and discussion, carried out by professionals who know the territories.
Pizzeria of the Year: BOB Alchimia a Spicchi at Montepaone
BOB Alchimia a Spicchi is run by Roberto Davanzo and Anna Rotella. Montepaone looks onto the Gulf of Squillace, on the Ionian side of Calabria, south of Catanzaro. The region has at least four pizzerias at Tre Spicchi, with two more at Corigliano-Rossano and one at Acri, according to the regional list published by Virgilio’s InItalia. It now also has the guide’s main award.
The 12 new Tre Spicchi, from Vulcano to Varese
Campania has three of the newcomers. Puglia has two.
| Pizzeria | Town | Region |
|---|---|---|
| 400 Gradi | Lecce | Puglia |
| Brando | Gioia del Colle | Puglia |
| Carlo Sammarco | Aversa | Campania |
| Glamour Antonello Scatorchia | Rionero in Vulture | Basilicata |
| Grano | Santena | Piedmont |
| Kilo | Imperia | Liguria |
| L’Ammaccata | Casal Velino | Campania |
| L’Arcipelago del Therasia Resort | Vulcano | Sicily |
| La Bolla | Caserta | Campania |
| La Piedigrotta | Varese | Lombardy |
| La Ventola | Rosignano Marittimo | Tuscany |
| Spazio by Franco Pepe | Baja Sardinia, Arzachena | Sardinia |
Two of the newcomers are inside hotels. L’Arcipelago is the pizzeria of the Therasia Resort on Vulcano, and La Bolla, in Caserta, is inside the boutique hotel Villa Maria Cristina, with pizza by Simone De Gregorio. Spazio by Franco Pepe takes the name of the pizzaiolo of Pepe in Grani, at Caiazzo, to Baja Sardinia, in the municipality of Arzachena, a short drive from Porto Cervo. The area’s Key hotels are in our list for Sardinia.
The special awards, from the tasting menus to the fried pizza
| Award | Winner | Town |
|---|---|---|
| Pizzeria of the year | BOB Alchimia a Spicchi | Montepaone, Calabria |
| Emerging pizzaiolo | Luigi Vaccaro, Antica Pizza | Busto Arsizio, Lombardy |
| Newcomer of the year | DaV Cantalupa | Brusaporto, Lombardy |
| Best tasting menus | SestoGusto; Seu Pizza; Lisola Restaurant; Raf Bonetta; Alterego Pizza Boutique | Turin; Rome; Forio; Naples; Andria |
| Pizza and territory | La Vecchia Scuola | Montese, Emilia-Romagna |
| Best fried food | 180 Grammi | Rome |
| Best mixed drinks | Uemé | Lecce |
| Best drinks list | Il Giardino di Ghilot | Cherasco, Piedmont |
Five pizzerias share the award for tasting menus, among them Lisola Restaurant, at Forio on Ischia, whose Key hotels are in our list for Naples and Ischia. DaV Cantalupa, at Brusaporto near Bergamo, comes from the Da Vittorio group.
Six pizzas of the year and five pizzaioli who made history
The guide also names six Pizze dell’anno. They are the Friggione at Irina Trattoria Pizzeria in Valsamoggia, the Capricciosa nel ruoto at Élite Rossi in Alvignano, Carciofi in 3 atti at Giuseppe Bove Pizzeria in Montesarchio and the Marinara Speciale at Sa Matracca in Cagliari. Come un Raviolo, by the slice, is from Ruver Teglia Frazionata in Rome, and Popcorn al Cinema, a dessert pizza, from Controluce in Porto Sant’Elpidio. For the anniversary, five pizzaioli were honoured together as Pizzaioli che hanno fatto la storia: Simone Padoan, Renato Bosco, Gabriele Bonci, Franco Pepe and Enzo Coccia.
Campania has the most Tre Spicchi. In the regional list published so far, which names 115 of the 120, it has 29, ahead of Lazio with 17, Tuscany with 12 and Lombardy with 11. Tuscany’s 12 include five in Florence and Apogeo at Pietrasanta, in the Versilia.
The Luxury.it perspective
Without scores, Pizzerie d’Italia 2027 reads as a map more than a league table. Pizza also keeps moving into hotels and tasting menus. At least three Tre Spicchi pizzerias sit inside hotels, from the Therasia Resort on Vulcano to L’Albereta in Franciacorta and Villa Maria Cristina in Caserta, and five pizzerias share a prize for tasting menus. Campania remains the region with the most top-rated addresses. For a trip with a date attached, Naples hosts the America’s Cup from 22 May 2027, as in our guide to the regatta. The next guide on the calendar is the MICHELIN Guide Italy 2027, unveiled in Piacenza on 12 November, as in our calendar of the ceremonies.
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The best restaurants on the Costa Smeralda · Riserva Rooftop in Naples · The 25 restaurants MICHELIN added in October · Michelin star restaurants in Italy
