While most people in Boston look north when they seek amazing and authentic pizza and pasta, there is now reason to look in a new direction.

Just off Route 9 in Framingham (and also further west in Worcester) is Volturno (http://volturnopizza.com).

As one of the few pizzerias that is approved by the Italian authority on such things- the Associazione Verace PIzzza Napoletana (APN), Volturno has a reputation to uphold that goes far beyond Metro West and so is well worth a visit from far beyond as well!

Using dried oak in an Italian clay oven to fire their pies at 900 degrees (and in no more than 90 seconds), Volturno is a great choice for a quick bite midday or a family meal with more time to savor the flavors (and the family time). From the far-from-basic Margherita with Buffalo Mozzarella, Pecorino Romano and their simple but spectacular San Marzano tomato sauce to such creative combinations as house-made pork sausage, pistachio pesto, and cheese, cured Meyer lemon, red onion, and smoked Mozzarella, or even spicy Capocolla, local honey and hazelnuts (which appear again in the worth-the-trip bi-layered Nutella pizza), the pizza menu offers options that are also unavailable elsewhere and the even more authentic option of having it served uncut or even folded, just like in Napoli! If pasta is more your thing (or if you want the best of both worlds), you can actually watch your hand-made pasta be hand-made and can even take a class to learn how to do it yourself! Among the super-fresh varieties are lemon and basil farfalle, black pepper Fettucini, egg-based Spaghetti with an additional Quail egg, green onion risotto, and Tagliatelle with a three-meat Bolognese. The ready-for-repeat-visits menu also offers brick chicken, braised short rib, hanger steak, and a set of sides like Calabrian chili-topped Brussels sprouts and crisp fingerling potatoes with truffle crema and Sicilian spices that go well with any dish.

Speaking of things that go well with any dish, Volturno also offres an impressive beverage board that ranges from Italian and New England beers to their own draft wines and “bevanda adulta” like the Dirty Tito, Matcha slide, and Smoking Bulleit, which mix titular top-shelf spirits with VT maple syrup, fresh-squeezed fruit juices, smoke-infused ice, and other tempting treats. And speaking of tempting treats…see Nutella pizza above. 😉

So while the North End of Boston may offer more pizza and pasta places per square foot than most blocks of Italy, it is just as easy (and perhaps easier) to drive west and park in front of Volturno. Once you get there, you are sure to feel like you are in the Old Country but still be able to enjoy contemporary flavors.

Buon appetito!