Pizza (or other favorite eats)

Shar, I can't offer any suggestions on finding Pizza in the places you listed, as I rarely order Pizza when in Italy. For a "real pizza", I'd suggest Naples! Cheers

I agree with Ken. Pizza in many ways is more American. The one pizza we had in Rome was pretty average. And pizza in Italy is not a meal either. With the wide range of food available why limited yourself to pizza.

I'll offer a counterpoint to Ken & Frank. Why not try pizza in every city? It's inexpensive, and with a salad it makes a fine light meal. (It is not a meal in itself if you believe a meal includes vegetables.) In Rome, we liked Dar Poeta and Da Franceso. In Vernazza the choices are limited, but the Blue Marlin was fine. In Siena we liked Pizzeria il Corso.

Shar - I would try pizzas in all of your cities so long as they are pizzeria's. My favorite in Florence was Gusta Pizza near the Piti Palace. Ciao!

Pizza is going to be way different here. Still good (for the most part) but different. Myself I thought the pizza in CT was pretty crappy with the exception of one place in Monterrosso. DJ pizza I think it was called.
Try carbonara in Rome.

I eat pizza in Italy, by the slice or by the whole thing. An individual pizza is about 12" and makes a filling meal. Some pizzarias offer just the two basic pizzas, as in those "original" places in Naples. I suggest you eat pizza only in places that specialize in pizza, not a place that includes pizza on a larger menu. I don't find Italian pizza to be significantly different from pizza in the USA that comes out of a pizza oven in a pizzaria.

Remember that pizzas are not served cut, and no cutting wheel is available. You eat the pizza with a knife and fork. Should be wood oven baked, so the bottom of the pizza will have ashes on it and some of the pizza will probably be burned. Only a couple of ingredients on a traditional pizza. Order peperoni and you get peppers. If you want sorta like peperoni order spicy salami.

Nigel, raises a good point. Pizza in Europe is eaten with knife and fork. Want to advertise that you are an American tourists, eat with your fingers and complain that it wasn't cut.

Le Coppelle Taverna in Rome has good wood-fired pizza with the thin Roman crust, and one of the best house reds that I've tasted in Italy. They offer a good variety of pizzas and have a mostly local clientele. Peperoni (red and yellow peppers) is actually my favorite pizza there. Still searching for really good pizza in the other cities you mention. I enjoy eating pizza while in Italy, but almost always have it for lunch and not dinner.

Thanks everyone. While on the subject of food, any other "don't want to miss" eateries for pasta or great seafood in the same cities? Really looking forward to the wine-made-locally.

Roma Sparita in Trastevere section of Rome for Cacio e Pepe, and Cul de Sac near Piazza Navonareasonably priced Roman cuisine adn an amzing wine selection; In Siena, try Trattoria La Tellina, in the historic center, little English spoken; In Vernazza, Il Pirata is a must for breakfast pastries and for their amazing dinners!

Another vote for Dar Poeta in Rome! Pizza was great, and my only regret was that I was too stuffed to try the chocolate calzone afterward.

Well, I like to say that pizza is like sex: when it's good it's good but when it's bad...it's still good. Having said that, in the big cities like Rome and Florence you have to try and avoid the places anywhere near the tourist areas. Do not be surprised if you get a subpar pizza in those places and don't judge Italian pizza by what you get in cities where there are tons of tourists. Same with Pisa, don't go to a place anywhere near the Leaning Tower, walk a few blocks out of the way and look for a pizzeria. Cinque Terra is not exactly a haven for pizza so I would skip it there altogether and stick with the pasta, pesto and seafood there. As the one guy above said, if you order peperoni you'll get peppers. The closest thing to peperoni here is called "salamino picante". But be adventurous and try different toppings, some might surprise you.

...or torn into pieces, folded over, and eaten with your hands...like a 'New York-style' pizza (anything with thin-crust)...

