Da Michele Barcelona: where eating becomes a sublime experience

Hot, with hands and sharing a table with strangers. That's how pizza should be eaten. That's how they've been doing it in Naples for almost 150 years and that's how Francesco, the person in charge of Da Michele Barcelona, hopes we will do it in his place. If you don't mind being seated next to a stranger, and you want to taste all the tradition of old Italy on your palate, Da Michele is your go-to.

- What is Da Michele? How would you briefly define it?

You're asking me for a brief definition of Da Michele. I believe that, since the only pizza I eat is from Da Michele, it has been a sublime experience for me.

So, in summary, I would tell you that it is a company that was born alongside the Condurro family in 1870 and is currently present in Naples, Rome, with two pizzerias, and, since December 2017, also in Milan. The family wanted to export the brand outside of Italy. Right now, we are present in Spain and Japan, with other partners. Here in Spain, we have expansion plans for various cities: Now Barcelona, later we would like to reach Madrid, Seville, Tenerife, Ibiza... This is what we are trying to do.

- Why start with Barcelona and not Madrid?

The main reason is that since I am based in Barcelona, it was easier to manage a place here. The second reason is because Barcelona has the largest Italian community in Spain. I believe that Barcelona is the best city in the world for everyone. It's Mediterranean and similar to Naples in many ways: the temperature, the climate, the people... For us, it's the ideal condition.

- It's curious, that parallel, because Naples is often compared more with the Andalusia region, for its joyfulness and carefreeness...

It's true, in that sense Neapolitans and Catalans are very different, but the people here are fantastic. I've been living here for 12 years and I've been able to experience it.

- We observe the clientele and see that you have a lot of support from fellow countrymen, although the proportion of Barcelona locals is also significant.

Yes, there is a lot of support from the Italian community, no doubt about that. But the truth is that the Catalans have responded wonderfully. The ratio would be about 50-50%. There are five flights every day arriving in Naples from Barcelona. There, you can hear a lot of Spanish being spoken. There are many Spaniards who spend the weekend there and discover Da Michele. When we opened here, people were saying “fantastic! I've already eaten in Naples, now I want to try it here”.

- The website highlights the brand's tradition and history since 1870. How is that history conveyed?

In Naples, pizza was born as a popular food or meal. Just like here everyone eats paella because it's Spanish culture. For us, pizza is even eaten on the street. You pass by the pizzeria, buy it, and eat it while walking. Pizza is a food for everyone. It's something that everyone wants to eat. Even dietitians claim that it's better to have pizza for breakfast than a bowl of cereal.

- You've been going for four months, how was your launch? How was it making yourselves known?

We had an incredibly good fortune. The day before we opened, UNESCO awarded the Neapolitan pizza as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. So the next day everyone saw that Da Michele was opening in Barcelona. On the first day, there was a line that made you say “wow, this is fantastic!”. There are a lot of Latinos at Da Michele too, it's a crowd that reads a lot and is up to date with the current fashion.

We open on Friday just among ourselves to test the culture, the ingredients, everything. The owners from Naples were here tasting everything. The propositions were tested and the perfect pizza was achieved by the end of the night. The next day there were 650 people at Da Michele.

- Regarding the venue, what led you to choose this place?

We had visited more than 25 venues and none of them were quite convincing. La Casa degli Italiani [a charitable-cultural association that promotes Italian culture in Barcelona] is right across the street and it seemed like a good location, strategically speaking, and it has also ended up adapting to our needs.

- What would be the key to your success?

The products. We bring them from Naples and make the pizza just like there. The mozzarella, the fior di latte, the tomato... even the wood is the same as we have in the oven in Naples. Imagine the responsibility we have. When people come here, the first thing they do is compare it with the pizza from Naples. They are surprised to find that it's the same.

- Why is it so important for Da Michele to bring everything from Naples when it would be logistically cheaper to buy in Barcelona?

It would be cheaper, but it would no longer be Da Michele. I would love to be able to offer you the pizza for 5 euros or 6 euros, but I insist that it would no longer be Da Michele. We are aware of how logistics affect the final price of the product. Desserts, mozzarella, tomatoes, etc., have to come three times a week. All this has a cost. The products are the same ones used by Da Michele in Naples.

- Which pizza is the most popular?

The one with double mozzarella. Moreover, I would recommend it to any new customer. What we have seen here, for instance, is that the Pizza Fritta has a higher number of requests than in Italy. There, they are more accustomed to eating the original pizza.

- What would be the Neapolitan formula for pizza?

Clearly, the amount of yeast. Very little, between 4 and 10 grams. Controlled temperature, flour, water, salt, and yeast. Nothing more. And at least 36 hours of fermentation. The dough has to be digested before you eat it. When it's in your stomach, you shouldn't feel full. If you eat a pizza with dough that has fermented less than 24 hours, you feel heavy because it's fermenting in your stomach.

- What differences have you found in the way pizza is eaten in Naples and in Barcelona?

I believe that in Naples people are psychologically more prepared to eat pizza like a Neapolitan. They don't use forks, but rather cut it into four and eat it. Here it's a bit more delicate. The Catalans are more refined. But we'll get there, I'm sure we'll get there.

- And to share tables as well?

That is my dream. That is my goal. Two weeks ago, I was here on a Saturday and I started asking people if I could add someone to their table. People began to say 'yes, yes, go ahead.' But it's not common yet. Achieving this would be my dream.