Da buon pizzaiolo napoletano, Peppe, Villa Verde’s renowned pizzaiolo, gives me a little insight on making the perfect Neapolitan pizza. Pizza making is an art and the pizzaiolo, the artist but what I found to be most captivating is how these guys can stand in front of a burning oven, while its 90 degrees outside and not even break a sweat! I was told several times, their bodies have just become “adjusted”, something mine was not. So I stood next to Peppe and his burning oven as I watched him make my pizza for only about 6 minutes, I sweating profusely while he was cool as a cucumber!
As we already know, the freshest ingredients make a world of difference from the tomatoes and mozzarella to the double zero flour and even the water!! Peppe made us 2 different pizzas to try, one with Pomodorini del Piennolo del Vesuvio (tomatoes that grow in the southern region of Campania around Mt Vesuvius), Mozzarella di Buffala also from the Campania region, arugula and shaved parmigiano. The other was with salsiccia (sausage) and friarelli which is a special type of broccolini that only grows around the base of Mt Vesuvio, closest described as a sweeter version of broccoli rabe. Peppe makes between 150-200 pizzas per night but when I asked which was his favorite, he responded “La Margherita”! He said he’s tried them all, but plain and simple, you can never go wrong with a classic!
Capri's good taste,Enchanting flavors and intriguing aromas delight the senses.Villa Verde is one of the islands oldest and liveliest restaurants on the island. Loved among celebrities and locals. My friend Simone worked at Villa Verde for over 15 years so we walked in and felt right at home!