Neapolitan vs Roman Pizza: What’s the Difference, and Where to Learn Each

Italy has two pizzas that matter and they disagree about everything: Naples makes a soft, puffy-rimmed disc that cooks in 90 seconds and folds in four; Rome makes a thin, crisp round that crackles, and a tray-baked rectangle sold by weight. Neither is wrong. This guide explains how the dough, the oven and the history differ, which to order where, and where to learn each one.

The differences at a glance

Neapolitan: the original, with rules

Naples wrote the rules and had them recognised: the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana specifies 00 flour, water, salt and yeast, a hand-stretched disc never touched by a rolling pin, San Marzano tomatoes, fior di latte or buffalo mozzarella, and a wood oven so hot the pizza cooks in about 90 seconds. The result is soft, with a blistered rim, the cornicione, and a centre wet enough to eat with a knife and fork or fold into a portafoglio, a wallet, and eat in the street. UNESCO listed the art of the Neapolitan pizzaiuolo as intangible heritage in 2017. The Margherita, tomato, mozzarella and basil, is the reference; the marinara, tomato, garlic and oregano with no cheese, is the older one.

Roman: two pizzas, both crisp

Rome has the tonda romana, a round pizza rolled thin with a rolling pin, a little oil in the dough, and baked longer at a lower temperature until it is crisp from edge to edge, the scrocchiarella, the one that crackles. And it has pizza al taglio, a wet, high-hydration dough given a long cold rise, spread in rectangular trays, baked until the base is crunchy and the crumb is full of holes, and sold by the slice and by weight from morning to night. Pizza bianca, the plain salted version, is Rome’s bread. Roman pizza is thin because Romans like it thin and because the Roman oven is not as hot; it is not a lesser Neapolitan.

Which is better?

Whichever you are standing in front of. Neapolitan is a meal and a technique; Roman al taglio is a snack and a habit. Visitors who expect crisp and get soft, or expect soft and get crisp, are the only ones disappointed, and now you will not be.

Where to learn each

Naples teaches the original in working pizzerias with a pizzaiolo, dough by hand and a wood oven, in two to three hours; it is the most booked experience in the city and the one children remember. See pizza making classes in Naples. Rome’s pizza classes teach the thin round and the tray, often paired with gelato, and suit families and anyone based in the capital. See Rome cooking classes.

Where to eat each

In Naples, Via dei Tribunali and the streets off Spaccanapoli, standing or seated; a Naples food tour eats pizza in two or three forms. In Rome, any pizzeria in the evening for the tonda, and any pizza al taglio counter at lunch, best in Testaccio and Trastevere.

Frequently asked questions

What is the main difference between Neapolitan and Roman pizza?

Texture: Neapolitan is soft with a puffy rim, cooked in 90 seconds in a very hot wood oven; Roman is thin and crisp, cooked longer at a lower temperature, or baked in trays and sold by weight.

Why is Neapolitan pizza soft in the middle?

High heat and a short bake leave the centre moist; it is meant to be eaten with a knife and fork or folded, not lifted by the slice.

What is scrocchiarella?

Rome’s thin round pizza, named for the crackle it makes when you bite it.

Is pizza al taglio Roman?

Yes; tray-baked, high-hydration pizza sold by the slice and by weight is a Roman invention and habit.

Which city has the better pizza class?

Naples, for the original with a pizzaiolo and a wood oven; Rome, if you are based there and want a family-friendly class with gelato.