The Greatest Pizza on the Planet

By Ian Schafler, Brian Manno, & Ilan Mussaff | International Food & Culture Class

This is a story about three good friends who indulged on a mission to find the greatest pizza on the planet.

We were willing to go to desperate measures in order to do so, including risking our lives to dine with the mafia (a story for another day). We traveled to the far ends of Florence attempting to get a taste of the best pizza in existence, all to no avail. That is, until we came across a little modern looking restaurant called Duje.

Little did we know, this restaurant would change our lives forever. When we took our first bites, we knew we’d found our holy grail. In other words, it was the greatest pizza experience we had ever had and through this experience it allowed the bond of our friendship to grow as we indulged in one another’s pies. This happened to be our last meal together (talk about going out with a bang) and, thankfully, it was the best meal we had and one that strengthened our bond for a lifetime simply all through the power of a good pizza.

Each of us had our own unique experience and have included our Duje testimonials:

Ilan Mussaffi

Would Duje be the pizza that I could confidently say was the best I’ve had in my life? The second I touched down in Italy I took it upon myself, not just for me, not just for all my loved ones, but for the entire country of the USA to find the best Pizza in the world, placing this upon myself as a civic duty. I was a bit skeptical. The place seemed a bit too modern to be the place to enlighten me.

However, the instant my pizza arrived from the blazing coal stone oven, I knew this was it before even taking a single bite. My pizza included 4 different tomatoes each coming from different regions of Italy. The tomatoes included the San Marzano tomato, organic green tomato fillets, organic red tomato fillets, and casa marrazzo dried cherry tomatoes. On top of these exotic, fresh tomatoes were a puglian liquid burrata, Basil, and EVOO. These 7 ingredients turned out to be a lethal combination that seriously changed my life forever. From that day I made a vow to Duje to never have any pizza again until I make my return to my beloved Duje and meet again.

Ian Schafler

As we wiggled our way into the restaurant, sat down, and glanced at the menu we knew Duje was the place for us. The innovative menu choices, cozy atmosphere, and level of comfort each and every one of us had, allowed our dining experience to be brought to life. While ordering our pizzas, each of us knew we had to order different, eye-catching pies that still attested to our taste buds. I ordered a pumpkin sauce pizza topped with pig cheek and smoked provola cheese.

Seeing this dish being brought to the table, everyone was in awe, not knowing where to start as the steam from the pies guided its way into our nostrils.

We each nibbled our interesting pies, and apart from those who had their mouths full, there were smiles gleaming from a majority of the group. This will forever be one of the best dining and bonding experiences we had as a group Owing to the atmosphere, flavors, and friendships we experienced, we all agreed that we will make it a life goal to return to this legendary eatery.

Brian Manno

As three American college student stumbled into this trendy restaurant, we were surprised. Local Italian eyes wandered all over us: why were they speaking English? We soon realized that this little modern pizzeria was filled with locals from Florence, suggesting it must be good.

Being the only Americans in the restaurant initially made us feel uncomfortable, but excited to see how good this local pizzeria must be. The friendly staff had asked our name for our reservation and led us to our snug, yet comfortable table. After we all settled on unique pizzas, we ordered beers to sit back, converse, and drink before our meal. As the pizzas came out all eyes wandered, and mouths drooled. We all shared slices of the unique pizzas and loved every single one of them.

Being a part of the culture while eating the amazing pizza really made the experience memorable for all of us.