Giorgio Caruso

Given the sometimes-centennial stories of some pizzaioli with generations or at least two-decade long experiences behind them, Giorgio Caruso is almost a newbie. Still, this young man born in 1985 in Caserta in just a few years’ time has created a nice role in the pizza world for himself. This after studying at the Art Academy and working in an artistic foundry before deciding to work with dough and topping in 2012. Since then he’s opened two restaurants of which he’s partner and engine – both under the Lievità brand, respectively in October 2015 and 2016 – taking to Milan what he calls “Neapolitan gourmet pizza”: a sort of hybrid of the tradition of Campania and the “Nordic” innovation, with an indirect dough, with long maturation, based on stone milled whole wheat flour – with a crispier texture – and a quick baking in a wood oven, preserving the flavours of the ingredients.

His imprinting is still Neapolitan. After the firm where he was working as a sculptor closed, Giorgio decided to focus on pizza, a sector that had always fascinated. He then attended the courses at AVPN with an exceptional teacher, Ciro Salvo. The meeting with Luigi Acciaio, with whom he worked at Lazzarella Dop in Caserta, was also crucial for his training: Acciaio taught him never to set any limits, experimenting with unusual types of dough and flour.

«I am “pure” – he says – as I don’t have any family background I never felt any obligation and I learnt to do what I believe is best». He adds a very personal touch to his pizzas, from dough to toppings, especially the more creative ones which he often changes paying attention to seasonality and looking for products of the highest quality, but also finding inspiration from different tastings and experiences. Like travelling, for instance. From a dish he ate in Morocco – lamb, almond and plum tajine – his pizza Viola is born, with late radicchio cooked at low temperature in a vacuum pack, sweet gorgonzola, fiordilatte, prunes from Montalcino, toasted almonds and lamb coulis in a casserole tin.