Food & drink · Caserta

I Masanielli di Francesco Martucci

Caserta has quietly become one of Italy's most respected pizza cities, and I Masanielli di Francesco Martucci sits at the very top of that conversation — an internationally recognised pizzeria where the dough is treated with the same seriousness as fine wine, and where buffalo mozzarella from just down the road arrives at the table at its absolute peak.

Good to know

I Masanielli (Via Douhet 4, Caserta) is extremely popular — book a table online well in advance, especially for Friday and Saturday evenings.

Good to know

Pair your meal with a glass of Pallagrello Bianco or Casavecchia — native Campanian grape varieties grown just outside the city that you will rarely find anywhere else in the world.

Good to know

For the freshest mozzarella di bufala DOP, look for local dairies or market stalls selling directly from producers — tasting it within hours of being made is a completely different experience from any imported version.

Why Caserta Pizza Is Different

Over the past decade Caserta has earned a reputation as a destination for contemporary Neapolitan pizza, with several pizzerias that helped redefine modern pizza culture while keeping one foot firmly in traditional technique.

The secret weapon is geography: the plains surrounding Caserta are home to some of Italy's most important buffalo farms, which means the mozzarella di bufala DOP landing on your pizza was likely made the same morning, tasting nothing like the vacuum-packed version you know from home.

What to Order

Start with the fried starters — a crocché (potato croquette with melted cheese and pancetta) or a frittatina di pasta are the traditional Campanian openers. Then let the pizza be the main event.

The margherita with bufala is the benchmark order: the dough is soft yet structurally sound, the tomato sauce is sweet and intense from San Marzano-style local tomatoes, and the mozzarella melts into juicy white pools. Prices remain genuinely lower than comparable quality in Naples.

The Wider Food Scene

Beyond pizza, family-run trattorias around the city serve slow-cooked ragù napoletano, handmade pasta, and the surf-meets-turf classic pasta e fagioli con le cozze (pasta, beans and mussels) — a dish that perfectly captures Campania's dual identity as both a farming and coastal culture.

For a more refined experience, Ristorante Le Colonne — helmed by chef Rosanna Marziale — has earned Michelin recognition for a menu that puts mozzarella di bufala at the centre of every creative dish, from "inverted" pizza to genovese tortellini.

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