Por fin Veneto tiene su propio evento dedicado a la pizza de autor

From June 26th to 28th, Piazza dei Signori in Vicenza hosts the fourth edition of Pizza in Piazza. It's one of the (few) events dedicated to good pizza in the Northeast, a region rich in noteworthy pizza chefs; and, let's not forget, the birthplace, in the early 2000s, of the celebrated gourmet pizza—the expensive kind, sliced ​​into wedges and made with fancy ingredients.

The event is the highlight of the annual association Eccellenza nella Pizza (Excellence in Pizza), an organization that brings together industry professionals, organizes training programs, and creates opportunities for dialogue between established pizza makers and the new generations of artisans. While its scope is clearly national, its focus remains on the Veneto region, where over the years it has built a network of collaborations and initiatives dedicated to promoting contemporary pizza and the region's excellent agricultural and food products.

How the Pizza in Piazza event works

Over three days, the participating pizza chefs, mostly from Vicenza and Treviso, along with Veronese pizza star Renato Bosco, will prepare their pizzas at 10 stations, ready for you to enjoy while seated at one of the 250 stations. The menu is already available online and features fried pizzas, fried calzones, gourmet ingredients, and decidedly original dishes, such as the sweet rye pala with apricots and ricotta, to name just one, or the pizza with PGI Lofoten stockfish, a centuries-old product associated with the traditional cuisine of the Northeast.

At the oven there will be: Abdessamad El Anbri and Achraf El Anbri from Pizzeria Loop in Albignasego (PD), Eros Segato from Alveolà, Asolo (TV), Renato Bosco from Cruncheria in Verona, Alessandro Buono from Amor di Pizza in Paese (TV), Stefano Franzon from Pizzeria La Colombara in Lupia (VI), Antonio Acampora from Pizzeria Da Angelo in San Vito di Leguzzano (VI), Francesco Giarraffa from Pizza Bon in Schio (VI), Vittorio Di Nunzio from Mani Impasto in Zero Branco (TV), Catello Buononato from Pizzeria Catello in Vigardolo (VI) and Raffaele Ugliano from Pizzeria Da Lello in Costabissara (VI).

To drink, in addition to the classic selection of beer and soft drinks, special attention is paid to pizza and wine pairings: the selection of labels is entrusted to the curators of the Vino&Pizza guide, a project born in Veneto and dedicated to researching pairings between doughs, ingredients, and local wine production.

Attendees can choose their favorite pizza from a menu already available online on the event website; payment is in tokens, worth one euro each, which can be purchased at the cashier. Pizzas cost between €4 and €6, beers €5, and wine €4 to €6.

On the cultural side

Because man does not live by bread alone, a conference entitled "Roots and Boundaries: Local Pizza" will be held on Saturday, June 27, in the Palladian Loggia del Capitanato, in Vicenza's Piazza dei Signori. This will be a chance to reflect on the local origins of pizza makers as a starting point for uniting, not dividing, regions. The roundtable will feature pizza makers Renato Bosco, Daniele Campana, and Luca Cornacchia, along with journalists Pina Sozio, Antonella Amodio, and Giusy Ferraina. A masterclass led by Daniele Campana and Luca Cornacchia will follow.

The event also features a prize, the "Best Pizza Chef Under 40": the promoters' aim is to showcase young talent. Furthermore, Pizza in Piazza is also the semifinal stage of the national competition that will determine the best pizza made with Tørrfisk fra Lofoten, or PGI Lofoten Stockfish.