The five best places to get a pizza in Rome

Looking for somewhere to eat before the match, here's five spots where you can sample some of the best pizzas - deep pan or thin and crispy - in Rome.

Creativity is what it’s all about. But also highly prized ingredients and skilled hands kneading the dough. From your simple Margherita to more original and gourmet offerings, making pizza is an art (it’s no wonder growing numbers of chefs are queuing up to learn the tricks of the trade).

Whether it’s traditional fare you’re after or something new, you won't go far wrong with these places...

OLD TOWN

Emma

One of the city’s best places to eat authentic Roman thin and crispy pizza in a large, scenic restaurant. Emma was opened in May 2014 by Francesco Roscino and we recommend the following pizzas: Zibella e bufala, with Pomilia tomatoes, Paestum buffalo mozzarella made using raw milk and Zibello Pio Tosini culatello (€14); F.lli Salvo, with Casa Barone Piennolo tomatoes, rolled Cinta Senese pancetta, Caciocavallo Podolicocheese and organic Agnoni olive oil (€12).

There is also a pizza topped withTerre Roma mozzarella, rapini and mortadella-flavoured Brittany scallops (€15).

Emma pizzeria, Via Monte della Farina 28/29. Tel. 06.64760475. Website. Open seven days a week from 12:30 to 15:30 and 19:30 to 23:45.

PORTUENSE

La Fucina

Some people refer to it as the Tiffany's of Rome's pizzerias, with prices no laughing matter, consistently upwards of €20. But Edoardo Papa’s La Fucina is more than just a pizzeria, thanks to its selection of ingredients, quality dough, the restaurant’s atmosphere and its professional staff.

They use stone-milled whole wheat flour from certified Italian organic farms. It takes at least 24 hours for the dough to rise and they explain that the amount of yeast used “is tiny, in order to obtain a dough that makes the pizza crunchy, almost biscuit-like, so light that we’d describe it as a cloud.”

The menu features a few traditional pizzas: the Margherita with tomato pulp and Barlotti PDO buffalo mozzarella from Campania (€14) and the Marinara with Cetara anchovy fillets. But why settle for something simple when you can be daring and go for the Fucina? Be tempted by the wild Alaska smoked salmon pizza (€24), the one topped with Bottarga di Cabras and Formaggio di Fossa with an organic pumpkin and broccolini purée (€24), Bronte slow food pistachios, mushrooms and artisanal mortadella (€24), or diced pears in Barolo wine reduced with Fontina d'Alpeggio (€22).

Our personal favourite is the S.M. Margherita with rum-soaked tomato pulp and Piennolo Vesuviano Casa Barone cherry tomatoes cooked in Trinidad rum and Barlotti PDO raw buffalo mozzarella (€18).

La Fucina, Via Giuseppe Lunati 25/31. Tel. 06.5593368. Website. Open from 19:45 to 23:00, Tuesday to Sunday.

MONTEVERDE

La Gatta Mangiona

At La Gatta Mangiona they have been carefully producing pizzas and excellent fried delicacies since 1999. But their menu has grown and the restaurant is now charmingly austere, light years away from your run-of-the-mill pizzeria with rude waiters and neon lights.

They offer traditional fare (Marinara, Romana and Margherita), as well as a modern take on classic tomato-based pizzas, which include the Saporita with buffalo mozzarella, capers and anchovies (€11). They also offer the Calabrese withCaciocavallo Silano, 'Nduja and sundried tomatoes (€13). Their white pizzas include one topped with stracchino and speck (€10.50). The Marzolina is also excellent, with Caciocavallo, sautéed artichokes and artisanal Pancetta Piacentina (€15).

La Gatta Mangiona, Via Ozanam 30-32 Tel. 06.5346702 Website. Open every night from 19:45-23:30.

PINCIANO

Pro Loco Pinciano

Pro Loco Pinciano is jointly run by Gastore Pierini, Fiorentina Ceres and Vincenzo Mancino. A pizzeria with an open kitchen - just a stone's throw from Piazza Fiume - it opened on 31 October 2014 offering the famous gastronomic delicacies of Mancino's previous restaurants in Centocelle.

They make excellent pizzas (the dough is really soft) and have a varied menu. There is indoor seating for 50 people with a further 20 seats in a small outside area

Pizzas range from the Margherita (€7) to the Margherita Fumè (with smoked Bassiano ham), the Conciata (San Vittore conciato cheese and pumpkin) and the Gaeta (tomato, Gaeta anchovies and mozzarella).

They also offer craft beer on tap: a pint of Atlas or Turbacci costs €5.

Pro Loco Pinciano, Via Bergamo 18, Rome. Tel. 06.8414136. Website. Open every day from 11:00 to 15:00 and 19:30 to 24:00.

TRASTEVERE

Bir&Fud

This Trastevere restaurant has been substantially renovated and now offers as many as 36 draught beers, while Gabriele Bonci continues to oversee the pizza side of the business. The latest feature is a rotating oven, which makes it easier to handle batches of pizzas.

You can choose from all the usual favourites as well as a host of luxury offerings suitable for what is mostly a young, tourist clientele. We'd recommend the Porco Pistacchio, an open-faced calzone with mortadella, fresh buffalo mozzarella, sundried tomatoes and pistachio pesto (€15), or the Trifolata, with aubergines, sautéed mushrooms, fresh buffalo mozzarella, parmesan cheese and basil (€12), to name but two.

Bir&Fud, Via Benedetta 23, Rome. Tel. 06.5894016. Website. Open 17:30 to 2:00, Monday to Wednesday and 11:00 to 2:00 Thursday to Sunday.

Click here to visit the Puntarella Rossa website for more food and drink tips in Rome.