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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.

Published: 7 October 2016 13:48 CEST
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

Six of the most Italian non-alcoholic aperitivo drinks

As well as its most famous cocktails, Italy has a long tradition of making refreshing aperitivo drinks without the alcohol.

Published: 11 April 2024 12:01 CEST
Six of the most Italian non-alcoholic aperitivo drinks

Italy’s favourite aperitivo-hour cocktails are known far beyond the country’s borders, so their names will probably be familiar to you whether you drink them or not.

But if you’re in Italy and not drinking alcohol, you might find yourself stumped when it comes time to order your aperitivo at the bar.

The first time I found myself in this situation, there was no menu. The waiter instead rattled off a long list of all the soft drinks available, most of which I’d never heard of, and I just picked something I thought sounded nice.

Luckily it turns out that Italy has some great options for an aperitivo analcolico. As well as ‘virgin’ versions of well-known cocktails, there are bitters, sodas and other Italian-made soft drinks that you’re unlikely to find anywhere else.

They might not be quite as iconic as the Aperol Spritz, but they’re as thoroughly Italian – plus, effortlessly ordering one of these will make you look like a true local.

SanBittèr

San Pellegrino’s SanBittèr is one of the most famous non-alcoholic Italian drinks of all, with its highly-recognisable red packaging, often enjoyed in place of Campari cocktails because of its similar dark, ruby-red color.

This drink is carbonated with a slightly sweet, citrus flavor. The recipe is more complex than that of an orange or lemon soda, with notes of spice and herbs, making it ideal to pair with your aperitivo-hour snacks.

Crodino

Crodino looks a lot like an Aperol Spritz with its bright orange hue, and that’s not an accident: it’s said to have been created as a non-alcoholic alternative, and the zesty, slightly herbal taste is similar. It’s typically served the same way. in a round goblet glass over ice with a slice of orange: a Crodino Spritz.

The name comes from the town of Crodo in Piedmont, where it is still bottled today by the Campari group.

Chinotto

Citrusy Chinotto is an acquired taste for many, but it’s worth trying: it’s one of the classic Italian bitters and is said to have a long history, dating back to a recipe shared by Chinese sailors arriving on the Ligurian coast in the 1500s.

It may look a little like Coca Cola, but don’t let the appearance fool you.

(Photo by Eugene Gologursky /Getty Images via AFP)

Aranciata/Limonata

Aranciata is Italy’s version of an orange soda, but not as sugary, and it tastes like oranges. Its base is sparkling water with the addition of orange juice and sugar. There are various brands, but San Pellegrino’s is the most popular. It also sells a ‘bitter’ aranciata amaro, with even less sugar, more citrus tang and herbal notes, which might be more aperitivo-hour appropriate.

Limonata is, as you might guess, the Italian answer to lemonade. Again there are many versions out there but the fizzy San Pellegrino limonata is beloved for its strong, sweet-sour flavour and there’s nothing more refreshing on a hot summer’s day.

Cedrata

Cedrata is one of Italy’s oldest and best-known non-alcoholic drinks. It’s a refreshing, carbonated drink made from a large citrus fruit called a cedro, grown in southern Italy. It’s far less bitter than a Chinotto, but not as sweet as limonata.

The main producer of Cedrata today is Tassoni, and this is what you’re likely to get if you order it at a bar.

Gingerino

This is harder to find than the other aperitivi on the list and is seen as decidedly retro, but it’s worth trying if you can track it down.

It’s another orange-coloured, sparkling drink which became popular in Italy in the 1970s and is still sold today, though you’re more likely to find it in the north-east, close to Venice, where it’s produced.

You may be expecting it to taste a lot like ginger beer, and there are similarities, but it has stronger citrus notes and more bitterness.

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