Vitulano and Sannio protagonists of the latest episode of ‘Little Big Italy’, the television program hosted by Francesco Panella and broadcast on Nove every Monday at 21:25.

The format – which rewards the best Italian restaurants abroad – provides that each episode will take place in a foreign city with three Italians residing in that place who each select a city restaurant. The group, together with Francesco Panella, will go for lunch or dinner in each of the three rooms and will vote on the preparation of 3 courses: the dish chosen by the person who selected the restaurant, the main dish of the chef and the desire off the menu of the conductor that will range through the gastronomic arc of all of Italy in order to test the ability of the owner or the Chef.

In Prague, in the episode broadcast yesterday evening, second place for the restaurant ‘Le Cinque Corone’ by the Samnite Carmine Mastrocinque, who at the end of the Eighties moved to the Czech capital and managed to locate a place – a few meters from Piazza San Wenceslas – to start his business. Over the years, the restaurateur from Vitulano has worked hard and transformed ‘Le Cinque Corone’ into a reference point for Italian gastronomy in the Czech capital, thanks also to the help of his children and Italian staff.

To bring Francesco Panella to know the Samnite goodness was Davide, singer originally from the Marche, who opens the concerts of Drupi. To welcome them Angelo and Marco, sons of Carmine, who today carry on the structure successfully started by their father, with the ambitious goal of reaching 50 years of business and family management. Sliced ​​with cherry tomatoes and rocket, square spaghetti with anchovies, olives and cherry tomatoes and polenta concia: these are the dishes appreciated by the three competitors and by the conductor, which allowed the vitulanese restaurateurs to score 32 total points, eight of which were awarded for sympathy and typical welcome, and thus achieve the silver medal.

For each of the three competing restaurants, in fact, all the diners voted for each of the 3 courses (except the one who selected the restaurant) giving a vote represented by 1 to 5 tokens; to this, in the final part of the program, is added the “Vote of Italianity” given by Francesco Panella (1 to 10 tokens).

Also this year the European Championship of classic pizza Pizza Senza Frontiere 2022 was held in London. The event found space during The European Pizza & Pasta Show and ended today with the last competitions and awards for competitors. The event has always been one of the most exciting food events on the London scene.

Between doughs and toppings, the competitors began to warm up even before the start of the competitions, which took place on 22 and 23 June 2022. The fair was not only the scene of the fascinating competitions of the European Championship of Pizza Without Borders. At the Olympia Exhibition Center there were numerous stands of leading companies in the pasta and pizza sector, highlighted with show cooking and demonstrations.

An exciting edition experienced by competitors, visitors and organizers with serenity: we are finally back on the scene without the worry of last year caused by the pandemic. So off to smiles without a mask, to handshakes and hugs exchanged by competitors, some for joy, some for the bitterness of defeat.

Not an easy task that of the judges, assigned to Edin Basic, Mike Arvblom, Sebastian Apollo Delavega, Giorgio Riggio and Massimo Costanzo who found themselves judging high-level and professional pizzas from all over Europe (and beyond).

With the number 20, Mauro Alba ranked first in the European Championship of Pizza Without Borders, followed by Carmine Mastrocinque and Aldo Brancato.

The runner-up is Carmine Mastrocinque who presented the jurors with a pizza with homemade sausage, Pachino tomatoes IGP, stracciatella, parmesan flakes and basil. Carmine’s “Cinque Corone” beat, albeit slightly, the “Martuccia”, Aldo Brancato’s pizza. Aldo proposed a topping with pumpkin cream, smoked bacon, mozzarella cream, Grana Padano wafer and black pepper for his pizza.

The ranking of the top 10: