When listening to him speak, you can hear an unmistakable Modenese accent. Looking at him, you can see the traits of a boy from the South. Gianni Di Lella arrived in the Modena area when he was four years old with his father and mother, and his whole life revolves around this geographical duality, from a professional point of view but not only. A strong double belonging then, with the traditions of both Campania and Emilia lands constantly meeting in a game of memories on the one hand and experiences on the other. In short, a life spent among pastiera, parmigiana, lasagna and tagliatelle. Gianni did not start as a pizza maker, but over time he became a well-known name in the nouvelle vague of contemporary pizza. “I don’t want the story I tell to sound corny, but we got here with no money. However, what I want now is to bring out all of who I am, without listening to anyone else, with my home-grown soul, because I hate to hear people say I’m bragging about.” So in January Gianni will reopen his completely renovated La Bufala pizzeria in Maranello. Born in 1985, until 12 years ago he was selling cars. He began working as a pizza maker thanks to his father, whose dream was indeed to open a pizzeria. At 26, he left for Sorrento and took a private course with Antonino Esposito, who taught him the basics of traditional Neapolitan pizza. Back to Maranello, the town that is known for the legendary Ferrari Prancing Horse, he opened La Bufala, at first a small takeaway place and now a landmark among the pizzerias of the entire region. “Right now I’m trying to express what I’m most comfortable with. That’s why I decided to focus on plant-based plates and to make my pizza represent my venue and vice versa. In other words, I’m intensifying my relationship with the Modena Apennines area, of which I feel like an ambassador, and I’m working together with local producers to make sure that the ingredients travel as little as possible.” Regarding dough, Gianni continues to empower what basically looks like a traditional Neapolitan style dough but is actually “somewhere in between; in fact, it’s now a finger high and I’m aiming at mother yeast and ever-improving digestibility. What I am pursuing now with Agugiaro & Figna is a project that will lead me to use only Emilian flour.”
Also crucial for him was his relationship with Italian haute cuisine. The connection to Massimo Bottura’s Osteria Francescana was Richard Abou Zaki, now chef at Retroscena in Porto San Giorgio, in the region of Marche. He created the Lasagna pizza, with a crispy crust that can be used to make scarpetta (that is, to mop up the sauce in your plate with bread). A base of mozzarella di bufala, traditional meat sauce and béchamel made with water and 60-month aged Parmigiano Reggiano. This ongoing research path has also given rise to the sweet pizzas of which Di Lella is an undisputed master, such as Tiramisù pizza, zuppa inglese pizza, and Tarte Tatin, which was voted sweet pizza of the year by the Gambero Rosso guide. Partnering with a chef is what makes it possible to create a true balance between base and topping, perfectly integrating dough and ingredients. Moreover, Di Lella traveled the world so much. He did this for five years before the pandemic thanks to Le 5 Stagioni, touching every destination except Australia and Japan, trying to listen and glean secrets everywhere, building the foundation for an open-mindedness that was as wide as possible and using what he learned to keep improving all the time.
Beyond the layout, in renovating his restaurant Di Lella planned many new things: “There will be new appetizers, new fried dishes, and homemade freselle (a kind of double-baked bread) with the leftover dough I use for bread.” And then a lot of novelties on the beverage front: “The selection will be targeted, with a few but well-structured offerings. There will be also a small menu dedicated to Champagne from smaller but no-less-good producers at an affordable price, because Champagne with pizza can be great, as well as Lambrusco. And then I’m looking for a different end-of-meal product, with traditional Neapolitan liqueurs and not the common limoncello, and also some artisanal products from the Apennines of Modena such as Mirtillino (sweet liqueur made from blueberries).” But that’s not all, because Gianni’s travels have led him to many discoveries, such as Mexican Mezcals and a couple of foreign gins with a particular spiciness, along with six Italian gins from south to north.
Gianni Di Lella is a man who cherishes values beyond work so much; in fact, it is clear how important it is for him to give space to his family and his private life, which he himself says he wants to enjoy to the fullest without guilt towards his job. And indeed, that doesn’t mean he neglects his passion and his work. In this respect, he is a professional to be studied carefully, especially considering the major changes that the restaurant business is experiencing.
