On August 5, Patina Restaurant Group opened a new restaurant, Via Napoli, Walt Disney World Resort’s first authentic Italian pizzeria, adjacent to Tutto Italia Ristorante, its restaurant in the Italy pavilion in Epcot World Showcase. Longtime Patina Restaurant Group CEO Nick Valenti created the idea of Via Napoli, based on his experiences and travels in Southern Italy and his time developing and overseeing the successful Naples 45 Ristorante Pizzeria in New York, which was awarded the coveted certification of “La Vera Pizza Napoletana.”
Da Michele and Trianon are a couple of famous pizzerias in Naples. In these restaurants, Valenti studied the art of dough, crust, sauce and oven temperatures. He discovered the art of pagnotiello, a folded round of pizza dough filled with mozzarella, ham and mushrooms, at Da Ettore.
“I have always loved the beauty of a simple Neapolitan pizza,” Valenti says. “It’s a perfect food, something beloved by both Italians and Americans. At Via Napoli we will make pizza the traditional Neapolitan way: with a textured, soft and charred crust. I look forward to bringing it to Walt Disney World, where it should be a welcome addition to guests visiting Epcot.”
A unique and pretty awesome feature at Via Napoli is the wood-burning ovens, named after the three active volcanoes in Italy – Mount Etna, Mount Vesuvius and Stromboli. Each oven is sculpted with the “face of the volcano,” reflecting the gods whose mythology surrounds each volcano’s history.
Via Napoli features a selection of classical Neapolitan pizzas, ranging from pizza bianca, quattro stagioni, piccante, ortolano and a traditional margherita. Famed Pizzaiolo Charlie Restivo serves as executive chef at Via Napoli, where he crafts the pies using simple and delicious Italian ingredients such as San Marzano tomatoes, Caputo flour, handmade fresh mozzarella, Parma Cotto, crumbled sausage and water calibrated specifically to the pH found in Naples.
This pizzeria is sure to be a hit and a welcome new addition to the Walt Disney World Resort dining experience.
