The fix
We scored every pizza on a scorecard, dough, sauce, toppings and more, and ranked them. The route, in order:
1. **Da Michele.** The well-known one. You take a ticket with a number, because there is a long line. Good chew on the dough, though mine had a bit too much mozzarella, and I'd have added a round of fresh olive oil, personal preference rather than an actual critique. For lunch, absolutely fine.
2. **A second famous franchise spot.** Plastic trays, cups and cutlery on it, fast-food elements, but a fluffier crust and a very nice, soft dough. Heavier, though. This is a dinner pizza. Better than the first overall.
3. **Rinomato**, 45 minutes by train east of the city center, a tip from a friend. We ordered the classic margherita and their signature pizza with yellow tomatoes, dried tomatoes and buffalo mozzarella. Very fluffy crust, not too wet, juicy. A good pizzeria to try outside the popular ones in the city.
4. **La Notizia**, west in Napoli, a local pizzeria, two pizzerias in the same street. This was the first one with the right amount of olive oil, where you actually taste the tomato. Fresh tomato sauce, not chunky, and it all comes together. I got emotional. Highest score on my list of the Naples pizzerias, we liked it so much we ordered extra.
5. **Trianon**, the historical pizzeria from 1923, about 50 meters from Da Michele. The underdog of the trip, but the dough wasn't at the level of the others, and the dough in a pizza is very, very important. An average pizza in Naples (which is still high for the rest of the world).
6. **Pepe in Grani** in Caiazzo, an hour's drive outside Naples, from Franco Pepe, the legendary best pizza chef in Italy. We took the full experience, and boy, an experience it was. The dough basically melts in your mouth, like butter, I'd never experienced that. Dough 10, sauce 10, toppings 10; I teared up at the first bite. Only the ambiance got a 9 from me: a bit too formal, it didn't feel like coming home. You can even sleep in the rooms above the pizzeria, which is handy since it's outside Naples.
The verdict: **La Notizia** won within Naples. **Pepe in Grani** was the best pizza experience I've ever had, but you can't compare it to a normal pizza. It's an experience, not your everyday margherita. Try both.
(There was a pizza number seven at the end of the trip, just for the show. No basil, no olive oil, nothing on it. A 1.5. I sacrificed myself for you, I felt sick after.)