Breaking: Media Gets an Authentic Neapolitan Pizza Place

Anthony Bellapigna, owner of Fellini’s in Media, is about three months out (think early October) from opening Ariano Café, a Naples-style pizza joint, at the corner of Olive and Baker streets.

In search of authenticity, Bellapigna has made a bunch of trips to Italy to unearth recipes for his pizza and gelato. As a result, the menu will have about 40 different pizza options baked in a wood-burning Tuscan-clay oven that reaches 850 degrees, giving the ultra-thin crust a nice crispness and smoky flavor that pizzas from Naples are known for. Best part? The single-serving pies only need to cook for about 90 seconds.

Thank goodness it’s quick, because Media residents have been waiting for this restaurant since its original opening date — in 2007. So what’s with the delay? Bellapigna decided to construct the restaurant himself. Yes, the cathedral ceiling, Venetian plaster walls — everything was done by the owner. (And you thought contractors caused construction delays.) You’ll find more than just pizza and gelato (which, by the way, will be made fresh daily). There will also be salads, fish, meat entrées, and Italian classics like eggplant parm. — Cristina Perachio