Langhe's best pizzerias picked by Gambero Rosso

For the 93rd edition of the Fiera del Tartufo, from the seventh of October to the third of December, the Langhe becomes one of the most popular destinations for the passionate and the curious from all over the world. If, however, after gorging yourself on specialties like carne cruda all'albese and tajarin (here are the best restaurants and trattorias in Alba), and get a craving for pizza, be sure that even then you will not be left on an empty stomach. Here are the recommendations of the Pizzerie d'Italia 2024 guide.

The Langhe's best pizzerias according to Gambero Rosso

Il Corsiero

Well made pies, balancing science, substance and enjoyment. Neapolitan tradition, Piedmontese flours, tomato and fiordilatte. Then good olive oil, attention to the quality of the ingredients, baking in a beechwood-burning oven. Long-rising indirect dough - the one with monococco flour is excellent for its particular taste and fragrance - a thick and soft crust, a hint of toast that blends well with the fillings. The offer from the bakery is conspicuous, with about forty specialities including tomato-based, plain and calzoni: the Mergellina, with its ricotta-stuffed crust, and the Tonnara, with oil-packed tuna, onions and olives, are excellent. The kitchen offers a wide range of dishes. The service, led by Francesco Scavo, is polite, attentive and diligent; there are draught and bottled beers and a good range of white and red wines.

Il Corsiero – Santa Vittoria d'Alba (CN) - fraz. Cinzano – via Statale, 80 – 0172 478898 - pizzeriailcorsiero.com

FuocoFarina

Recently opened by Fulvio Marino, a great connoisseur of doughs, flours and leavening, is a bakery with a French flair, but also starters, main courses and pizza, of course. To put it briefly: a bakery with a kitchen. Here, then, are selected coffees and herbal teas; croissants, pain au chocolat, traditional Piedmontese delicacies and sweets. Flour is at the center of the project: pizzas prepared with different flours with toppings linked to the territory and the season.

FuocoFarina – Alba (CN) – p.zza Rossetti, 6E – 0173 063485 - fuocofarina.it

Fuori Tempo

A very special and well-kept environment. The service, slim and polite, is taken care of by Virginia and Adelaide, wife and daughter of Davide, the demiurge of yeast. Between practice and scientific rigour, the doughs he experiments with are born here and then finished with perfect baking in a wood-fired oven. Her tonda napoletana is a product of excellent fragrance and consistency, with perfect marriages between doughs and combinations in the gourmet and the palette versions. We start with the plain or stuffed friciule, then samples such as the noble Margherita and the Paletta Bolognese: a dough of spelt, chickpeas and sprouted grains stuffed with mortadella, burrata cheese, rocket and pistachio grains. The Levantina on a spelt, corn and sunflower seed dough carries prawns, squid, tomato confit and buffalo cream. Good selection of beers. From April 2023 Fuori tempo is also in Cheri with the Bistrot dei lievitati.

Fuori Tempo – Canale (CN) – c.so Asti, 21 – 0173 979555 - fuoritempo.com

Gusto Divino

Massimiliano Prete offers guests a true experience, with à la carte pizzas and tasting menus, including the chefs suggestions and 3 paired wines). With doughs based on meticulously chosen flours, from the evolutionary mix to Sicilian grains, the proposal is declined between classic, crispy, pizz'otto, fa'croc, pala pizzas. For toppings, the research of excellences and local products is the rule. The off-menu items are always super-interesting, from asparagus to katsuobushi, from crab to cabbage combined with anchovies, to very creative proposals such as the Kiwi Marinara (2 types of tomato, confit garlic, baked kiwi, basil and parsley salad on a classic base). The service runs smoothly; the proposed pairings are many, from Champagne to craft beers (such as Birra di Focaccia).

