It is Friday evening in the small town of Caiazzo, just under an hour’s drive north of Naples. A queue of people has formed in Vicolo San Giovanni Battista, starting at the door of the pizzeria Pepe in Grani and leading all the way to the end of the street. Franco Pepe’s reputation as one of the world’s best pizza makers has spread – and earned him multiple awards. The star emerges from his kitchen to greet his regulars in person. This warm welcome, combined with his gourmet pizza, makes it worth the wait – and the drive into the Campania hinterland. Since Franco Pepe opened his pizzeria in 2012, it’s been a magnet for pizza lovers and gourmands from around the world. His speciality is the Margherita Sbagliata, which translates as the “Margherita done wrong”. Celebrating the region’s best ingredients, with a basil reduction and buffalo mozzarella from Campania, the pizza deviates from the norm in that the puréed Riccio tomatoes aren’t spread onto the dough but added on top after it has been baked.