Shar, To add to my earlier reply, thinking back several years I did try a Pizza in Venice on one occasion. As I recall, it was a Quattro Stagioni: Tomato, mozzarella, olives, mushrooms, artichoke hearts, ham. The artichokes were kind of a different experience, but I quite enjoyed it. As the others have mentioned, it was eaten with a knife & fork for the most part. Cheers!

Le Botteghe di Donatello in Florence right on the Duomo Piazza. And unlikely place, seems like it would be too touristy, but fantastic, wood stove baked Pizzas. You order individual pies.

In Rome, may I suggest Alle Carrette. It's off Via Cavour and about 5 minutes from the forum.. it's tucked away in a little alley, a great find. We only found it because our B & B suggested it. The pizza was scrumptious. Mine was topped with asparagus and my friend had mushroom.

In Rome I second the suggestion for Alle Carrette. We ate their twice and the pizza was excellent and not expensive. Very thin and crispy crust. And I don't normally even like pizza!

I will third the suggestion of Alle Carrette and second the suggestion of Da Francesco in Rome. Both fantastic pizza. Rome also has a piazza a taglio (pizza by the slice) shop on seemingly every corner. some of them are quite famous and do everything from plain pizza bianca to all kinds of crazy flavors.
As a pizza-lover I wouldn't dissuade you from trying pizza everywhere. in Vernazza I had a great pizza right on the main square (to the left if your back's to the harbor - it's in rick's book). In florence not far from Santa Croce, there's I Ghibellini, which has great pizza, very cheap house wine, and good pasta as well. http://ighibellini.com/ing_index.php Also I would encourage you to find out the local specialties. In Vernazza, try trofie with pesto or fresh fish if you like fish. In Siena, try pici which is like a fresh thick spaghetti, I had it in Pienza where it was homemade with a fresh tomato-mushroom sauce, ridiculous! In Florence, try a bistecca all fiorentina if you are meat-eaters and want a splurge of a meal. In Rome, there are a number of famous pasta dishes like cacio e pepe, alla gricia, carbonara, and my favorite all'amatriciana. you also have the Jewish-style fried artchokes. that's just scratching the surface and giving some of my favorites. and for the love of all things holy and delicious in this world, save plenty of room for GELATO :)

Just got back from Italy 2 days ago. Some restaurants display some of their pizza in the store fronts. I saw one pizza that had whole hard boiled eggs and what looks like raw bacon on the pizza. The pizza was called, "pizza American". Here in the states, I have never seen or heard of a pizza with hard boilded eggs on it. I personally feel that I have had better pizza in the states, specifically NY style pizza. I am not saying pizza in Italy was bad, but it was not great. But it was filling and sometimes convenient. the best pizza I had in florence was near San Marco Museum near the accademia. It was simply called "self Service Pizza". we got a few slices of the tomatoes, mozz pizza. Best tomatoes I have ever had

Even though I can not recommend any particular restaurants, I can recommend pizza in both France and Italy. We have had pizzas with so many different toppings ...caramelized onions and eggplant; tuna and anchovies; artichokes; seafood and capers; potatoes; salami, hard boiled eggs. Of course, not all of these toppings were on one pizza! We didn't always eat in true pizzerias but we did enjoy the pizzas we had in the small restaurants.

Shar, We really enjoy Da Baffetto in Rome for pizza. It is in an alley about halfway between Piazza Navona and the Vatican. You must go early or late because many locals go and there will be a line out front waiting for a table. The pizza is excellent and well worth the wait. The owner is a surly old guy that will come to the door to seat the next party, yell at everyone standing outside in line, and close the door. I've read some reviews where people have been offended. But we have been many times and I think it is all done good naturedly. We sit and laugh at the owners antics. The owner will then stop by our table, kiss my wifes cheek, and go yell at some one else. Its a hoot! I agree with what others have said about avoiding pizza in CT. Some of the best seafood I have ever had was in Vernazza.