The best Neapolitan pizza in Malta can now be found in Ball Street Paceville, at La Bufala Pizzeria within the Parthenope Restaurant.

The name already tells it all. It has been truly well worth the wait, for this is the very latest in the art of pizza making that is constantly being updated from the restaurant schools in Naples.

Not only is master pizza chef Giorgio Boccia constantly updating himself with the latest pizza innovations, but the management of La Bufala Pizzeria have invested in the latest generation Neapolitan pizza oven ­– the only one of its type in Malta. This produces exquisite results, evoking the taste and atmosphere that can only be found in the old, traditional Neapolitan pizzerias.

La Bufala Pizzeria, born from the desire and initiative of the Prof. Lello Marra, have a comprehensive menu of some 30 mouth-watering pizzas, from the popular, well accepted Margherita, Capricciosa, Calzone and Funghi to the very latest pizzas that have just been launched in Neapolitan pizzerias: Elica, Tronchetto, A Rezz and Racchetta. There is even a pizza with Nutella and strawberries! This is all thanks to a wood oven imported specially from Naples. This wood oven is an element of primary importance to bake a top quality ‘Neapolitan pizza’. The technical characteristics of the oven have a major bearing on the end result: a clay brick circular base with a cupola made of refracting material to maintain the temperature.

Apart from the technology, there are also the authentic ingredients: flour from Naples but also buffalo mozzarella produced by the eponymous company here in Malta so it is the freshest possible (and does not have to take four to five days to be transported here). La Bufala, producing high-quality Italian mozzarella (HIM), also opened last May in Gzira.

Master pizza chef Giorgio Boccia, who learned all about making pizzas in Naples, has made a name for himself for the artistic pizzas he creates. He has been working in Malta for almost two years, having spent 17 months at an outlet at Tignè Point. He has now jointed the team at the Parthenope Restaurant, ensuring that this chic outlet has an edge and is even more of an attraction than it has been since its opening last May.

The typical Neapolitan pizza has a diameter of around 35 cm with an upraised outer circumference. Its ingredients include fresh peeled tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella DOC and cured mozzarella. You get the best taste when it is baked in a wood oven.

Yet Giorgio’s pizzas are not just circular. The Tronchetto is a tubular closed pizza full of ricotta cheese and mozzarella, wrapped in Parma ham and surrounded with rucola and cherry tomatoes. The Elica is a star-shaped pizza with five different ingredients of your choice and the pizza A rezz has eggplant, sausage, provolone cheese, oil and fresh basil.

The Parthenope Restaurant is a genuine Italian restaurant with Italian chefs cooking a wide variety of regional cuisine, from the bistecca Fiorentina to Caprese and Amalfi salads, Ischia rabbit and stuffed fish tortellacci. Yes you will be served chips even with your pizza and there are some delightful soft cheese cooked in batter that are served as antipasti and some great seafood on the menu but all executed with Italian flair and excellent, personalised service.

You can stop by at Parthenope Restaurant simply for a drink and some typical Italian nibbles. On Wednesdays there is live Italian music and karaoke. There is a take-away service, a personal pick-up and collect service in a classic Ape Calessino for those who do not want to face the hassle of Paceville parking and show cooking and wine tasting events with the best Campagna wines.

For more information and to make a reservation call 2122-3333 or visit www.parthenoperestaurant.com.