The great pizzeria you wouldn’t expect in Perugia (which also uses the Turin-style padellino)

by Diego Diomedi

Da Andrea, Contemporary Pizza: the story is not just that of a pizzeria, but a real turning point in the perception of the famous round disc in the Perugian area. It all started with the particular and unique love of Andrea Bava for leavened doughs and for pizza. Today, his menu in fact opens with maritozzi, part of this passion for dough-making, reinterpreted with a local twist. With wild boar or truffle, authentic symbols of Umbria that evolves without forgetting the flavours of village fairs, placed in a new context that slightly overturns the comfort of the familiar. Then comes the padellino, which, here, just outside the city, finds its fine expression. Among the most loved creations stands out the Futura, with San Marzano tomato glaze, confit cherry tomatoes, pesto, and slow-matured fiordilatte, finished with a flame (from the pizzeria’s social pages, we can see that even Gabriele Bonci appreciated it during an event).

Futura – Da Andrea, Pizza Contemporanea

The passion for the Turin-style padellino

But the journey does not stop here. The padellino pizzas express the identity of the place well, with elegance, attention to the local area and personality, like the Tartare: the perfect synthesis between immediate pleasure and refinement. Comfort food and technique come together to express Bava’s vision of contemporary pizza. Just like in the Mari & Monti, a great Italian classic that here transforms into a sharing dish, celebrating the encounter between two worlds that are only seemingly distant. The sea and the mountains engage in a harmony of intense contrasts, narrating the local territory with a creative and personal touch.

On the menu, Andrea Bava, pizza chef and soul of the venue, explains the origin of this affinity:
«Here was born the first padellino pizza of Umbria. The pizza of my hometown, Turin. Semi-wholemeal dough with double leavening, baked at a moderate temperature in a small pan, for a result that is soft on the inside and crispy on the outside».

The menu continues across styles and traditions. From the “classic” Roman (the latest addition to Bava’s pizza repertoire) with the Lucifer, elegant and spicy, a real gem of the house, or the Cetara, where the base consists of San Marzano tomato, stracciatella, anchovy fillets from Cetara, olives and oregano. We then arrive at the contemporary Neapolitan, perhaps the main revolution in Perugia’s approach to the world of pizza, with pairings such as the Gambero Viola or the D.O.P., simple (apparently), with tomato, buffalo mozzarella and oregano.

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For those who wish to fully discover Bava’s philosophy, there are two tasting menus: Evoluzione, with seven courses at €50, to deeply explore his techniques and ideas, or Origini, four courses at €28, a tale of the roots of his work. The venue, welcoming and pleasant, also stands out for its service, precise and never intrusive, with a well-managed dining room and a curated beer selection.

Da Andrea, Contemporary Pizza – via dei Tagliapietra, 23 – Perugia – www.dandreapizza.it