Varazze has not been won over by Briatore, who is closing the Crazy Pizza on the sea
I wonder if anyone has ever ventured to Polymarket to bet on which location of Flavio Briatore's Crazy Pizza might close its doors soon.
In the Varazze tourist port, the acrobatic pizza adventure has officially ended after just two summer seasons: the restaurant, which had opened with great fanfare in 2024 inside the splendid Marina built by the Vitelli family, has finally closed its doors to make room for something different.
Varazze did not let itself be conquered
Despite seating approximately eighty people with an enviable view of the docked yachts, the project failed to take off in the long term as hoped. The formula was the chain's now famous one, featuring acrobatic pizza chefs twirling dough in front of customers between the tables. Adapting this format to Varazze, however, proved more difficult than expected, and although the Ligurian town attracts high-end tourism, events have shown that it still isn't comparable to the ultra-luxury destinations where the Crazy Pizza brand is now a well-established presence.
The Varazze crowd, both locals and tourists, were unwilling to be won over by a pizzeria where the average cost was around €60 per person. If they then wanted to indulge in the gourmet versions enriched with premium ingredients like truffle or Patanegra, the bill could skyrocket, with individual pizzas costing over €50 or €60. Even appetizers and desserts followed this very high price line compared to a traditional pizzeria, and over time, the initial curiosity waned and attendance decreased, making the operation unsustainable.
Further complicating matters were logistical difficulties related to staffing: finding qualified collaborators in the area was a daunting task, so much so that the owners were forced to bring part of the staff directly from the Principality of Monaco, a further blow to a business that was struggling to take root.
Now, however, it's time to turn the page and change the menu. In place of the rotating pizzas, San Carlo Bistrot will open its doors in mid-June, with a completely new approach: no more acrobatic show cooking, but a return to traditional flavors with Piedmontese dishes and specialties. We'll see if it can conquer the Varazze market, which has proven particularly challenging.