Atlanta natives and brothers Hugh and Jason Connerty decided to take pizza matters into their own hands and are set to open their pizzeria Ammazza in mid-June. The brothers previously worked for Antico Equity Group LLC with rights to develop Atlanta's Antico Pizza Napoletana. The project was delayed and the Connerty's decided to strike out on their own.
Ammazza, Italian slang for "wow, " will set-up shop in the nearly 100 year old Geyer and Taylor building. It lies just a few blocks from the Sweet Auburn District and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s birth home. The new 5,000-square-foot pizzeria will feature traditional Neapolitan pizza.
Neapolitan pizza is a local and tourist favorite from Italy to New York City and beyond. These pies are typically made in wood-fired ovens with dough only made from flour, water, sea salt and yeast. The tomatoes on Neapolitan pizzas are supposed to reign from the volcanic soils of Mount Vesuvius in Naples, Italy. And you'll be surprised to find how many Neapolitan restaurants actually stick to the Mount Vesuvius rule to stay true to the tradition.
The Margherita, Marinara and Bianca are the three basic Neapolitan-style pizzas. However, Antico and other Neapolitan pizzerias offer specialty pies with varied toppings, I'm partial to the simple Margherita pie named for the pizza loving Queen Margherita of Savoy.
I will be interested to see if Ammazza's Neapolitan pizzas sticks to traditional standards and rivals the local favorite Antico. I certainly won't mind trying several different pies to make my final decision.
I recently went on a search for the best pizza in Atlanta. Did your favorite make the list? Go on your own pizza tour in Atlanta.