MEATBALL PIZZA WITH A RICOTTA-FILLED CRUST?
Let’s talk about Trattoriabellanapoli (Sarasota)!

Today’s return trip home for my SWFL pizza travels brought me through downtown Sarasota for a visit to Trattoria Bella Napoli, where chef and co-owner Cesare Di Iorio brings his Neapolitan roots to Main Street.

Cesare is originally from Naples, Italy, and previously served as the pizza chef at Osteria 500 in Lakewood Ranch. He opened Trattoria Bella Napoli in December 2024 with business partner Maria Filomena Perrini, with his wife, Diana Mattera, also involved in running the restaurant. It’s a family operation built around the food and traditions of home.

His background includes some serious competition experience. While at Osteria 500, Cesare earned second place in the Pizza Napoletana division of the 2024 International Pizza Challenge in Las Vegas, held during Pizza Expo. His competition pizza was a Regina, featuring San Marzano tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, basil and Parmesan. His uncle, Osteria 500 co-owner Peppe Del Sole, shared that Cesare had finished 16th the previous year before climbing to second in 2024. That’s an impressive progression on an international stage.

Bella Napoli has since earned its own recognition, including winning the Sarasota Herald-Tribune’s 2025 Best Pizza public vote. Florida continues to give us plenty of reasons to take its pizza scene seriously!

🍕THE POLPETTINA

Tomato sauce, mozzarella, Parmigiano, meatballs, basil and olive oil, surrounded by a ricotta-filled crust. Their menu also specifies that their pizzas are made with Italian imported 00 flour.

Watch the video closely and you’ll see that border taking shape: ricotta goes around the edge before the dough is folded over to seal it inside. Then come the sauce, cheese and meatballs. The finished pizza has a beautifully raised rim, dark spots of char and that hidden ricotta filling waiting inside.

There’s a family story behind the meatballs, too. Cesare has explained that he follows the method his grandmother taught him, combining beef with cheese, milk, basil, salt and pepper, then cooking the meatballs in marinara. Published reporting also describes his dough as fermenting for 24–48 hours, followed by a fast bake of approximately 90 seconds at 900°F for the softer texture characteristic of his Neapolitan style.

These are the details I enjoy discovering on my pizza visits. The person making it, the family recipe behind a topping, and the work that happens before a pizza ever reaches the table.

📍 Trattoria Bella Napoli

1551 Main Street, Sarasota

What was your favorite 🍕 this week?

🍕 DOLO PIZZAIOLO: A PIZZA DESTINATION
My first stop on today’s Southwest Florida pizza adventure brought me to dolo.pizzaiolo. When you see a long line with tons of people waiting in the sun, you know it's about to be great…

I tried the Upside Down and their Special with sausage, long hots, basil and ricotta, and what stood out immediately was how incredibly light and airy these slices were. Watch the video and look at these slices with beautifully browned crust and the kind of crisp I’m always chasing.

That’s a combination I love: a substantial-looking square that eats surprisingly light, with enough structure and crunch to keep every bite interesting.

The Upside Down gave their amazing sauce center stage, and the airy interior made for a beautiful slice. The special brought a different personality, with savory sausage, plenty of heat from the long hots and I believe chili flakes, and finishing up with very fresh basil and rich dollops of ricotta. That creamy finish alongside the peppers and crisp crust was a great combination.

They also had their new Gozney Arc ovens in the setup. Always fun seeing the equipment behind the pizza, especially when the results are this enjoyable!

For anyone unfamiliar with Dolo, they’re a mobile pizzeria serving Southwest Florida through farmers markets, pop-ups and private catering. The farmers markets are primarily Sicilian however their catering offerings include options for Neapolitan rounds and Sicilian-style pizzas. Their dough process develops over multiple days of fermentation, longer than most in the region. That focus on the dough certainly lines up with what I enjoyed today.

This is why I love getting out and exploring. Great pizza comes from all kinds of setups, and today I found some seriously impressive texture and flavor under a market tent.

