Swiftly cooked in a fiery oven, soft-crusted Neapolitan-style pizza is somewhat of a rarity in the dollar slice-dominated New York City. So when Ciro Iovine opened Song’ e Napule in 2015 in Manhattan’s West Village, he knew he was taking a risk.
Born in Naples’s Fuorigrotta, Iovine started making pizzas at the mere age of 12. After traveling the world, he settled in New York City, where he met his future wife. Together, they saved enough to open their first spot on West Houston Street; it would be the first of four.
No matter the location, at Song’ e Napule you can find the absolute Neapolitan classics–don’t miss the superlative margherita–as well as some more creative options like the pizza parmigiana with eggplant, smoked mozzarella, and shaved caciotta. Cooked in a wood-burning oven, each pizza sports a crust spotted with blisters like a leopard’s skin–just as it would in Naples itself.
Courtesy of Song’ e Napule
What does it mean to be a true Neapolitan pizzeria?
New York-style pizza is different. The dough is different; it’s crispier, and people like the crunch. I love crunchy too, but I’m a Neapolitan. Our pizza is a bit soggy; the temperature from the oven is almost 150℃ and it cooks in just one minute. New York style takes two or three, and it’s drier.
Were you worried that people weren’t going to accept that style of pizza?
Of course, but now people love it. In the beginning, people would sometimes complain when they didn’t understand the type of pizza it was. But I do not change for nobody. I made a lot of sacrifices in my life to learn this amazing job and to bring my country everywhere in the world.
Do you feel like New Yorkers have to come to understand it today?
Yes, I’m really happy because people from New York understand the food; they understand quality, especially in Manhattan.
Where do you source your ingredients from?
We import everything. From Naples and Italy. Parmigiano Reggiano, olive oil, San Marzano DOP, and fior di latte; we have all the ingredients. I don’t care how much it costs.
What feeling are you trying to create with Song’ e Napule?
When you come [here], you have the feeling that you are in Italy. I don’t know why, but a lot of people when they open the door, they look at the colors [primarily bright blues and yellows], and they feel like they are in Naples. The first impression is this one and, after that, the food.
