Pepe in Grani wins best pizzeria in Italy at Pizza Maxima 2026

The fifth edition of Pizza Maxima, an awards ceremony for the Italian pizza industry, was held at Spazio Novecento in Rome. The event, organized by E20-Events Factory and RistorAgency, involved a jury of approximately 200 gastronomic journalists and experts who evaluated 150 nominated pizzerias.

Pepe in Grani, led by master pizzaiolo Franco Pepe, retained the title of ‘Miglior Pizzeria d’Italia 2026’ and was also named the best pizzeria in the Campania region. SEU Pizza, owned by Pier Daniele Seu in Rome, secured second place nationally and was named ‘Miglior Pizzaiolo dell’anno’. Diego Vitagliano of Naples took third place and received a special award for the best pizza menu.

Other notable winners included Francesco Capece of Confine in Milan, who was named ‘Miglior Pizzaiolo Under 35’ and best pizzeria in Lombardy, and Roberta Esposito of La Contrada di Aversa, who won ‘Miglior pizzaiola dell’anno’. The top ten rankings were dominated by establishments from Campania, Lazio, Lombardy, and Calabria.