L’Antica Pizzeria da Michele

L'Antica Pizzeria da Michele is one of the most famous pizzerias in the world, and also one of the simplest. The Condurro family began making pizza in central Naples in 1870. Michele Condurro, who learned the trade from pizza makers in Torre Annunziata, opened his first pizzeria in 1906; when the site was needed for a new hospital building, the business moved in 1930 to its present address on Via Cesare Sersale, where it has stayed ever since. His sons took over after him, and five generations of the family have kept the pizzeria going.

The menu is famously short. The pizzeria built its reputation on just two pizzas, the marinara, with tomato, garlic and oregano, and the margherita, with tomato, fior di latte and basil, and it still refuses the elaborate toppings found elsewhere. The pizzas are large, thin in the centre and soft at the rim, in classic Neapolitan style, and come out of the oven in a minute or two. If it is your first visit, order one of each to share and compare.

The setting is simple and unfussy, and the walls carry photographs of famous visitors, including Julia Roberts on the set of Eat Pray Love, which helped make the pizzeria known to a new generation of travellers. Prices are low by any standard, which is part of the appeal.

The pizzeria itself talks about the ritual of the long wait, and queues outside can stretch well down the street at lunch and dinner, especially at weekends. Arrive early, ideally soon after opening, and be prepared to wait. Weekday lunchtimes outside the main holiday season are usually the least busy, and the queue tends to move faster than it looks because tables turn over quickly. Meals themselves rarely take long, as there is little to choose between.

This is a good choice for anyone who wants to taste the classic Neapolitan pizza at its source, from solo travellers to families. Da Michele is on the edge of the Forcella district, a few minutes' walk from Corso Umberto I and about ten minutes from Napoli Centrale station and Piazza Garibaldi. The Duomo and Via dei Tribunali are close by.