Amalia Costantini is the force behind Mater, her acclaimed pizzeria in Fiano Romano, just outside Rome. Known for her refined and creative approach to pizza, she has made a name for herself by championing organic flours, ancient grains, and high-quality local ingredients. Her unique doughs — light, crisp, and full of personality.
Via Pier Paolo Pasolini, 00065 Fiano Romano RM, Włochy
Born in 1997 and now a mother of three and a grandmother, Amalia’s journey into the world of pizza wasn’t straightforward. She became a single mother at 16 and began working in a textile factory — a place where her creativity found some outlet, but not her true calling. Her earliest food memories trace back to afternoons in the kitchen with her grandmothers, which quietly planted the seeds of a future passion.
Everything changed when she met Fabio — her future life and business partner — and took a cooking class at Anna Maria Palma’s school in Rome, where she encountered sourdough for the first time. That moment sparked a deep fascination with fermentation, flours, and the artistry of dough. What emerged was Amalia’s own interpretation of pizza — “Neapolitan revisited,” but with an unmistakably original style. Her approach favors highly hydrated dough, lower baking temperatures (around 330°C), and a focus on sustainability: organic flours and ancient grains grown with environmentally friendly methods, yielding less gluten and more crunch.
In 2015, she opened Mater in Fiano Romano, working closely with her family. Her daughter Martina oversees the front of house, ensuring a serene and elegant atmosphere. The pizzeria underwent a major transformation in the wake of the 2020 health crisis, shifting to a tasting-menu format focused solely on gourmet pizza. What started as a practical solution to distancing and limited seating became a defining concept: intimate, curated pizza tasting experiences.
At Mater, each pizza is sliced into eight pieces, designed for sharing and exploration. Amalia treats every dough base as a canvas, decorating it with artful, balanced compositions that highlight the purity of the ingredients. In 2023, her youngest son Alessandro — a graduate of the prestigious Niko Romito Culinary Academy — joined the team, contributing new topping ideas with visual flair and a sophisticated touch that matches the pizzeria’s evolving identity.
