Birra Moretti and pizza: a winning combination

Despite the unpredictable weather, Birra Moretti brought a little slice of Italy to London this summer. Three squares in the capital – ExchangeSquare near Liverpool Street, as well as open spaces in Soho and Canary Wharf – were turned into impromptu piazzas as part of Moretti’s Pizza in the Piazza initiative.

All the elements were on hand: great beer (Moretti, of course), gourmet pizzas and a charismatic Italian chef in the shape of Giancarlo Caldesi. And Caldesi it was who, armed with fresh dough made using Birra Moretti and other fine ingredients, instructed passers-by in the fine art of creating and cooking their very own gourmet pizza, based on three classic recipes: the margherita, diavolo and marinara.

Birra Moretti’s unique aroma and perfectly poised bitterness is the ideal foil for all manner of Mediterranean foods – not just pizzas, but also risottos, main courses using white meat and delicately flavoured cheeses.

But those joining in the fun during Pizza in the Piazza had more than the winning combination of pizza and Birra Moretti to entertain them: Caldesi regaled them with stories from his past career, communicating his passion for Italian food, while Birra Moretti’s troupe of opera singers roamed the crowd, bursting into song to add that extra touch of Italian atmosphere, as well as putting a smile on the faces of the crowd.

By the time Pizza in the Piazza ended, more than 500 pizzas had been constructed and cooked on-site, with the happy participants gleefully consuming them together with a refreshing glass or two of Birra Moretti.

Even then, they didn’t go away empty-handed, as each person was given a coupon to enjoy a free Birra Moretti with partner venues in each of the three squares – sorry, piazzas – Piccolino Exchange Square, Alphabet Bar in Soho and Amerigo Vespucci at Canary Wharf.

For more information, photographs of the events and all the latest on Birra Moretti, visit Birra Moretti's facebook page.