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ASSOCIATION HISTORY
THE IDEA
The VPN Association was founded in 1984, supported by the Chamber of Commerce, Handicrats & Industry.
Old Neapolitan pizza masters, given the spreading of fast-food chains and the large use -sometimes inappropriate- of the denomination “Original Neapolitan Pizza” ,decided to found an association based on a protocol in order to protect and increase the value of the pizzas produced and processed according to the old Neapolitan traditions and customs.
THE FOUNDATION
Thus, in June 1984, Antonio Pace decided to put in writing his idea and set precise rules for the preparation and processing of “veraci” (original) pizzas. As far as the protocol, he was supported by the experience of old pizza masters. In an interview published in the “Corriere della Sera”, he stated: “We are fighting nobody, we just want to affirm our ancient traditions. We are against the cultural and commercial deformation of our pizza and against its industrialization; in fact, the ready-to-eat and frozen pizzas sold in supermarkets have nothing to do with the original ones.” Vincenzo Pace is the President of the Association, father of Antonio, and he has been working at pizza ovens since he was eleven years old. He states: “The pizza secret lies all in the dough rising. Its recipe? It doesn’t exist and I can tell you that, because I’ve learnt since I was a child that dough rising changes according to the weather, hot or cold, dry or dump. For instance if it’s cold, you need hot water and a little sal;, if it’s hot you need less salt since it slows down the rising. These issues must be taken into consideration the night before, when preparing the dough. Ten to twelve hours are needed for a perfect rising. You can standardize the process, but it is the experience that refines the art”.
Antonio Pace is the director and the promoter of this initiative. He is following his father’s footsteps and he is supported by the manager of the technical committee, Antonio Aversano who is the owner of a popular Neapolitan restaurant: “Don Salvatore”. Lello Surace, owner of the famous “Mattozzi” in P.za Carità is the secretary: all together they make a nice and heterogeneous group of operators, with the pizza ideal in their blood.
At the beginning, there were just twenty members, among which “Ciro a Santa Brigida”, “Salvatore alla Riviera di Chiaia” with the pizza-master Salvatore Jossa, “Salvatore a Mergellina”, “Lombardi” in Santa Chiara, “Ciro” at Borgo Marinari, “Il Ragno d’Oro” in Vomero, “Pizzeria Alba” in Piazza Immacolata”, “Capasso” at Porta S. Gennaro, “Cafasso” in Via Giulio Cesare, “Mattozzi” in Piazza Carità…. In other words, the best of Neapolitan traditional pizzerias. Later, many others joined in, among which: “Trianon” in Via Pietro Colletta, “Umberto” di Via Alabardieri, “Cantanapoli” in Via Chiatamone, “Gennaro” a Bagnoli, “La Notizia”, “La Caraffa”, “Gaetano” in Ischia… as well as hundreds of other pizza-restaurants located in Italy and in the rest of the world.
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THE STATUTE (abstract)
The present act assess and establishes what follows:
ARTICLE 1
A non profit Association is set up by the present participants and it is called:
“VERACE PIZZA NAPOLETANA”
ARTICLE 4
It is a non-profit Association.
The Association aims to protect and promote the “VERACE PIZZA NAPOLETANA” (ORIGINAL NEAPOLITAN PIZZA) as well as its restaurant-members that commit themselves to supply a service complying with manufacturing features established in the protocol and regulating the pizza production, as by enclosure link. Furthermore, the Association wants to spread pizza history and traditions by promoting researches and studies based on Neapolitan history. To achieve such goals the Association will promote the following actions:
- Supply a trademark sign showing that pizza-restaurant is serving the original artisan Neapolitan pizza;
- Set up of a “trademark policy” to promote and spread it (launching, promotional displays, gastronomic prizes, promotional stands and so on);
- improvement of already acquired professional abilities as well as training of new pizza-makers to attend specific courses;
- Research for food products typical of Campania Region.
In order to achieve these goals and, more particularly, to organize events related to VPN promotion and safeguard, the Association can set up limited-service companies .
ARTICLE 5
The Association is ruled and regulated by the Statute -approved and signed by the parties- based on the protocol regulating the manufacturing of the “VERACE PIZZA NAPOLETANA ARTIGIANALE” (Original Artisan Neapolitan Pizza).
The Cultural Association called “VERACE PIZZA NAPOLETANA” is established and it is located in 16, Via dei Mille, Naples. The Association can set up different branches and/or peripheral offices both in Italy and abroad. This is a non-profit Association. Members are expected to behave properly both among themselves as well as with external parties and they have to accept the present Statute.
