Antico borgo ai vergini - napoli, italy

Rating:  8 / 10

After explaining to my Airbnb host how I'd been to 9 pizza spots in Naples on my last visit, he immediately asked if I had been to Antico borgo ai Vergini. I hadn't. 

This was immediately remedied.

Nestled amongst some pure heavy-weights in the pizza lore, Concettina ai Tre Santi and Starita, this humble corner restaurant does not appear on any top 10 lists or guides to Naples. Sometimes that's a good thing. It lets the restaurant continue making good pizza and not pander to huge crowds or unnecessary fuss.

I headed down right after check-in since it was a 5 minute walk. The place was almost empty due to the lunchrush having passed, so I was happy to find myself alone in a restaurant during covid times.

The owner was a jolly fellow but spoke barely a word of English. I managed to order my pizza, a coke, and sat wondering where it would be on the scale of greatness. 

Thankfully it was one of those places that cooks the pizza properly, although if i'm being finicky it was less done on one side and should have been turned more acutely. However, the flavours were all on point and there was a decent amount of char on the undercarriage.

I doubt i'll be a regular here just because I prefer Concettina and it's just around the corner, but if you are on a biblical quest to try every pizzeria in Naples, then this one should find itself in the upper half of your list.

These recommendations are just personal opinions based on my palate, things change, chefs get fired or replaced, places open-close, relocate, so take it all with a pinch of MSG  and discover your own gems too. But please do try a few of these, they have been researched exhaustively.