Neapolitan pizza now has its own Fashion Week In September, Naples brought together pizza makers from around the world, confirming that pizza is now one of the strongest pillars of Made in Italy

If someone asked us what first comes to mind when we think of Italy, how would we answer? We would talk about fashion, of course. We would mention the cities of art, design, cinema, and then, in all likelihood, we would say "Neapolitan pizza." Probably because few things manage to condense into a single gesture everything that abroad we continue to call Italianness — meaning conviviality, artisanal care, the pleasure of sitting at the table, and the ability to transform something everyday into an object of desire.

Over the years, much more than a gastronomic imaginary has grown up around this dish. There are the masters and the international rankings, the research and a calendar of events that now has little to envy from those of the creative industries. Having started out as a popular food, pizza has become one of the country's most recognisable symbols and today travels the world in much the same way as an Italian garment or a piece of design. Milan has its Fashion Week and Design Week, and in mid-September Naples had its own pizza week.

An evening on the Gulf and the world rankings at the Mercadante

The first event set off from the sea. On 14 September, the Nave Patrizia left the Molo Beverello for the Fiordilatte Night, organised by Latteria Sorrentina on the eve of 50 Top Pizza World 2026. On board were pizza makers and chefs who had come to the city for the events of the following days, and the evening featured a cruise around the Gulf at sunset with Vesuvius as a backdrop. The common thread was fiordilatte itself, interpreted through a variety of preparations. The underlying idea was above all to welcome an international community through the simple pleasure of being together, offering what was in every sense a sailing aperitivo conceived as a meeting of gastronomic cultures.

The following day, at the Teatro Mercadante, the week's most eagerly awaited event took place. The 50 Top Pizza World 2026 ceremony, the guide curated by Barbara Guerra, Luciano Pignataro and Albert Sapere, awarded the title of best pizzeria in the world to Napoli on the Road by Michele Pascarella, in London, followed by Una Pizza Napoletana by Anthony Mangieri in New York and Confine by Francesco Capece and Mario Ventura in Milan.

The resulting map is a curious one, with Caserta and Rome finding themselves on a par with San Francisco and Tokyo, and ironically New York placing seven pizzerias in the rankings — one more than Naples. The special awards also bounce from one continent to another: pizzaiolo of the year is Daniel Semrani of gigi's, in São Paulo.

AVPN, the championship at the Mostra d'Oltremare

During the same days, from 15 to 17 September, the AVPN's Vera Pizza Napoletana Champion 2026 brought more than 355 competitors from thirty countries to the Mostra d'Oltremare. The competition was divided into seven categories, from the Margherita to the Marinara, taking in Pizza Fritta, Calzone and Mastunicola — one of the oldest preparations in the Neapolitan tradition — through to Gourmet interpretations and a competition reserved for Amateurs.

Before the competitions, the conference "Let's Pizza Again: the art that becomes a craft. Vera Pizza as an ambassador of the Mediterranean Diet" was also held, moderated by TG5 journalist Gioacchino Bonsignore. Universities, institutions and representatives of the agri-food supply chain discussed the future of the pizza maker's profession and the cultural value of Neapolitan pizza, at an event held under the patronage of the Campania Region and the City of Naples.

When all these events are lined up together, the comparison with a Fashion Week becomes far less far-fetched than it might seem. There are the big international names, the rankings and the professional gatherings, but above all a community that travels from every corner of the world to come together in the same place, united by a shared passion.