Represent the South of Italy

The “Michelin Guide of Pizza”

The city of Matera, Italy is by no means a hidden gem any more. Therefore, a good variety of restaurants can already be found. Even though, the team of Piú Sud accomplishes to stand out from the others.

When Con Crema visits Piú Sud, the courtyard in front of the restaurant, where most of the tables are located, is still mostly empty. Two friends are enjoying an apperitivo while exchanging the latest stories and a couple at another table is waiting for the food they ordered. We are immediately greeted by the owner herself and led to our table which is located on a wooden patio inside the courtyard. The whole courtyard is decorated with plants and the dimly shining light bulbs around the place complement the atmosphere. It is still early in the evening on this late summer day and the old town of Matera glows in the light of the settling sun. It is the end of the summer season and the streets are still buzzing but are not as tightly packed as they are in high season.

While studying the menu, Con Crema is already nipping from an Aperol Spritz. The mission of Piú Sud, which opened only a few months ago in April 2023, is to represent the kitchen of southern Italy. The menu reflects this and the pizzas have names such as Calabria, Puglia and Sicilia. There is a healthy mix of meat and vegetarian pizzas, so even if you would like to skip you have a lot of options that are a lot more special than your average Quattro Formaggi. Even this classic was spiced up and now features five different cheese variations. In general, the offered dishes strike the balance between classical ingredients and some specialities that offer that little bit extra.

Try some cheese?

This place is made for nights with pizza and friends

Sun-dried tomatoes from heaven

After trying the pizza Sicilia with its crema di melanzana al limette and the pizza Puglia with the delicious tomatoes, we are convinced the kitchen of southern Italy has found a worthy embodiment. It looks like Con Crema wasn’t the only one loving the pizza but apparently, the word has spread. Therefore, you will find Piú Sud in Gambero Rosso’s Pizzerie d’Italia scoring two of three possible pizza slices. At Piú Sud, they are very proud of their appearance in what they call “the Michelin Guide of Pizza”.

But this place is much more than a good restaurant with nice seating. Inside, you find a store with local produce where you can stock those things you liked the most on your pizza. Furthermore, they have dedicated corners to taste cheese, meat or their local wine. If you would like to treat yourself to some locally produced olive oil, you can do so and it will come in a beautiful bottle which is handmade by artisans from the region.

So, go there for the atmosphere, stay for the pizza and make sure to bring a bag for some dried tomatoes or some olive oil.