What Italian city is the birthplace of pizza margherita?

Naples is the Italian city traditionally identified as the birthplace of pizza Margherita. The dish is a Neapolitan pizza built around tomatoes, mozzarella, fresh basil, and olive oil, ingredients whose red, white, and green colors resemble the Italian flag.

A popular story says that in 1889 the pizzaiolo Raffaele Esposito prepared the pizza for Queen Margherita of Savoy during a visit to Naples. According to the tale, the queen favored the patriotic-looking combination, and the pizza was named in her honor. That story remains famous, but historians have questioned parts of it, including the authenticity of the royal letter associated with the event.

The toppings were not necessarily invented in 1889. Similar combinations were already documented in Naples during the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Naples was already a major center for inexpensive flatbreads topped with tomatoes and other ingredients, making it the city’s enduring home in culinary history.

Naples is also associated with pizza marinara, another classic Neapolitan style. Neapolitan pizza-making traditions were added to UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2017.