A beautiful Italian city that was recently named the best in the world for food will come as no surprise to most travellers or foodies.
As the largest settlement south of Rome, Naples already occupies a prominent place in Italy, and it is home to 8.085 million people as of 2023.
Locals have managed to accomplish a difficult feat; they have made their city famous for its food in a country known for some of the best cuisines in the world.
Naples is the capital of Campania and responsible for some of Italy’s historic signature dishes, and local cooks are capable of making the best examples available in the country.
The city recently made its way to the top of a list ranking some of the best places to eat on earth.
TimeOut has ranked the city number one of 20 cities where people can find the best food, thanks to having invented and perfected the pizza.
While the origin of the pizza has been hotly debated since the food became a world-favourite, Naples is the undisputed creator of the dish in its modern form.
The food is believed to have evolved from similar local flatbread-like creations in the 18th or 19th centuries and was initially sold from stalls and bakeries.
The pizza Margherita, the food in its most archetypal form, is still the best Naples has to offer, but locals are keen to highlight the diversity in the city’s modern-day cooking landscape.
Speaking to TimeOut, Neapolitan writer Gabriela Proietti said the food culture can be found throughout the city, but highlighted areas where people can go for the best bites.
She said: “Neapolitan cuisine celebrates diversity, simplicity and the marriage between land, sea and history.
“This rich food culture can be found everywhere in the city: it’s in the piping hot plates of pasta alla Genovese and Neapolitan ragù, the morning sugar rush from ricotta-filled sfogliatella or rum-soaked babà, a stroll through the sixteenth-century Mercato della Pignasecca.”
Ms Proietti said the central Quartieri Spagnoli neighbourhood is the “place to be for food right now”.
The area is home to Neapolitan pizzeria Santa Maradona, named after the football legend who famously propelled Napoli to new heights in the 1980s. The pizzeria is known both for honouring the footballer and for its incredible pizza Margherita.
The full list of top-ranked food cities:
1. Naples, Italy
2. Johannesburg, South Africa
3. Lima, Peru
4. Ho Chi Ming City, Vietnam
5. Beijing, China
6. Bangkok, Thailand
7. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
8. Mumbai, India
9. Dubai, UAE
10. Portland, Oregon, USA
11. Liverpool, UK
12. Medellín, Colombia
13. Seville, France
14. Porto, Majorca
15. Marrakech, Morocco
16. Lyon, France
17. Sydney, Australia
18. Montreal, Canada
19. Osaka, Japan
20. Copenhagen, Denmark