Fuoco Matto in Florence, review: it's never a given that you'll find a place you'll want to return to

Hospitality: this is certainly the word that best describes the Fuoco Matto experience. This Calabrian pizzeria near the central station is located just steps from Piazza Indipendenza, a rather touristy part of Florence. But that doesn't necessarily mean it has to offer subpar food and lackluster service.

Environment and service

In this multifaceted restaurant, offering a full range of pizza, cuisine, and grilled meats, in line with the group's other restaurants like La Vetreria or Cucina Conviviale, we're immediately greeted with a classic Prosecco and a taste of panuozzo. A simple yet spontaneous gesture, a tradition that perfectly represents the warm, southern-style service of the wait staff. The spaces at Fuoco Matto themselves help you feel at ease. They're airy and colorful, versatile, offering the opportunity to indulge in a romantic dinner, make a racket with friends, or spend an evening with the whole family, including the little ones (there's even a games room). Let's add a fourth, since I—right on the sidelines of this dinner—met my mother-in-law's new boyfriend. And what better way to break the ice than with a delicious pizza in a place you already know?

Wines and beers

To avoid awkward questions, the "incognito pizza mission" begins as soon as we sit down. I scan the QR code and dive headfirst into my phone, like when the teacher had to decide who to quiz in high school. I'm satisfied and amazed once again by the extensive and sophisticated beverage selection. Along with a reasonably extensive wine list spanning Calabria and the rest of Italy, with a predilection for Orange Wines and a rotating special "wine of the month," the craft beer selection remains impressive thanks to collaborations with several Tuscan breweries. I convince my two in-laws to choose a radicchio craft beer I've tried before, a characterful drink with a slightly bitter note that isn't too lingering, while my wife and I opt for two glasses of Lambrusco (this month's wine). Its bubbly, combined with just the right amount of acidity, successfully offsets the spiciness of our pizzas and cleanses our palates with every sip.

The pizza

But let's get to the pizza, the undisputed star of Fuoco Matto. The style, clear and recognizable, is Neapolitan. In other words: a high, puffy crust, elastic but never chewy. The pizza, cooked in the wood-fired oven visible from the shop window, is dry and of good quality. The step back from our last visit, however, is that there is no longer a choice between traditional and semi-whole wheat dough. Or at least, on this occasion we weren't asked to choose, nor were we given information about the dough's leavening process. Customers can essentially choose between three options: classic pizzas, Fuoco Matto's historic pizzas, and tasting pizzas, served by the slice and meant to be shared. Given the restaurant's Calabrian origins, which often hosts themed evenings celebrating its region's food and wine, we choose the "Burrata e 'Nduja" without hesitation: a white base with Boiano fior di latte mozzarella (tasty and very Instagrammable because it's melted on the pizza directly for diners), San Marzano DOP Virtuana 1934 fillets, burrata, wild oregano, Calabrian black pig 'nduja, basil, and extra virgin olive oil. This is the most authentic embodiment of the Fuoco Matto concept, along with the "Positano Rivistata" (my wife's choice) with smoked provola, fiordilatte, black pig 'nduja, zucchini flowers, San Marzano fillets, extra virgin olive oil, and basil. These two pizzas demonstrate the attention paid to every single ingredient and justify their price, which is still average for gourmet pizzas in Florence: €13 for the first, €11 for the second. To be fair, we'd like to reiterate that we've eaten here several times (we challenge you to find a restaurant we'd return to more than once these days), but this helps us introduce Fuoco Matto's two more traditional pizzas in more detail: Marinara and Margherita. Both are well-crafted, thanks in particular to the acidity and freshness of the San Marzano DOP tomatoes and the creaminess of the Di Boiano fiordilatte mozzarella, although they sometimes get a bit too charred on the crust.

The sweets

If the tension this social convention brought with it has gradually faded, credit must also go to the restaurant, its reasonable wait times, and the waiters' smiles. Otherwise, we certainly wouldn't have extended our dinner with dessert. The dessert menu is entirely focused on the day's specials, with homemade desserts featuring slightly above-average tiramisu and a warm apple tart served with gelato. To conclude, as is tradition, there's coffee, amaro, and that perhaps obvious but genuinely sincere question: "How were you?" Because guests need to be pampered from the moment they arrive to the moment they leave, and Fuoco Matto does this well—in fact, very well.

Opinion

Fuoco Matto's pizza may not be the best in Florence, though it's a good option for those who love Neapolitan style, but its greatest merit is its ability to consistently deliver the same experience. The service is attentive and warm, the pizzas are consistently well-made, and the space is suitable for any occasion. Recommended for both an intimate dinner and a group meal, thanks to its versatility and wide selection of pizzas (as well as pasta and meat dishes). The gourmet pizzas are preferable to the classic ones, and the wine pairings (in our case, Lambrusco) and craft beer menu are interesting and sophisticated.