Opening Soon, Rione Brings Roman-Style Pizza to Philadelphia

Who doesn’t love pizza? It’s one of America’s favorite foods, and Philadelphians are known for having a large variety of choices when it comes to their pies. There’s so much pizza in the City of Brotherly Love, as a matter of fact, that it takes something special to make a new pizza joint stand out – different flavors, new gimmicks, or fresh spins on the classic pie. Rione, opening soon, thinks it can take you there with its pizza al taglio.

Rione co-owner Francesco Crovetti is bringing a Roman street food, pizza al taglio, to Philadelphia.

Francesco Crovetti is a native of Rome. It was there that he fell in love with pizza al taglio, or “by the cut.” These rectangular pizzas are cut into thick strips and sold by the slice or by the tray. Like “normal” pizza, they are usually covered in a variety of toppings. Crovetti came to the states and met his wife Alison. They first lived together in Washington, where Crovetti worked at Il Canale and Zaytinya. After their move to Philly he worked at Gran Caffe L’Aquila following his training at Rome’s Scuola Nazionale di Pizza. The last seven years have seen him specialize in pizza, both in management and as a trained pizzaiolo with a specialty in Pizza Napoletana. Together with Alison, he is making his vision of a dream pizzeria a reality with Rione.

Rione will feature a rotating menu of pizza al taglio, which will be available for order at the quick-service counter. You can take it out or dine in. According to the Philadelphia Inquirer: “Also on the menu will be salads, desserts, and rotating Roman specialties such as suppli al telefono. The quick-service area will have bar seating for seven, while the dining room can accommodate 26.”

The restaurant will be BYOB, so you can pair your favorite wine with your chow. On the televisions in Rione, expect there to be soccer playing – it’s Crovetti’s other great passion.

Rione will open within the next few months at 102 S. 21st Street.