Big name pizzaiolos Diego Vitagliano and Antonio Miscellaneo are having a pizza pop-up in Singapore

Heads up, pizza fans. The ultimate in Italian pizzas will be in town later this month. The world’s top pizzaiolo Diego Vitagliano will be serving his famed pies at Italian restaurant La Bottega Enoteca from Feb 20 (Tue) till Feb 23 (Fri).

La Bottega Enoteca’s owner, Antonio Miscellaneo, is no slouch in the pizza rankings either. He sits at 57th in the list of World’s Best Pizzas and his pies are ranked 19th in the Asia-Pacific. But at this dinner, he will cede the pizza-making to Vitagliano and instead contribute an appetiser, main courses and dessert. “I wouldn’t want to make pizza while Diego is here,” he said, laughing. “I’m only integrating into Diego’s menu so that we are not (just serving) pizza. I would love to serve eight courses of pizza, but I think that would be too much for most people.”Vitagliano, whose pizzas are ranked number one in the Italy-based Top Pizza World 2023, met Miscellaneo through the event, which he describes as “not only a ranking, but a community through which pizza makers of the world meet and share, compare our jobs, and have fun together”.

Vitagliano is often credited as one of the innovators of modern Neapolitan pizza, having spent the last decade perfecting his crusts with a focus on lightness and digestibility. “Pizza is democratic,” he declared, an ethos embodied in the options available at his pizzerias in Naples. “At our pizzerias, everyone can ask for exactly the pizza you want — thin crust, crunchy, double-cooked. Pizza is the most democratic food in the world,” he said through his interpreter during a video interview with CNALuxury.

For Miscellaneo, the event is a priceless learning experience. “I invited Diego to Singapore because I’m interested in learning from the best,” he said. “I feel like there are very few of us (Italian pizzaiolos) in Singapore and not enough of a community to learn from one another.

“Also, I wanted to bring the best of Italy to Singapore. I think that Singapore is now at a point where people can appreciate what Diego does. Five years ago, maybe not. That’s why I’m happy that he’s coming.”

To be sure, just five years ago, there was barely a handful of Neapolitan pizza purveyors in the city. It wasn’t until 2019, when Miscellaneo established his wildly popular Casa Nostra private dining experience serving airy Neapolitan-style pizzas, that the dining public began paying attention to the quotidian Italian pie.

“(Over) the last five years, there’s been a blooming of pizzerias doing more Italian style of pizza, whether Neapolitan or more contemporary Neapolitan. More people have been exposed to it, to this type of crust… maybe not to the flavours that Diego is going to do, but that’s why it’s going to be good,” he added.

Among the ingredients that Vitagliano will bring with him are Piennolo tomatoes (an ancient variety grown on the slopes of Mount Vesuvius), orsino garlic (wild Italian garlic) and peperone crusco (sweet and crunchy dried peppers cultivated in Basilicata) for his pizzas.

“Certain things (like Italian vegetables) are difficult to get in Singapore, so we had to find recipes that can be reproduced here without compromise. I don’t like to do something that’s not Italian, so what we are doing is selecting Italian recipes that are bolder in flavour (to suit the Singaporean palate),” said Miscellaneo.

At the time of writing, only a few seats are still available for Feb 20. To sign up, go to La Bottega's website.