Ciro Di Maio Brings a Taste of Naples to Brescia with Escarole Pizza
In the heart of Brescia’s cinema nightlife, a local pizzeria, “Saint Cyrus,” is shining bright with a traditional Southern twist. Neapolitan pizza chef Ciro Di Maio presents the “Neighborhood Star,” a contemporary homage to one of the most symbolic preparations of Neapolitan Christmas: escarole pizza. This dish, historically consumed on Christmas Eve as a lean meal, is a ritual that has spanned generations in Naples families. Di Maio proposes this tradition in Brescia with a modern sensitivity and a strong affection for his origins.
The “Neighborhood Star” is made with stewed curly escarole, buyer, olive down, raisins, toasted pine nuts, and a finish of oil and fresh chili pepper. Di Maio explains, “In recent years, I have understood how important it is to really listen to the people who enter the pizzeria. Eating habits are changing, and I believe that a pizza chef must be able to respect them without distorting tradition.” This is why he wanted to create a vegetarian version of his Christmas pizza, same structure, same perfumes, same soul, but without anchovies.
Bringing Naples to Brescia, in the Most Important Time of the Year
For Di Maio, escarole pizza is much more than a recipe; it’s a piece of his history. In Naples, when Christmas Eve arrived, each family had its own way of preparing it, and the scent filled the alleys. It was the signal that the holidays were really starting. Bringing this tradition to Brescia, during the Christmas period, is a commitment that Di Maio feels deeply. He wants to share a memory, an emotion, a way of experiencing cooking that is made of simplicity and warmth.
Ciro Di Maio is a 35-year-old native of Frattamaggiore, a municipality in the Neapolitan area. He started working at 14, then enrolled in hotel management, but at 18, he left his studies and set off on his personal adventure. In 2015, he found a job as a pizza chef for a large chain in Lombardy, then he managed to take over that pizzeria together with six partners, finally becoming the sole owner. This is how he set sail on the open sea of “Saint Cyrus.”
The Story of Ciro Di Maio and His Restaurant
The Brescia restaurant, located near the Oz multiplex in via Sorbanella, employs around fifteen people and is known for the authenticity of its pizzas, as well as its haute cuisine à la carte menu. A place loved because it represents the Neapolitan tradition, starting from the ingredients: DOP oil, DOP Campania buffalo mozzarella, Piennolo cherry tomatoes, homogenized buffalo ricotta, and IGP Ariccia porchetta. The pizzas are all different, handcrafted, and Ciro repeats it often, “I like to listen to pizzas, each one has its own character and must show it.”
Many VIPs love Ciro Di Maio, and the walls of his restaurant are filled with photographs. Among others, Eva Henger was cooking pizzas in the restaurant one evening. Without forgetting the players of Brescia Calcio and Germani Brescia, who, when they can, even after matches, stop by to say hello to him. Ciro loves charitable initiatives, and in addition to working in prison to train inmates to become pizza chefs, he also dedicated himself to training in the Rione Sanità of Naples, a neighborhood that reminds him of the street where he grew up, via Rossini in Frattamaggiore.
For more information about Ciro Di Maio and his restaurant, “Saint Cyrus,” you can visit them at Via Sorbanella 14, 25125 Brescia, or call them at Tel +39 030 3534570. You can also find them on the map
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