The pizza chef from Reggio Emilia, the city with the most expensive pizza in Italy: «This is why a Margherita costs 7 euros, the spritz has the same price but no one complains»

«But when you talk about pizza prices, do you realize the work that goes into it?». The pizza chef and entrepreneur responds to controversy with controversy Luca Pirruccio, owner of the Pirru pizza chain in Reggio Emilia and province.

In the past few weeks there has been a lot of talk about “expensive pizza”, topic particularly felt in Reggio, the city with the most expensive pizza in Italy according to the Consumer Training and Research Center (Crc) survey carried out starting from Istat data provided by the Ministry of Business and Made in Italy. The average price of a meal in a pizzeria, with pizza, drink and cover charge if applicable, is 17.58 euro.

Reggio Emilia, the most expensive city for pizza

The many comments generated by this data they were not appreciated by Pirrucciowhich he accomplished a video published on their social channels where, in front of the work counter, he prepares pizzas and rattles off details. «I would like to make a small controversy in favor of all the pizza chefs in the world, because lately there has been a lot of talk about the price of pizza, often without really going into the merits of what a pizza is today and why its cost can be different from place to place, from city to city, from company to company», he explains.

The pizza chef’s reply: «Here are the costs you often don’t consider»

And he starts from his case: «Everyone says that Reggio Emilia it is an expensive city: let’s try to understand why, starting from the numbers. I start from a dough made with 50 kg of flour, water and extra virgin olive oil, what I use. From this dough I get a total of about 230 balls. Do the math and understand how much each ball weighs”, he begins.

It’s up to the condiments: «I use my tomato, grown for me in the Agro Sarnese, with authorized consortium and my label. The kids pass it one by one to get the sauce. I use 150 grams of it on each pizza: the cost is 6 euros per kg. The mozzarella is made especially for me, with Parmigiano Reggiano milk. 100 grams go on each pizza: mozzarella costs 7.5 euros per kg. I did the calculations: if we want to attribute the cost of the ball only to the ingredients, we are around 60 cents.”

To this, he continues Pirruccio, the cost of labor must be added: «at least an hour to make the dough, which it can be worth as little as 20 euros, then the fixed costs. My dough goes to bed for two days in bulk, then the pizza makers cut, make balls and there is another day of rest. In total it takes three days of management to get a ready pizza.” Other costs must be added to the package: «users, structure, management. If we take it home, there is the cost of the cardboard, 25–40 cents, the cost of the driver. If we bring it to the table, no one thinks about it, but there is the cost of the service.”

Margherita and spritz: «Always 7 euros, you only complain to us»

There is not just a slice of pasta, in short: «When you say that a pizza is expensive, what do you really attribute that price to? Think about the location, the city, where the place is located”, remarks Pirruccio, who then a stone is removed against the “discrimination” towards pizza.

“A spritz at the table, in the historic center of Reggio, costs 7 euros. What work is behind it? Yet no one discusses the 7 euros. However, everyone is discussing a Margherita that weighs more than half a kilo, handmade, which costs 6 or 7 euros”, he concludes.

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December 30, 2025 (changed December 30, 2025 | 2:52 pm)

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