In Varese, also pizza is a garden

In the Varese world of the deconstructed pizza, the chefs never cease to experiment. The most interesting new pizzas from Antonello Cioffi, the owner of one of the most popular pizzerias in town, the Piedigrotta, there is one that could not have been created anywhere except in Varese, the “Pizza Giardino”. Of course, it is not a zen garden, but one of those thriving patches of vegetation, where everything is well-cared for, in terms of detail and appearance, even before the taste, which is more than satisfying.

If we were to describe it, without ruining the surprise by revealing all of its ingredients, we could say that it is not a pizza in the classic sense, but a taster that combines a nice dose of craziness (the first slice is a tribute to the Spritz aperitif, even with drops of Aperol, candied orange pulp and peel, Italian caviar, and even a few Pop Rocks), with a search for innovative combinations that enhance both flavour and tradition.

The taster continues with a tribute to an institution of Italian cuisine, Alajmo (and a few drops of rosewater enhance the flavour of the red chicory), and a selection of high quality ingredients (turnip greens, stracciatella and mozzarella balls from Andria, anchovies from Cantabria, and yellow tomatoes from Salento).

Of course, the tour of the flavours on the Pizza Giardino could only end with a return to the origins, to the classic three ingredients of every respectable pizza: tomato, mozzarella and basil, but a version of them to be applied as required by the originality and imagination of its creator.