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Italy’s best pizza is made in a rehab centre

Italians make great pizza, but where can you find the very best? According to a national survey, the honour goes to a pizzeria run by residents of a rehab centre, where people recovering from drug addictions train as kitchen or waiting staff as part of their treatment.

Italy's best pizza is made in a rehab centre
Where is the best pizza in Italy? File photo: Pexels

The SP.accio pizzeria in Rimini, part of the San Patrignano rehabilitation centre, received the most votes in a poll by Italian food website Gastronauta.

Almost 40,000 people cast their vote in the survey to track down Italy's very best pizza. The survey ran throughout September, with a total of 7,335 people opting for SP.accio. 

Gastronauta noted: “As well as honouring a quality pizza, we honour a project of rehabilitation, training, integration and growth for young people who have decided to turn over a new leaf and give themselves a second chance.”

Around 1,300 young people with problems linked to drug addiction are currently receiving treatment at the San Patrignano rehabilitation centre in Botticella, Rimini.

Some residents admit themselves to the centre, while others are referred by social services or are offered the programme as an alternative to serving a prison sentence.

Training is a central part of the therapeutic treatment on offer, and as well as working with pizza, young people at San Patrignano can learn one of 50 other trades including carpentry, plumbing and design. Alternatively, they can choose to resume any studies they had begun in the past.

“Learning a profession means growing in self-esteem and interpersonal relationships. It is also the key to full reintegration into society” says the centre, which claims that former residents have a 72 percent rate of full recovery.

The restaurant first opened ten years ago under the name ‘O Malomm, and uses only organic flour and high quality local produce to cook its diverse range of pizzas.

Its premises were recently renovated, reopening in early August with around 40 of the centre's residents working as staff. In addition to this latest award, it boasts a 4.5 rating on TripAdvisor.

Second place in the Gastronauta rankings went to Lievito in Reggio Calabria, which was only slightly behind SP.accio with 7,264 votes, and the third most popular was Terrazza dei Grue in Castelli, with 1,754.

The prizes will be officially awarded at a ceremony on October 17th.

The top ten pizzerias in Italy, according to Gastronauta

1. Sp.accio – Rimini
2. Lievito – Reggio Calabria
3. La terrazza dei Grue – Castelli
4. Aragon Ristorante Pizzeria – Alghero
5. Al Ponte Levatoio – Loria
6. La Bottega di Crescenzio – Giarre
7. Pizzeria Sancho – Fiumicino
8. Il Cantiere – Foggia
9. Bakkano Food & Beer Industry – San Benedetto del Tronto
10. Pizzeria Primula Rossa – Civitella di Romagna

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FOOD AND DRINK

Do Italians really eat pasta every day?

Pasta is the foundation of Italian cuisine and Italians have a reputation for eating it nearly every day. But is this reality or myth?

Do Italians really eat pasta every day?

Pasta is the cornerstone of Italian cuisine and an essential staple of Italians’ diet, hence the popularity of the adage Toglietemi tutto ma non la pasta! (‘Take everything away from me except pasta’).

But there is a widespread belief among foreign nationals that people in the bel paese eat it every single day of the week. 

Is this reality or myth?

According to a survey from research platform YouGov Italia, ‘only’ 17 percent of Italians eat pasta every day or at least six days a week. 

The majority of Italians (37 percent) consume pasta two to three times a week, while 30 percent say they eat it four to five times a week. 

Finally, 8 percent eat pasta just once a week.

While the survey seems to disprove the claim that Italians generally eat pasta every day (only a minority does), does that mean that they are not as big pasta eaters as we may have originally thought?

Not really. 

Italians are still the leading pasta consumers in the world as the average person in the country eats some 23.1 kilograms of it every year (that’s nearly two kilograms a month).

READ ALSO: Ask an Italian: How do you sauce pasta properly?

For context, people in neighbouring France and Germany only consume 8.3 and 7.9 kg per capita a year, whereas the average American eats about 9 kg every year.

Further, yearly per capita consumption in the UK stands at an average of just 3.5 kg, according to a report from pasta maker Barilla.

So, while they may not have it every day, Italians do eat quite a lot of pasta over the course of a year. 

But how do they never get tired of it? 

One of the main reasons behind Italians’ unbreakable bond with the high-carb food is variety. 

Italians are extremely creative when it comes to pasta and they rarely eat the same dish twice in a row as they like to experiment with a wide range of recipes and sauces.

READ ALSO: Ten golden rules for cooking pasta like an Italian

Further, there are over 350 types of pasta in Italy, which means that you could potentially eat a different pasta shape almost every day of the year.

Another reason why most Italians have pasta multiple times a week is that they tend to eat it in moderation, steering well clear of potential carb overloads. 

While they may have a large, high-calorie pasta dish (for instance, lasagne or pasta al ragù) on weekends or on special occasions, people in the country generally go for lighter recipes and sauces on normal days, with portions generally going from 80 to 120 grams per person.

Also, Italians very rarely eat pasta twice a day, with the majority of people having it for lunch and then opting for a non-carb-based dish in the evening.

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