Finally, Naples has gained UNESCO World Heritage status for its most iconic food, pizza – or, to be more precise, the craft of the traditional Neapolitan pizzaiuoli (known as pizzaioli outside of Naples), as the local pizza-makers love to call themselves. It’s now included in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, joining other important food cultures such as the Mediterranean diet, French cuisine and Belgian beer culture. It also joins some lesser-known traditions such as the dolma making and sharing from Azerbaijan and the nsima culinary culture of Malawi, both also awarded in 2017.
After the final announcement of the twelfth session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (held in the South Korean island of Jeju) and the official declaration made on 9 December, some of the best pizzaiuoli in town – Antonio Starita, Enzo Coccia, Ciro Oliva and Gino Sorbillo – decided to offer free pizza fritta and pizza a portafoglio, the emblems of Neapolitan street food tradition, to passers-by. ‘This important acknowledgement is not only for us, but for the Neapolitan people,’ said Gino Sorbillo. ‘We are history, fathers and sons,’ added Enzo Coccia, while Antonio Starita said: ‘They finally gave us the ability to take Neapolitan pizza all over the world.’
On 14 December, a huge public event was held in Naples’ central Piazza del Gesù to celebrate such a major recognition, with 100 pizzaiuoli attending and over 5,000 pizzas baked. And if the clamour of the celebrations didn’t match that of when the local football team won the league in 1987 (when the legendary Argentinian player Diego Armando Maradona was part of the team), it was only because most of the people joining the revelry were too busy devouring the free pizzas.