Alberto Morello

Being born in Este (Padua), that is to say 4 kilometres from Vighizzolo, where Molino Quaglia founded the Università della Pizza, is a big advantage, especially if your parents work in the hotel sector and inside the family business there’s a disco called Gigi Pipa, which is not as popular as in the past and is located in a sort of tavern that seems to be the perfect location for a pizzeria. You then need lots of passion and some good ideas too, however: and these elements appear to be present in Alberto Morello, born in 1989 to Maurizio and Miriam, the former at work, for the past thirty years, in the management of hotel Beatrice d’Este, 3 stars in a 1960’s building, the latter helping in the kitchen.

In other words, good food is in the DNA (even his dad would cook) but the creative turning point belongs entirely to the young chef, who in 2010 embraced the creed of “new Italian pizza”. A “conversion” that came partly by chance: the pizzeria had already been opened in 2002 – keeping its name, “Gigi Pipa” – but then in 2009 the then pizza-chef («Nothing special, his food was ok…») used his marriage license and here came Alberto’s meeting with fate. Hands in the dough. The oven. The yeasts. The toppings. And the Università della Pizza nearby. He began to run and never stopped.

Today, besides the classic dough (made with brewer’s yeast, and then the usual toppings, suitable for those who prefer the old road) he has added a high quality one, studied specifically for “gourmet pizzas”, as they are now called: the leavening lasts up to 48 hours, with mother yeast. A success, since they’re delicious.

Destiny, however, always rings twice. «A friend of mine decided to create a vegetable garden. He told me: “Alberto, when you want, feel free to take some of my vegetables for your pizzas”. However, I was sorry to take away all those lovely products from him...». So recently Gigi Pipa became a “pizzeria with vegetable garden”, try and find another one in Italy (that is to say in the world). Local products? In fact, they come from 10 metres away, more or less: the vegetables grow next to the restaurant, looked over by the severe walls of the Este castle built by Ubertino da Carrara. Alberto Morello, pizza-chef-and-farmer, farms them with love.