Why Pizza a Portafoglio is the ultimate street food

A lesson in Neapolitan survival from the streets of the Centro Storico

If you walk down the Via Tribunali in the heart of Naples, you will see something beautiful. You will see lawyers in expensive suits, students with heavy backpacks, and grandmothers with shopping bags all doing the same thing. They are holding a piece of paper and eating a pizza while they walk.

This is not a regular pizza. This is the Pizza a Portafoglio.

In my language, portafoglio means wallet. We call it this because we take a full, round pizza and fold it once, then fold it again. It becomes a small triangle of molten gold that fits perfectly in your hand.

Here is why this is the king of the Italian street.

It Is Built for the Move

Naples is a city of chaos and movement. We do not always have time to sit on a wooden chair and wait for a waiter. The Portafoglio is designed for the person who has places to be. Because it is folded, the crust acts as a shield. It keeps the tomato sauce and the melting cheese trapped inside instead of sliding off onto your shoes. It is a self-contained masterpiece.

The "Libretto" Style

Some of the old timers call it pizza a libretto, meaning "like a little book." When you fold it, the steam stays trapped between the layers of the dough. This makes the crust even softer and more flexible. It is not crunchy like the pizza you find in Rome. It is soft, hot, and chewy. Every bite gives you a perfect ratio of dough, sauce, and cheese.

The Price of the People

The Portafoglio has always been the pizza of the people. In many places in Naples, you can still find it for a few Euros. It is the most honest meal in the world. For the price of a coffee, you get a hot, fresh Margherita made by a master who has been standing at that oven since sunrise.

Pure Simplicity

You will not find gourmet toppings here. A true Portafoglio is almost always a Margherita or a Marinara. When you are eating on the move, you do not want fancy oils or complicated truffles. You want the saltiness of the dough, the acidity of the tomato, and the heat of the oven. It is the purest way to taste the quality of a pizzeria's foundation.

Maestro’s Tip: If you eat this, be careful. The first bite is the most dangerous. Because the heat is trapped inside the folds, the steam can be very hot. Open the paper slightly, take a breath, and enjoy the smell of the charred wood. It is the smell of Naples.