Granai della Memoria

Ernesto and Francesco Agliarulo, son and father, were interviewed  on 17th September, 2012. They are the last heirs of a generation of artisans who make wood-fired ovens. As it happened once a time and which happens rarely today, they learnt the old trade by observing the father and grandfather in action assimilating an orally handed down tradition.

For centuries Neapolitans have always cooked pizza, one of the symbols of the city, in wood-fired ovens. This is the reason why there are a lot of superstitions about the pizza oven, both for the artisans and for the pizza makers. Ernesto’s grandfather safeguarded the secret of some steps of the construction of the oven hiding himself behind a separé which looked like a hut. Still today the pizza makers ask the artisans to insert a coin under the cooking level. This practice is a good wish for the success of the activity.