Gabriele Bonci born into a family rooted in Italian culinary tradition, Gabriele Bonci discovered an early passion for breadmaking. Despite his family’s initial hesitation, he trained formally as a chef and refined his craft in kitchens across Italy and abroad. In 2003, he opened Pizzarium in Rome, a small shop that redefined pizza by the slice.

Celebrated for its complex doughs, seasonal ingredients, and careful sourcing, Pizzarium became a landmark of modern pizza. Bonci’s creative use of fermentation and deep respect for tradition earned him the title “Michelangelo of Pizza.” Today, he shares his knowledge through books, workshops, and TV, inspiring chefs worldwide to combine innovation with heritage.

The Best Chef: In Rome, they say you’re more important than Totti — what do you think about that?

Gabriele Bonci: Well, maybe just after the Pope! But really, it’s the work we’ve done for Rome that speaks. At one of your events in Milan, when I walked in and the room went silent — that kind of respect, it’s humbling. Especially being the only pizza-by-the-slice chef among the top hundred. That’s a real honour.

The Best Chef: Your approach clearly goes far beyond toppings — there’s a lot of thought and agriculture involved. Can you tell us more?

Gabriele Bonci: Absolutely. We cultivate 60 hectares of grain around Rome, and even the flour we use is made from that grain, processed by a mill in Brescia. It’s exhausting work — but essential. At the start, people didn’t even recognise what I was doing as pizza. It took time, communication, and turning agriculture into a kind of philosophy. 

The Best Chef: You’ve trained so many young people — would you say you’ve created a generation of “Boncinis”?

Gabriele Bonci: Yes, I’d say so. Over the last 25 years, more than 30 people who worked with me have gone on to open their own businesses. That’s more than one entrepreneur a year. I always keep my lab open — for colleagues, for students. They leave as ambassadors of what we do, and that’s the real success: watching them build their own future.

Restaurant Instagram: Naturalmente Bonci 

Restaurant Address: Via della Meloria, 43, 00136 Roma RM