Sear, don't dry
At 480° the dough is set almost instantly. A cooler oven would slowly dry it out instead of making it puff.
Magazine · Wood-fired oven in Aix-en-ProvenceWood-fired oven
Wood-fired oven
temperature for Neapolitan pizza
Our wood-fired oven reaches 480° to bake a true Neapolitan in just seconds. Here is why that heat changes everything on the plate, from our trattoria on Place des Cardeurs, in Aix-en-Provence.
Three markers, not one more theory
What the heat does to the dough
Neapolitan baking comes down to three simple things. Understand them and the rest of the pizza explains itself.
Raise the cornicione
The edges rise, colour and take on those marks characteristic of wood fire. That is the Neapolitan signature.
Keep the centre soft
A short, powerful bake leaves the inside supple while the outside turns lightly crisp.
The heart of the matter
The 480° of the wood-fired oven
At 480°, our Neapolitan pizza bakes in a matter of seconds. This very high heat sets the dough almost instantly: the edges puff up, colour and take on those marks characteristic of wood-fired baking.
That is exactly what Neapolitan pizza calls for: a short, powerful bake that keeps the centre soft while the crust rises. A cooler oven would never give the same result — the dough would dry out instead of puffing, and you would lose that contrast between the lightly crisp outside and the soft inside.
A few seconds, one vault, one square
Heat is judged at the table, not on paper
Place des Cardeurs, inside or on the terrace: the pizza leaves the oven and arrives scorching hot. That is where — and only where — a bake proves itself.
The other half of the equation
A dough made for the heat
Oven temperature is not everything: you also need a dough able to take it. Ours ferments for 24 hours at 70% hydration, which makes it both more digestible and more resistant to high heat.
It is this combination — a long-fermented dough and a 480° wood-fired oven — that lets the Neapolitan bake fast without burning and stay light. Without that preparation upstream, the oven's heat would be a drawback rather than an asset.
Our team of five works with this bake every day, at lunch and dinner. A question about the oven or the dough? Ask us in the dining room, we will gladly answer.
A word from the trattoria
Why we talk about temperature
It is one of the questions we hear most often at the counter: at what temperature does a Neapolitan pizza bake in a wood-fired oven? At Di Micheli our oven reaches 480°, and that intense heat is anything but a detail — it lies at the heart of what sets a true Neapolitan apart from an ordinary pizza. Since our family trattoria opened in September 2021, on Place des Cardeurs, we have worked with this bake every day.
You will find no miracle recipe or grand theories here: only the way we work, day after day. We keep a short menu, with fresh produce and no frozen dough, because the quality of the bake also depends on the ingredients. Our private room seating 28 and our 90-seat terrace welcome solo lunches as well as family meals or corporate dinners, with tailor-made menus.
To better understand the tradition behind this bake, you can browse the reference page on Neapolitan pizza on Wikipedia, then come and find it fresh from our wood-fired oven.
It all starts with the Neapolitan pizza, its 24-hour fermented dough and its wood-fired bake. The classic that best reveals a good bake is still the margherita. Whether you are curious about the technique or simply hungry, our oven temperature has only one goal: to serve you a Neapolitan pizza true to its tradition, in Aix-en-Provence. Happy reading, and see you very soon on Place des Cardeurs.
Also worth a look
Keep exploring
A few pages to go further after your read, from the dough to booking your table.
Frequently asked
Oven temperature: your questions
What temperature does a Neapolitan pizza bake at in a wood-fired oven?
At Di Micheli, our wood-fired oven reaches 480°. At this very high temperature the Neapolitan pizza bakes in a few seconds, which makes the crust puff up and marks the dough with the wood fire.
Why such a high temperature for the Neapolitan?
Intense heat sets the dough almost instantly. This gives puffed edges and a soft centre. A cooler oven would dry out the dough and make it lose this characteristic texture.
How long does the pizza bake in your wood-fired oven?
At 480°, baking takes only a few seconds. It is this short, powerful bake that sets Neapolitan pizza apart from a pizza baked longer at a lower temperature.
Is the dough suited to such high heat?
Yes. Our dough ferments for 24 hours at 70% hydration, which makes it more digestible and able to withstand the oven's 480° without burning, while staying light.
Does the wood-fired oven really change the taste?
Yes: beyond the temperature, the wood fire marks the dough and gives it a flavour an electric oven cannot reproduce. It is the combination of the two — the flame and the 480° — that makes the Neapolitan.
Where can I taste your wood-fired pizza?
At 13 Place des Cardeurs, 13100 Aix-en-Provence, right in the pedestrian centre. Our trattoria welcomes you at lunch and dinner, indoors and on the terrace.
Taste our wood-fired pizza
After the read, the tasting: book your table at Di Micheli, Place des Cardeurs.