La Bussola, Florence

A day doesn’t go by that I don’t think about Neapolitan pizza, margherita in particular. The spongy crust and elastic interior dough topped with just a thin layer of sauce, mozzarella di bufala, and basil leaves is perhaps the greatest combination of flavors and textures on the planet. I am such a fan of Neapolitan style pizza that I am even willing to try it outside of its natural habitat. To a connoisseur, this is a huge risk as nothing can rival the pizza perfection achieved in Naples. Fortunately, there are some places out there that do a pretty good substitute and La Bussola in Florence is one of them.

Aware that pizza in Florence is generally nothing special (eat the focaccia at a bakery instead), we were worried that we would not be able to get by without the real deal for three straight days (such is our addiction). I appealed to my friend Megan for advice and she tipped us off to the best pizza in town at La Bussola, a rather touristy spot serving a wide range of Tuscan specialties and thick crust Neapolitan style pizza. On Saturday night we split a pizza and a steak, later regretting the meat choice. The pizza was just too good and left us both wanting more. So at 12:30 on Sunday we were back and ordered two delicious margherita pizzas with mozzarella di bufala, aware of the affront to all things Tuscan, but consoled by the majesty of all things pizza.