Master pizzaiolo Gino Sorbillo has fired up an Old World pizza at his brand-new restaurant in Italy. And we’re talking very old—2,000 years old.
For the June 12 opening of La Locanda della Canonica Pizzeria by Gino Sorbillo, located in the Anantara Convento di Amalfi Grand Hotel, Sorbillo crafted eight signature pizzas highlighting produce from around the Amalfi Coast region. But after the discovery of an ancient fresco—seemingly depicting a type of pizza-like flatbread—in the ruins of Pompeii, Sorbillo went back to the kitchen to try something quite different.
Inspired by the still-life fresco, Sorbillo’s Pompeii Pizza combines traditional Neapolitan pizza-making techniques with ingredients that relate to the ancient Roman era, including spinach, pomegranate, anchovies, a modern take on garum, a traditional anchovy sauce, walnuts, lemon zest and olives.
Related: How to add herbs and seasonings to your pizza dough
Scientists at the Archaeological Park of Pompeii recently discovered the fresco during a new excavation. The artwork, which made headlines around the world, dates back roughly 2,000 years ago and depicts a tray of various foods, including a focaccia-like item that “could be a distant ancestor” of the modern pizza, archaeologists said.
The Archaeological Park’s website noted, “It is possible to suppose that, next to a wine cup placed on a silver tray, there is depicted a flat focaccia that functions as a support for various fruits (that can be identified as pomegranate and maybe a date), with spices and perhaps with a type of pesto (moretum in Latin), as indicated by yellow and ochre dots, possibly condiments.”
Whatever it is, it’s probably not an actual pizza as we think of it today. Mozzarella likely didn’t exist at that time, and tomatoes only made it to Europe after the colonization of the Americas.
Even so, in a Facebook post on June 28, Sorbillo said the discovery of the fresco “represents an invaluable historical and cultural event” and inspired him to create his new signature pie. “The simple preparation was emotional, too,” he wrote. “And it’s so good!”
Shortly after unveiling the Pompeii Pizza, Sorbillo hosted a VIP at his restaurant: Gabriel Zuchtrigel, the director of archaeological excavations in Pompeii, who sampled the unique pie.
Hailing from Naples, Sorbillo is the latest in a line of Italian pizza makers. In 1935, his grandfather Luigi opened what became one of Italy’s most famous pizzerias in the historic Via dei Tribunali 32 in Naples. Sorbillo owns pizzerias around the world. He is also the secretary of the Neapolitan Pizza Makers Association and bears the title of Ambassador of Italian Pizza to the World.
Related: How Frank Pepe’s makes headlines every summer with one unique pie
The menu at La Locanda della Canonica Pizzeria spotlights pizzas made with anchovies from Cetara, mozzarella and ricotta from Agerola, Provolone del Monaco, and herbs from the hotel’s on-site garden.
For the full experience, diners can embark on “A Journey through Campania.” This tasting menu begins in the Lattari Mountains in Agerola, home to Provolone del Monaco DOP, with the Margherita del Monaco. Next up is the Pizza del Casaro, whose main ingredients are Caprino cheese, Bagnolese pecorino and fior di latte—all made from Agerolese cows’ milk. The journey continues to the sea, where the red mullet of Licosa tops the Favorita del Priore, and concludes in Cetara, an ancient fishing village whose anchovies play a starring role atop the Montanara Amalfitana.
La Locanda della Canonica Pizzeria by Gino Sorbillo bakes its pies in a Neapolis 6 oven, made in Italy by Moretti Forni, chosen by Sorbillo himself and flown to Anantara Convento di Amalfi by helicopter.
Set into a cliffside overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea, Anantara Convento di Amalfi Grand Hotel “breathes new life into a 13th-century Capuchin convent,” a press release states. The pizzeria itself is reached via the “Monks’ Walk,” a clifftop path that connects guests to the unique history of the setting. At the restaurant, diners soak in the ambience while dining on an al fresco terrace with views of the sea below.