The pizza Margherita history most of us grew up with is a good one: a queen, a pizza maker, and three toppings that just happen to match a flag. Now Naples’ most famous pizza is getting its own film, and I couldn’t stop wondering how much of that story survives a closer look.
A film about Margherita is coming to Naples
According to ANSA, the film is called Margherita and The Pizza. Marco Pollini directs and wrote the screenplay, and Ahora! Film is working on the project. Shooting starts in spring 2027, in Naples and in Piedmont. The Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana supports the production, and its president Antonio Pace says the association will help brandikeep things historically authentic. Pollini describes Queen Margherita as a woman with a vision, close to ordinary people.
What’s missing so far? A cast, a release date, any plot details. So for now it’s a shoot to look forward to.
The pizza margherita history, as Naples tells it
The classic version goes like this. In 1889, Queen Margherita and King Umberto I were in Naples, and the pizza maker Raffaele Esposito was invited to cook at Capodimonte Palace. He made three pizzas. The one with tomato, mozzarella and basil, red, white and green, became the queen’s favourite. A letter dated 11 June 1889 supposedly thanked him for it.
Esposito’s pizzeria is still around today as Pizzeria Brandi, and a plaque from 1989 marks the centenary of the story.
Is the pizza margherita origin story actually true?
Here’s where it gets interesting. National Geographic points out that some parts hold up: Esposito really ran a pizzeria, and the royals really were in Naples. But the pizza itself is older than the visit. An essay collection from 1853 already describes a pizza with basil, mozzarella and tomatoes.
The letter is the shaky part. The Royal Gazette doesn’t mention the visit, and the handwriting doesn’t match the signature of the man who allegedly wrote it. One theory is that the family who later took over the pizzeria wrote it to bring in customers. That’s a theory, not a fact.
Honestly, I like the story even better with the asterisk. A pizza that was already feeding Naples, and one clever royal moment that made it famous. Marketing already worked then, as it does now.
Why Naples still guards its pizza
The craft matters here as much as the legend. In 2017, UNESCO added the art of the Neapolitan pizzaiuolo to its list of intangible cultural heritage. It’s the skill that’s recognised: the stretching, the topping, the oven. If you want to know why Italians get so serious about it, my post on why authentic Italian pizza is different is a good starting point.
And don’t only think of the classic. Naples also does fried pizza, which is a whole different experience. Have you ever tried one? You definitely should; you’ll get hooked!
How I’d eat a margherita in Naples
I’d always try to order the margherita first in a new pizzeria. There’s nothing to hide behind the basic ingredients: dough, tomato, mozzarella, basil. If that’s good, the rest of the menu will be too. Have you ever tried a pizza with a lot of ingredients and weren’t sure if the dough or the toppings are what’s exceptionally… bad? This does not happen with a simple – but classic for a reason – Pizza Margherita. It’s either immediately outstanding, or not good.
Eat it straight away, while the middle is still soft. Knife and fork are completely fine, and so is folding a slice. Haven’t been to Naples yet? Previously, I already wrote about a Neapolitan-style margherita at Eataly in Milan, and if you’re planning the trip, my review of the Mercure Napoli Centro Angioino covers a central place to stay. More pizza stories live in my PizzaDellaVita category.
I’m definitely excited for the upcoming Pizza Margherita Film, and until then, I’ll be doing my own research. Slowly. One Pizza at a time.
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