Giovanni Santarpia
The pizzeria that brought proper Neapolitan pizza to Florence, out past Porta Romana, where the crowd goes for the dough rather than the location.
- Area
- Outside the centre
- Address
- Via Senese
- Opened
- 2020, under his own name
- Recognition
- Three spicchi, Gambero Rosso
- Booking
- Necessary
- Checked
- August 2026
- Price
- €€
- Go for
- Neapolitan pizza from the first pizzaiolo in Tuscany to be awarded three spicchi by Gambero Rosso, and the fried pizza that has no equal in this city.
- Skip if
- You want a short walk or a cheap pizza. It is out past Porta Romana and it costs more than the average.
What everybody agrees on
Read across public reviews on Google, TripAdvisor and Sluurpy plus Italian pizza criticism in September 2026. Rated around 4.7 by Italian reviewers.
- Nearly all
The dough is what people describe. Long fermentation and high hydration, a pronounced cornicione, and light enough that reviewers mention eating more than they meant to.
- Most
The fried pizza is the signature and Italian critics single it out as the best in the city.
- Most
The menu follows the season. Alongside the classics there are pizzas that appear and disappear with what is available.
- Often
Santarpia is usually in the room. Reviewers name him personally, which is unusual for a pizzeria.
- Some
Prices sit above the Florentine pizzeria average.
- A few
Draught beer is industrial. The wine and beer list is the weakest part of the offer.
What to order
Start with something fried, then a pizza with the yellow Piennolo tomato if it is on. The seasonal pizza of the day is usually the more interesting order than the classics.
Before you go
- Getting there
- Via Senese, a few hundred metres beyond Porta Romana. Bus 11 or 36, or twenty minutes on foot from Ponte Vecchio.
- Booking
- Essential at weekends.
- In summer
- There is a terrace upstairs.
- Note
- A different pizzeria near Sant'Ambrogio carried this name until 2020. This is his own place.
Before Santarpia the raised cornicione was rare here and fried pizza was rarer. He came from Castellammare di Stabia, opened first in Chianti and pulled Florentines out of the city to eat pizza, then moved into town. The menu keeps the Naples classics and adds local jokes, including a fried pizzetta filled with lampredotto. Always full, so book. Sources disagree on who is at the oven now, so ask if it matters to you.