Gusto Divino – Saluzzo (CN) - p.zza Cavour, 21 – 0175 42444 -  massimilianoprete.it

Gusto Madre

A lot of research and draft, the fire of intuition, the knowledge of tradition, the courage of challenges. Classic, Authentic, Soft, Crunchy and Burger are the proposals, the different ways of understanding doughs and leavening through pure or mixed flours, different hydrations, fermentation with sourdough or spontaneous (autolysis). Freshness of aroma, crispness and bite, digestibility are the excellent results. There are about thirty specialities: the Croccante with potato cream, burrata, seared octopus, taggiasche, confit cherry tomatoes and parsley olive oil, or the Friabile with mortadella, Raschera DOP chese and capers. Additionally to pizzas for dinner, the offer opens up to breakfast, with the cafeteria and home-made pastries, lunch and aperitivos. Desserts not to be missed. Craft beers and full-bodied wine offerings.

Gusto Madre – Alba (CN) – p.zza M. Ferrero, 2 a – 344 346039 - gustomadre.it 

Pizzeria Ristorante L'Italiana

The undeniable growth of Federico Giampà, who is gaining more and more audience. Federico was born a pastry chef but soon became passionate about other fermentations, relying on knowledge and experimentation and, above all, remaining faithful to the purest concept of pizza. His is a direct two-stage dough, with flour of moderate strength, hydration around 68%, long maturation up to 72 hours, and always impeccable cooking. On tasting, fragrant aromas anticipate the excellent chewiness of the disc; the crust is medium-high, well dimpled and fragrant. Lots of research into the fillings, starting with hand-passed San Marzano tomatoes. There are more than 50 types including classic, special, white and focaccia; there are also other plates. For drinks, a few wines, soft drinks and beers on tap and in bottles. Best to book. Fast and accurate service.

Pizzeria Ristorante L'Italiana - Piobesi d'Alba (CN) – via Roma, 45 – 0173 216770 - Facebook

Perbacco

Here you can enjoy one of the best pizzas that the region can express. Neapolitan style, selected flours,leavening and maturing up to 48 hours, excellent baking in a wood-fired oven, ingredients picked in Campania for the classic specialities, together with great Italian products, from Albenga artichokes to capocollo di Martina Franca. But they also induge themselves: goat robiola, toma cheese, porcini mushrooms, truffles, you go to Santena for the asparagus, to Bra for the raw veal sausage. The crust is fragrant, moderately thick and enjoyable in its whole, the pies are thin, with a nice bite. About thirty excellent proposals, including classic and specials. From the osteria, a selection of good traditional Piedmontese dishes (with a hint of sea). To go along with there is an extensive wine cellar, draught beers and a list of artisanal bottled beers. Friendly service.

Perbacco – La Morra (CN) – via Roma, 30 – 0173 50609 - pizzeriaperbacco.com

Il Pomodoro

Here atmosphere, food and drink cards have always been the object of attention and elegant care. Baked and cooked share the very rich offer, which, in addition to the important choice in yeast, includes tasty specialities. The pizza has a not-too-low crust (but less performing than in the past), indirect dough with the biga, a long leavening time (48 hours) and careful baking that makes the disc consistent, well foldable as well as very digestible. A whole range of quality ingredients with attention to seasonality are used in the fillings. The white pizzas - including Lardella, with Gorgonzola, lard, and honey - and the tomato-based pies, such as Terramare, with prawns and mushrooms, are good. From the kitchen, meat and fish dishes as well as a selection of mouth-watering desserts. Friendly and careful service.

Il Pomodoro – Magliano Alfieri (CN) - via Quattro Novembre, 44 a – 0173 66464 - ilpomodoro.it

Sileo Pizzeria

Acqua e Farina (Priola) moves to Nucetto and becomes Sileo, or its “new beginning”. Andrea Brunetta started from scratch, after company and personal ups and downs. So a completely new place is born, with proposals that start with select stone-ground flours, water from the San Bernardo spring water, a pre-ferment and suitable hydration from which tasty and digestible doughs are born. There are three versions of the house pizza: the Nuvola, 8 slices; the Pala, 45 centimetres to be shared in two; and finally the Classica, offered in Neapolitan style or thinner, flattened with a rolling pin. Excellent quality toppings and good intuition wheather Andrea deals with creative ideas, as in Ragù, or in the classic Margherita.  Delicious starters and desserts; drinks, beers and wines. Aware and friendly service.

Sileo Pizzeria – Nucetto (CN) – s.s. 28, 54 – 389 3106641 - sileopizzeria.it