TheOlympics of the True Neapolitan Pizza, curated by AVPN – Association Verace Pizza Napoletana will bring together the elite of the white art in the capital of pizza after the 18 preliminary rounds that traveled around the world, from Naples to Los Angeles, passing through Paris, Istanbul, Cairo, Atlanta, Poznan, São Paulo, and Gifu. A cosmopolitan competition, in which the “athletes”, professionals and for the first time also amateurs, will present their personal interpretation of the True Neapolitan Pizza.
“Pizza is foremost an icon of Made in Italy – comments Antonio Pace, President of AVPN – but we are convinced that it is also an element of cultural aggregation worldwide. It is no coincidence that requests have come from all continents to participate in the Olympics of True Neapolitan Pizza, both from seasoned professionals in the sector and from passionate pizza amateurs.”
Debuting in this edition of the Olympics is the “Amateurs” category, a choice dictated by the growing passion for the white art also due to the long periods spent at home during the lockdowns of recent years. The intention is to give the great enthusiasts of pizza the chance to compare themselves with the dough masters, learning their tricks and secrets, and enjoying an experience marked by conviviality and taste. And who knows, perhaps some hidden talent may emerge from the “amateurs” category.
The disciplines in competition will be divided into the categories “True Neapolitan Pizza,” “For Gourmet,” “Fried Pizza,” “Mastunicola,” and “Neapolitan Calzone,” and will see the AVPN affiliated master pizzaiolos from the five continents competing, alongside the winners of the preliminary rounds held around the world in recent months.
The Olympics of the True Neapolitan Pizza will begin on Sunday, July 3rd at 3:00 PM, with the start of the Olympic competitions of the “Amateurs” category, where participants will compete in dough preparation. But the official start of the Games will be marked by the opening ceremony, scheduled for Monday the 4th at 10:30 AM, with the lighting of the Olympic Flame, a ritual that will kick off a calendar full of events, starting with the unveiling of the Celebratory Work of the True Neapolitan Pizza and the Art of the Neapolitan Pizzaiuolo, an intangible heritage of Humanity, created by Maestro Lello Esposito. Monday will continue with the evaluation of the pizzaiolos in the Amateurs category and the start of the competitions for the Professionals in the disciplines True Neapolitan Pizza, Fried Pizza, Mastunicola, and Neapolitan Calzone. The Professionals will be evaluated the following day, Tuesday, July 5th, while they will also begin preparing doughs for the last discipline in the competition, For Gourmet. For each competition the jury will be called upon to provide a score out of one hundred, to which a ranking by nation will later be added based on the average points of the pizzaiolos. To discover who will ascend the podium, we will have to wait for the last day of the Olympics, Wednesday the 6th, which will close the Games with the Gala Dinner “Pizza with the Stars”; an exclusive event, participation by invitation only, featuring VIPs and personalities from sports and gastronomy, during which the winners of the various Olympic disciplines will be announced. Moreover, Pizza with the Stars will also be the stage for the showcooking where great chefs and AVPN master pizzaiolos will compete.
The Olympics of the True Neapolitan Pizza are organized with the patronage of the Campania Region and the City of Naples and supported by Bongiovanni, Caputo, Casillo, Denti, Ooni, Latteria Sorrentina, Ciao Pomodoro, Dallagiovanna, Di Vicino Forni, Manna Forni, Olitalia, Unicredit, Acunto, Solania, Cirio, ITS Transport, Pagnossin, Inpact, Stefano Ferrara Forni, Esmach, Gimetal, Papernet, Napoli Caffè and KBirr. Media partners of the event are France Pizza, Pizza Today, Pizza e Pasta and European Pizza e Pasta Show.
