Angelo Rumolo, born in 1990, leads Le Grotticelle in Caggiano, Salerno. Starting at his family’s Grotto Pizzeria, he rose to fame after winning the 2014 World Pizza Championship and joining Brigata Agricola. Deeply rooted in the Lucanian Apennines, Angelo blends tradition and innovation, crafting pizzas from ingredients sourced directly from his family’s land and local wild herbs.
The Best Chef: So, everything here is local and rooted in terroir, made by you, keeping Angelo’s family traditions alive at Le Grotticelle — including this beautiful oven, handmade by Angelo’s dad and the family — has those calm colors and opens up to welcome both pizza and bread, symbols of happiness?
Angelo Rumolo: Yes, exactly. Like I mentioned earlier, this is not just about making pizza — it’s our philosophy, our identity, and the style that defines Le Grotticelle. We want to give every customer the full experience of what Le Grotticelle stands for. When you come in, you’ll find me at the counter — I’m Angelo Rumolo, and my pizza reflects where I come from: local, rustic, and deeply connected to rural traditions.
We come from a pastoral culture shaped by these mountains, and I’ve worked to bring those old, historic dishes—like the ones shepherds would eat after a long day in the fields—right onto the pizza. These aren’t just recipes; they’re memories and stories passed down through generations. For us, pizza is more than food — it’s about happiness, community, and sharing moments together.
Every recipe that reaches the table carries with it a piece of the past, reminding us that life used to be about experiences, meaningful moments, and conviviality. That’s why every single product we serve is like a memory brought back to life. And honestly, for us, that connection to tradition and those memories is one of our greatest achievements — it’s what makes Le Grotticelle special.
The Best Chef: What does pizza represent to you?
Angelo Rumolo: Pizza to me is so much more than just food — it’s a way of life. It’s no longer just a job; it’s a lifestyle that we live every day. What we do here at Le Grotticelle is driven by passion, and it’s really important that our customers feel that passion, even in the simplest ingredients. Take, for example, the sfodelo giallo, a little mountain sprout we use that gives a fresh, vegetal taste with just a hint of cheese — it’s like a wild rewind to the past. We also use wild asparagus, seasoned simply with olive oil, to keep the flavors pure and connected to the land.
One special ingredient is a mountain berry that grows in winter, which we pair with chicory. There’s a story behind it too — in ancient times, people ate rosa canina, or dog rose, because it was known as a natural antioxidant and antibiotic. Back then, they made chicory soup with rosa canina, and over time, curiosity about these flavors brought people here to Grotticelle to enjoy our pizzas. In fact, our pizza with chicory has been a signature dish for over 40 years — it’s one of our historic pizzas, the foundation from which all others have grown. Every pizza we make tells a story, because in our culture, there’s always a story behind every dish.
The Best Chef: What sort of products do you use here at Le Grotticelle?
Angelo Rumolo: We personally select the livestock and handle all the processing ourselves, making sure nothing goes to waste. Just behind you, for example, there’s a fatty sausage — much softer and requiring 90 days of curing. Next to it, you’ll see a more mature cut, a pork fillet. Then we have the leaner cuts — not cured — like capocollo, rolled pancetta, and some prosciutto.
When it comes to cheese, we work with the Dicecca cheese farm in Altamura, our trusted supplier for the spring-summer season. They’ll be delivering soon, and we’re expecting around ten different aged varieties — from cow’s milk cheeses aged five to six years to a range of blue cheeses. Each one is carefully paired with a specific pizza.
Even a classic four-cheese pizza here is far from standard — we might use up to ten different naturally aged cheeses, each with unique textures, levels of acidity, sweetness, and flavour. This approach — this philosophy — defines our identity. And it’s not just about pizza. You’ll find the same attention to detail and sourcing in our kitchen dishes and catering too. Whether it’s a simple dinner or a private event, it’s all rooted in this same vision.
Personal Instagram: www.instagram.com/angelorumolo/
Pizzeria’s Instagram: www.instagram.com/legrotticelle/
Pizzeria’s address: Località Le Grotticelle, 84030 Caggiano SA