Cape Coral (Saturday 8-1)

SE 47th Terrace &, SE 10th Pl, Cape Coral

Babcock Ranch (Sunday 9-1)

42850 Crescent Lp, Punta Gorda

VISIT WITH CHAMPION VITO AT BELLA NAPOLI!
My Southwest Florida pizza day continued at Bella Napoli Pizzeria & Restaurant (Port Charlotte) with owner Vitangelo Recchia, aka "Vito", trying his NEW Milano pan pizza and one of his amazing Detroit pizzas!

🍕 MILANO PAN: PEPPERONI AMERICANO

Baked in a round 16-inch blue steel pan, this features tomato sauce, a blend of mozzarella and fresh mozzarella, cup-n-char pepperoni, oregano and Mike’s Hot Honey.

What I loved about this combination, besides EVERYTHING, was it's a very interesting take on a pan pizza, and then recreated masterfully. It was insanely airy, fluffy and light yet had so much structure and the perfect balance of crisp. The savory pepperoni paired perfectly with the sweet heat from the honey. The two mozzarellas bring richness, while his flavorful sauce and oregano balanced everything out. It’s an approachable combination with plenty going on, and a great introduction to Vito’s new Milano pan format.

🍕 DETROIT STYLE: WHITE LOTUS

Baked in a 9-by-13-inch blue steel pan with a crispy frico white cheddar cheese crust, this features white cheddar, Gorgonzola, mushrooms, onions, garlic, arugula, Parmigiano and balsamic glaze.

The White Lotus takes things in a different direction, and that’s what I loved about it. Earthy and very delicious mushrooms, garlic and onions, the sharper cheeses, arugula and the sweet tang of balsamic give each ingredient a purpose. The Gorgonzola adds character without being overly bold or overpowering, and I'm usually VERY picky about this blue cheese, while the arugula provides a fresh counterpoint to all that richness. Add the crispy cheese Frico, and there’s a lot to enjoy beyond just the toppings.

Trying these side by side is exactly why I encourage people to explore different pizzas. Pepperoni and hot honey is one side of the spectrum; mushrooms, Gorgonzola, arugula and balsamic are on the other end!

🏆 Vito also has something big to celebrate. On September 15, he earned FIRST PLACE in the Teglia/Pan Pizza category at the Pizza Champion Cup International in Gothenburg, Sweden. His winning Roman pan pizza, “Teglia With Magic,” featured Swedish-inspired ingredients including langoustine, chanterelle mushrooms, lingonberry and Västerbottensost cheese. This follows his second-place Teglia finish at the 2023 World Pizza Championship in Parma, Italy.

He also shares that knowledge as an instructor at Pizza University & Culinary Arts Center in Maryland, teaching Roman pizza techniques, flour selection, hydration, fermentation and dough management. Vito holds master pizzaiolo certifications from both Accademia Pizzaioli and the Roman Pizza Academy.

As culinary coach for the U.S. Pizza Team, he helps prepare American competitors for the international stage. Roman pizza is a central part of his work, from producing it at Bella Napoli to teaching and writing about its techniques.

This is what makes exploring Florida pizza so rewarding. Right here in Port Charlotte, you can meet a pizzaiolo whose work reaches competition floors and classrooms around the world.

Vito is one of my favorite people in the industry, and Florida is VERY lucky to have him.

Which would you try first: Pepperoni Americano Milano or White Lotus Detroit?

🍕 BACK AT UNCLE RICO’S IN FORT MYERS!
Some slices are worth traveling for. The Angry Burrata at Uncle Rico's Pizza Fort Myers is still my favorite slice in Florida, and today’s visit reminded me exactly why.

First up was an experimentation tomato pie with burrata, Mike’s Hot Honey, fresh basil and 24-month-aged Parmesan. Great char, a crisp and airy crust with excellent flavor. The creamy burrata and sweet heat complemented the tomato beautifully. They also tested Mutti tomatoes.

