Futura Pizza brings a slice of Naples to Berlin

Photo by Iryna Sylinnyk. The pizzas at Futura Pizza are cooked on volcanic stones from Mount Vesuvius.

Good times for Berlin pizza lovers: after building the reputation of Standard in Prenzlauer Berg, master pizzaiolo Alessandro Leonardi (trained by Naples pizza god Enzo Coccia) is now busy establishing his own with Futura Pizza, a cosy restaurant off Samariterkiez that he opened last February in partnership with his German brother-in-law. Here, the 38-year-old Neapolitan dishes out delicious pies in 12 variations, boasting flawless rustic dough and premium-quality toppings entirely sourced from small Italian producers. If you have trouble choosing, try the Capricciosa (€10.80) for the perfect balance between Fiordilatte, cured Parma ham, spicy Pancetta and oyster mushrooms, or simply opt for the demure Margherita (€8.50), which allows you to really enjoy Leonardi’s superior crust. Its secret? A rising time of at least 30 hours, a mix of organic flours (including hemp) and the 2.5-tonne €10,000 Stefano Ferrara pizza oven (a gas-fired dome with volcanic stones from Mount Vesuvius at its bottom), which costs as much to deliver and “some serious nerve” to install. The result is a tender, springy bottom with big blistery bubbles and large bready, crusty sides. A choice of red, white and sparkling wines from the motherland and the handsome Italian waiting staff (fluent in English and German) round off the Berlin Naples experience.