It is a permanent Association. Persons of any nationality –not only Italians- residing in Italy can become members of the association, showing a democratic attitude and feelings; there is no limit on the number of the members. Also Public or Private Bodies and/or any company with goals similar the ones of the Association can become members. There are: Promoting Partners, Regular members, Supporting members, Affiliated members. These last ones can be both physical and juridical persons running a pizza-restaurant. In order to become an affiliated member a request has to be submitted to the Executive Counsel and sponsored by either a Promoting Partner or by an affiliated member. The Executive Counsel together with at least two thirds of the other members will have to agree on the final decision. As entrepreneurs running a pizza-restaurant the perspective members commit themselves to respect the protocol about manufacturing the “VERACE PIZZA NAPOLETANA ARTIGIANALE” (original Artisan Neapolitan Pizza), in default of which the qualification will be cancelled. Membership is free and voluntary, yet members commit themselves to obey to the resolutions set up by the representative Bodies, according to the Statute rules. A member can be discharged because of any of the following reasons:
- Resignation
- Withdrawal
- Non payment of fees
- Rejection by the Executive
The Executive Counsel revises the members list, within the first month of each company year. It also draws up the Pizza-masters Roll which is free; it counts all the pizza-makers requesting to be registered, assuming they will respect the regulations established by the protocol. Members are nominated by the Executive Counsel or by the President, or through proxy by other Organizations or Associations. The Executive counsel draws up the Pizza-masters Roll counting those who can prove through certified acts that they are Pizza-makers since at least ten years; they have to prove as well the high quality of the artisan pizza they make. Furthermore, they have to show ability to train new pizza-makers. Within this Pizza-masters Roll, special honours can be given –golden or silver oven- to those who contributed through their work promoting and spreading the culture of Neapolitan pizza making.
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THE DEVELOPMENT
Among other initiatives the Association runs training courses for pizza masters, and has set up a technical committee that examines the visual and organoleptic characteristics of the products. Such committee must also verify if new members procedures comply with the ones established in the protocol. Besides, a “Pizza’s fan club” will be set up; this is an external control body, made of Association of supporters and consumers verifying that all rules are respected; in case of infringements it is responsible for denouncing them to the technical committee; this might result in the expulsion of the member from the Association.
So, one event after the other, the Association gets to 1989 when the pizza Margherita centenary is celebrated with lots of meetings, ceremonies and conferences highlighting the “Margherita” celebration. The expression “Pizza D.O.C.” (Certificate of Origin) starts to be mentioned and in February a meeting is held at the Hotel Excelsior in Naples, called: “A D.O.C. certification for the Neapolitan pizza”.
The need to establish rules and regulations and to protect the quality and the authenticity of pizza is felt more and more; in fact, the pizza is recognized to be a highly promotional mean for Italy and for Naples throughout the world. Antonio Pace stated: “Too often a bad course is passed off as our Neapolitan speciality. Too often the consumer is deceived, that’s why we suggest to set up regulations”.
Yet, the centenary reaches its climax in November 1989 when the Association together with A.p.e.s. –Pizza-makers & Similar Association- organizes a worldwide conference for pizza-makers. That takes place in the Galleria Umberto I, in Naples, which is transformed for the occasion in a opened up pizzeria, showing debates, assemblies, galas, TV links and serving free pizzas for everybody. In this occasion, the Association started a subscription for the restoration of the 14th century wooden Christ, located on the high altar of Santa Chiara Church. “We thought that was the best way to celebrate our pizza fest. Not only have we increased the members number, but we’ve also grown in sensibility. We are very proud of this” stated President Pace.
After the election of Bassolino as Naples mayor in 1993, the idea of regulating the “Verace Pizza Napoletana“, and the setting up of a quality certification to be issued only for pizza-makers who respect the Neapolitan tradition, was brought up again.
In 1995 a meeting was held in Castel dell’Ovo, in Naples. During the works Bassolino appointed a commission of experts to set up a “regulation code for pizza making”. It was going to be examined by the experts committee and chaired by Carlo Mangoni -lecturer of Nutrition Physiology at the Second University of Medicine and Surgery of Naples- and counting four more experts. They start to think about setting up a foundation formed by the VP Association and by local institutions such as the Town Hall, the Campania Region and the Province governments. Starting from the set up of a regulations code, the foundation was going to promote all the initiatives aiming at protecting this traditional Neapolitan specialty. The enthusiastic assent of the Council establishing the creation of an expert committee, encouraged the codification of the rules.
Finally, on 1st July 1997, the Mayor of Naples and the Association submitted the Protocol for VPN to the Trademark and Patents Office of the Chamber of Commerce in Rome. The manual is written by a committee of experts. It is basically just a scientific re-elaboration by prof. Mangoni and the President of the Association, of the rules list established by the old Neapolitan pizza-makers back in 1984. It is the first official step aiming to obtain the D.O.C. certification.
The official D.O.C. certification is presented at the international meeting held on 15 September1997 in Maschio Angioino in Naples. Besides the protection of a local specialty, the certification represents the promotion of the Campania region food producers. In fact, the protocol establishes that only Campania products must be used, i.e. extra-virgin olive oil, buffalo mozzarella cheese and San Marzano tomatoes.
The natural development of such rules is represented, in 2004, by the presentation of the S.T.G. -Guaranteed Traditional Speciality- “Pizza Napoletana” protocol, protected by a European act concerning the Neapolitan pizza and ensuring that pizzas are made and processed in an artisan way. The Ministry for Agricultural Policies successfully explained and promoted the protocol at the European Committee. The “Pizzafest”, at its 11th edition in 2006, represented the most important event for the VPN Association and its induced activities.
Now, the Association is more optimistic and greatly enthusiastic about the future: the path has been cut, and we will need to keep on following this long road leading to a quality pizza production.
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