Italy's Top 50 Pizzas announces world winners Tuesday at 11 AM Central

Friends,

Mother and I are still recovering from a whirlwind trip to see our cousins in the Upper East Side as well as bid adieu to Una Pizza Napoletana's Anthony Mangieri, as he returns to Italy. There are two exciting bits of information: first, he will hopefully celebrate being chosen as the top pizza maker in the world for the second time in three years. He has been, according to that Italian publication, #1 in America three years in a row. And second, he is getting married at Marina del Cantone on the southern tip of the Sorrentine Peninsula in a couple of weeks. Exciting times, except if you are trying to get a pizza of his. Una does not reopen until October.

As my intuition suggested last year, I would not put anything past this Italian media group to give Una the cold shoulder in favor of an Italian pizzeria. There are many great Italian pizzerias in and about the Naples region. However, none is nearing the level of greatness Una has achieved the last three years. The chasm between Una and every other great pizzeria in the world is gaping and only increasing in size each year. But the Italians are prideful with their pizza and I can see them giving the award again to a Naples pizzeria, as is their custom. Europeans, out of jealousy, are quick to shun New Worlders and unjustly reward Europeans awards over them. Think of the 1972 US-USSR basketball travesty in Munich or the Peru-Austria soccer fiasco in 1937.

Look at how the Italians have become enamored with one of their own, giving L'industrie the top slice shop award this year. Look at how over 40 of the top 50 pizzerias in America are Neapolitan styled, with a majority owned or operated by Italians. I love Neapolitan pizzas, but the home cooking and Italian favoritism on their lists is growing tired. For that reason, I will be releasing a TulaneLSU's Top 100 pizzerias of America every year from now until I can no longer achieve a just list.

Top 50 Pizza has also found a fancy for Tony Gemignani, putting both his Tony's Pizza Neapoletana in San Francisco, which was reviewed in TulaneLSU's Top 10 signs of San Francisco in 2020 and his Pizza Rock in Las Vegas well above where they deserve.

Regardless, we had a great time, and I believe 10 of the 22 pizzerias we sampled in the weekend made Top 50's list. When time permits, I shall give you a full rundown on those pizzerias with contemporary updates. But for now, be sure to visit Top 50 Pizza tomorrow at 11 Central, as they will live stream the awards.

Yours,
TulaneLSU