Pizzeria Concettina ai Tre Santi
Pizzeria Concettina ai Tre Santi is a renowned Neapolitan pizzeria in the Rione Sanità district of Naples, founded in 1951 by Concettina Oliva and now in its fourth generation under chef Ciro Oliva. Named for the three patron saints venerated in the adjacent votive chapel — Cosma, Damiano, and Rocco — the pizzeria is celebrated for its rigorous adherence to the Neapolitan pizza-making tradition while incorporating innovative toppings and a strong social mission in one of the city’s most culturally complex quartieri.
At a glance
- Type
- Historic pizzeria, Neapolitan tradition
- Founded
- 1951
- Generation
- Fourth generation (Ciro Oliva, current chef)
- Location
- Via Arena della Sanità 7bis, 80137 Napoli — Rione Sanità
- Coordinates
- 40.8575° N, 14.2521° E
- Recognition
- Regularly cited among Italy’s best pizzerias; social enterprise model noted internationally
Overview
Concettina ai Tre Santi occupies a unique position in the Neapolitan pizza landscape: it is simultaneously one of the most historically rooted pizzerias in the city and one of the most innovative, under a chef who has become a prominent public advocate for both culinary tradition and social regeneration in the Rione Sanità. The dough, made from type-1 and type-0 flours with a long fermentation, produces a light, open-crumbed cornicione that serves as the foundation for both classic Marinara and Margherita and seasonal creative toppings using ingredients sourced from the Campania region. The pizzeria is listed on the AVPN (Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana) register and maintains strict adherence to the denomination’s specifications.
History
The pizzeria was founded in 1951 by Concettina Oliva in the Rione Sanità, a baroque and underground-catacombs-rich quarter of Naples that has historically been one of the city’s most populous and economically disadvantaged neighbourhoods. For decades the pizzeria served the immediate community at prices accessible to the quartiere’s residents, a tradition the current owner Ciro Oliva maintains through a social initiative that offers free pizza to those in economic difficulty — a practice framed as returning the pizzeria to its original popular roots. The three saints of the name — Cosma, Damiano, and Rocco — are venerated in a votive edicola outside the entrance, a small shrine whose candles and ex-voto offerings predate the pizzeria itself.
What you see
The pizzeria’s interior is a layered space where decades of Neapolitan popular culture coexist with contemporary design details introduced under Ciro Oliva’s stewardship. The wood-fired oven is the centrepiece, its mouth the focal point of the room as it has been since 1951. The menu is written on a board and changes seasonally: alongside the canonical Marinara (San Marzano tomato, Gaeta olive, oregano, garlic, extra-virgin olive oil) and Margherita (Fior di latte from Agerola, San Marzano tomato, fresh basil), creative options might include Campania buffalo ricotta, smoked provola, or locally cured meats. Outside, the votive niche with its three saints continues to draw neighbourhood prayers alongside tourist photographs.
Cultural significance
The art of Neapolitan pizza-making was inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2017, recognising the social and ritual function of pizza in Neapolitan life that extends far beyond gastronomy. Concettina ai Tre Santi embodies this inscription concretely: it is a place where craft, community identity, and neighbourhood solidarity intersect. The Rione Sanità itself is undergoing a remarkable cultural renaissance, with the underground Bourbon Tunnel, the Catacombs of San Gennaro, and art projects reclaiming the quartiere’s extraordinary heritage; the pizzeria is both a participant in and a symbol of this renewal.
Practical information
- Address
- Via Arena della Sanità 7bis, 80137 Napoli NA
- Hours
- Check official website; typically open for lunch and dinner, closed Monday; high demand — book in advance
- Reservations
- Essential; the pizzeria is frequently fully booked weeks in advance, especially at weekends
- Social initiative
- A portion of each bill contributes to free pizzas for residents in economic need; listed on the menu as “Sospesa”
- Website
- concettinaaitresanti.it
Getting there
The Rione Sanità is in the historic centre of Naples, roughly 500 m north of the Piazza Cavour metro station (Line 1). From Cavour, follow Via Foria north-west to Via Santa Teresa degli Scalzi, then descend into the Sanità valley. By metro, Line 2 stops at Piazza Cavour; Line 1 stops at Museo (300 m from the Catacombs of San Gennaro entry). By car, Naples’ ZTL covers much of the historic centre and the Sanità is best approached on foot or by taxi. Naples Centrale railway station is approximately 1.5 km south-east; a taxi takes 5–10 minutes depending on traffic.