Pizzeria Franco's

If you want one great pizza then you'll want to stop at Franco's (not a typo, he uses the English spelling) in Battipaglia. The place has zero atmosphere - in fact, it's basically a road-side stand. There are just a few picnic tables where you sit communal style enclosed by plastic tent-type sheeting. But you're not going for the charm, you're going for the Neapolitan pizza, which is some of the best in southern Italy. And that's saying a lot in the land where it was invented.

Franco is a master craftsman whose medium is pizza and panuozzo, which is sort of a panino alternative to pizza using long flat breads cooked in the wood burning oven. He's also a maestro who offers indepth pizzaiolo courses to aspiring wannabes. In short, he knows his stuff. Pizza ingredients are high quality; pick your favorite pre-arranged choice from the menu or create your own. They're huge - not the plate-sized pies of normal pizzerias. The favorite? Regina Margherita, that tops it off with balls of fresh-made mozzarella di bufala from the nearby farm. Battipaglia is right in the middle of mozzarella country, folks; it doesn't get any fresher!

Great pizza, great prices!

(Franco's Pizza is in Battipaglia, south of Salerno on the way to the Cilento National Park. It's right on the main road (SS18) not far off the A-3 motorway as you head south. It's on the right-hand side of the road after the roundabout.)