Then came the gold standard Angry Burrata. Pepperoni, creamy burrata, hot honey and basil over that crisp, airy crust. It’s the combination of flavor and structure that keeps bringing me back: a strong crust that stays light while carrying all those toppings. I’ve eaten a lot of pizza across Florida and NYC, and this slice continues to hold its place.

The Grandpa, with pesto and pizza sauce dollops, was another standout. Great structure, great flavor, and those dollops made each bite a little different. Absolutely worth including in your order.

And that "I🍕 FL" hat? Amazing!

Two specialty slices with a drink was only $8.95. The additional Angry Burrata was only $4.25. Insane!!

Uncle Rico’s continues to earn its place as my #1 Florida Pizza Destinations. This is pizza I’ll happily make the trip for. Even if it's 6 hours!🍕 ❤️

Loving my new "I 🍕FL" hat from Uncle Rico's Pizza Fort Myers

Still my #1 in Florida! 🍕 ❤️

Where's your favorite SLICE SHOP in South West FL?

🍕 BIGGER PIZZA. BETTER VALUE?
Before calling a pizza expensive, check its size.

A 14″ pizza and an 18″ pizza might both be called “large,” but the 18″ has 65% more pizza area. That’s a substantial difference in what you’re getting for your money.

Using a $14.99, 14″ cheese pizza as an example, these prices give you the same value per square inch:

🍕 14″ — $14.99

🍕 16″ — $19.58

🍕 18″ — $24.78

So a local pizzeria’s 18″ cheese pizza priced below $24.78 would actually cost less per square inch than that $14.99, 14″ pizza, even with a higher menu price.

Size is only part of the story. Thickness, ingredients, preparation and quality matter too. But when comparing prices, those extra inches deserve consideration.

A higher price doesn’t always mean less value. Sometimes it means a lot more pizza.

What size pizza does your favorite local pizzeria serve?

DADDY / DAUGHTER NIGHT OUT WITH BOWLING & PIZZA! 🎳🍕
Spent tonight at Bowl 360 Homosassa with my daughter, and we had so much fun! Saturday night bowling was $20 for two hours, including shoe rental, and everyone we interacted with provided great service.

We even had a fun pizza connection right at the front desk! The employee saw my shirt and said she’s a Pizza Lover of Florida, so I told her about our group. Her favorite? The Margherita at Via Napoli in EPCOT!

Of course, I had to check out the pizza. 😂 The people next to us ordered a 16-inch pepperoni, and I went with the 7-inch personal cheese for $10.

The crust was heavily seasoned, a little overdone on the seasoning for my taste, but still enjoyable. It was somewhat doughy inside, yet had a decent crisp even without requesting my usual well done. The sauce and cheese had good flavor, and while it was a little greasy, I enjoyed it.

Pizza, bowling and time with my daughter made for a pretty great Saturday night. The staff really helped make the experience, and we left happy!

🍕 J’S PIZZA & MORE | BEVERLY HILLS
I went to J's Pizza & More last night and ate the entire pizza. That should tell you how much I enjoyed it!

I ordered mine well done, and it delivered: great crisp, plenty of whole milk mozzarella and a VERY flavorful sauce. The sauce was the standout for me, with enough flavor to make every bite something I wanted to keep eating.

They’re using Stanislaus Saporito tomatoes and two double Bakers Pride countertop ovens, with the pizza partially baked on a screen. Owner Michael, aka PapaToli, is very personable and wants to ensure you enjoy your pizza.

There’s also a fun family connection: the owner’s sons are DoughJoe and DoughToli, the viral Papa John’s guys you may recognize from social media! They recently did an impressive seminar at Pizza Expo in Vegas on social media, with Michael as the case study. Their sister Alley is also one of the head pizzaiolo at J's!!

Cheesy, flavorful and crisp. This was a pizza I thoroughly enjoyed, and another reason to explore the independent pizzerias right here in Citrus County. They are brand new and are working through some kinks. Give this family owned and operated pizzeria some support!! 🍕 ❤️