The fact that Alessandro Tarallo recognized a little slice of his native Naples on the west side of Bathurst between Dupont and Follis speaks to that quintessential neighbourhood feeling that residents in and around the area hold so dear.

A block south of Freeman Real Estate, Napoli Centrale Pizzeria at 964 Bathurst is one of the new kids on the block. A full-service, licensed pizzeria since last December, Alessandro decided to open his own 75-seat pie place largely because he couldn’t find Neopolitan pizza like they make back home.

That’s not to say he didn’t try. Neopolitans or Napolitans, as Italians say it, are big pizza gourmands so Alessandro and his wife began their search in earnest a few years back when Alessandro first visited Toronto chasing love after meeting his then girlfriend, a Toronto resident, while vacationing in Cuba. While he found some very good dining spots, the pizza was not as authentic as he would have liked.

“Some pizzerias use the word Neopolitan and sometimes they’ve never even been there,” says the 35-year-old. “It’s like advertising authentic sushi made by an Italian.”

While he thought Toronto was short on authentic Naples-style pizza, he credits Romolo Salvati, the owner of two Via Mercanti pizzerias in the city, as a sort of mentor. Of his location Alessandro says: “I prefer more to be in a neighbourhood than on big busy main street. When I found this old property it reminded me of my city. Naples is very old and this area on Bathurst made me feel comfortable.”

The Neopolitan pizza tradition is an ancient one in Napoli, which holds unique characteristics.

For example, when people from Naples order pizza in a restaurant they never order it to share.

It’s typically one pie per person.

The dough is also quite different, light and fluffy, and made from the highest quality, additive-free flour. Alessandro likes to use flour from the Caputo flour mill in Naples. Founded in 1924 and now run by the family’s third generation, Caputo is committed to the long-held
milling traditions of Naples and is the leading brand of the special type “00′′ fine flour used for pizza making. It’s known as The Flour of Naples.

Alessandro’s family owns supermarkets in Naples so his love of food is a natural evolution. He and his wife are the proud parents of a brand new baby boy, Andrea. Now that he’s a father, it makes him more open to the appetites of the children who visit his restaurant.

“I love it when I see kids eating our pizza,” he says. “A lot of parents bring their kids here and I think once they try our pizza, they won’t go back to eating the other stuff. We make quality, we use fresh products and ingredients. It’s handmade with love.”

For more information or to read the menu visitwww.napolicentralepizzeria.com.