A living cornicione
Tall, airy, supple: the direct result of 24 hours of fermentation and 70% hydration. Fold it and it will not crack.
Place des Cardeurs · Aix-en-ProvenceNeapolitan
Neapolitan
pizza, the real one
A living dough fermented for 24 hours, 70% hydration, forty seconds in a wood-fired oven at 480°. The cornicione puffs up, chars in spots, stays soft to the touch. That is the pizza we serve every day in the heart of old Aix.
Our method in three numbers
Nothing left to chance
24h
of slow fermentation for a light, fragrant dough
480°
inside the wood-fired oven, forty seconds of baking
70%
hydration: the signature of a puffed-up cornicione
The Neapolitan craft
Four steps, no shortcuts
Neapolitan pizza forgives nothing: every step sets up the next one. Here is how our pizzaioli work, from the mixer to your plate.
The dough
Flour, water, salt, yeast. 70% hydration, double kneading, then 24 hours of rest that build flavour and digestibility.
The stretch
The dough ball is stretched by hand, never with a rolling pin: the air moves to the edges and forms the cornicione.
The topping
Few ingredients, chosen short. Tomato, mozzarella, a drizzle of oil, basil added as it leaves the oven.
The oven
480° on the stone, forty seconds exactly. Leopard spots appear and the pizza heads straight to the table.
Napoli, sotto le stelle
A Neapolitan pizzeria in the heart of old Aix
Place des Cardeurs, on the terrace or inside, since 2021. We serve your pizza the moment it leaves the oven: a Neapolitan will not wait, it is meant to be eaten scorching hot.
What you will taste
Why it is like no other
The taste of wood fire
At 480°, the flame marks the dough with dark spots and lends a smoky scent no electric oven can copy.
Short toppings
A Neapolitan is judged on its dough. We keep the ingredient list short — but every Italian ingredient earns its place.
An easy-to-digest pizza
Long fermentation pre-digests the sugars in the flour. You feel the difference an hour after the meal.
Served in forty seconds
The baking time is also the waiting time. Your pizza reaches the table still steaming, never reheated.
Monday to Sunday
Lunch from 11h30-14h30 and dinner from 18h00-23h00, steps away from Cours Mirabeau.
At our place
We welcome you the Naples way
Di Micheli means a dining room and a terrace on Place des Cardeurs, a team that knows the menu by heart, and an oven running lunch and dinner since 2021. Come as a couple, with family, or fifteen strong: we will make it work.
Book your table in seconds, or take your Neapolitan away if you would rather enjoy it elsewhere — either way, it comes out of the same oven.
The long read
Neapolitan pizza, explained
You recognise a Neapolitan pizza before you taste it: a disc about thirty centimetres wide, a thin, supple centre that will not hold straight in your hand, and a tall rim full of bubbles and dark blisters. Those marks are not a baking flaw — they are leopard spots, proof of a lightning-fast pass under a 480° vault.
Everything is decided earlier, in the mixer. Our dough runs at 70% hydration and rests for 24 hours: the gluten relaxes, aromas build, starch becomes easier to digest. A dough ball made an hour before service will never reach that result, however good the oven.
The bake itself lasts only forty seconds. That is short, and that is exactly the point: the dough puffs under the thermal shock before it can dry out, the mozzarella melts without weeping, the basil stays green. A Neapolitan pizza is therefore eaten straight away, as it leaves the oven — which is why we never let it wait.
For the full story of the dish, from Naples to UNESCO, the encyclopedic entry on Neapolitan pizza traces its working-class origins and its rules.
At Di Micheli, the 480° wood-fired bake gives the character, and the 24-hour fermented dough gives the texture. Want to settle a debate? Read Neapolitan versus Roman, learn how to spot a true Neapolitan, or go back to the history of Neapolitan pizza in our magazine.
Also worth a look
Keep exploring
Neapolitan pizza comes down to a handful of obsessions. Here is where we tell the whole story.
Your questions
What people ask us most
What makes a true Neapolitan pizza?
A high-hydration dough (70% here), a slow 24-hour fermentation, a hand stretch that pushes air to the edges, and a very short bake — forty seconds — in a wood-fired oven at 480°. The result: a tall, airy cornicione, a supple centre, and leopard spots on the rim.
Why ferment the dough for 24 hours?
Long fermentation builds aroma and pre-digests the sugars in the flour. The pizza tastes deeper and, above all, sits far lighter than a dough made at the last minute.
Are the dark spots on the rim normal?
Yes, those are leopard spots. They appear when the dough meets the 480° of the wood-fired oven and they are the mark of a successful Neapolitan. A pizza without them was baked too slowly, or too cool.
Where can I eat Neapolitan pizza in Aix-en-Provence?
Di Micheli Ristorante welcomes you at 13 Place des Cardeurs, 13100 Aix-en-Provence, in the heart of old Aix, Monday to Sunday: lunch from 11h30-14h30 and dinner from 18h00-23h00.
Should I book?
It is safer, especially at weekends and on the terrace. You can book online in seconds, or call us on 06 34 33 98 93.
Can I take my pizza away?
Yes, takeaway is available at lunch and dinner. One tip: eat it quickly — a Neapolitan is at its best in the minutes right after it leaves the oven.
The oven is hot
Book your table on Place des Cardeurs, or take your Neapolitan away.