You Have To Try The Rhode Island Restaurant Serving Up Pizza Certified By Italy

If you've ever visited Italy, you know the pizza there is truly like no other. And in order to protect the country's culinary history and customs, there's a system of verification a restaurant must go through if they want to claim the authentic Neapolitan pizza title. The True Neapolitan Pizza Association (Associazione Verace Pizza napoletana,AVPN) was founded in Naples in 1984, and the nonprofit controls the guidelines for the certification.

Good news: This proves you don't have to leave the country, or even Rhode Island, to enjoy true Neapolitan pizza. Basta has been serving it since 1989.

Basta is located at 2195 Broad St. in Cranston.

This is the first restaurant in Rhode Island to receive the special certification.

Since the restaurant's opening, they've remodeled, updated the menus, and added to the staff.

However, despite all its improvements, it maintains its original charm.

Traditional Neapolitan pizza doesn't look or taste like something you'll eat at a national chain. And that's the point.

The crust is the perfect amount of chewy without being doughy, thin in the middle, and puffy on the edges.

Part of the reason the pizza is so good is because of the oven it's cooked in.

The ovens can get up to 500 degrees, which puts just a hint of char on the pizza crust.

Needless to say, the pizza here is absolutely delicious.

You'll feel like you've been transported straight to Naples.

Of course, if you're not in the mood for pizza, you'll have plenty of other classic Italian entrees to choose from.

From the antipasti to the meaty entrees, seafood, and scrumptious pasta, there's something for every craving here.

Basta is open daily at 4:30 for dinner.

They close at 10 p.m. every night but Friday and Saturday, when they're open until midnight.

You can find out more about Basta here. And if you can't make it to Cranston anytime soon, try one of the pizzerias on our Rhode Island pizza bucket list.