Why go
Selected flours, sourdough and pizza al taglio
Lievito Francesco Arnesano is the second branch of Francesco Arnesano's Roman artisan bakery-pizzeria, grown out of the original Lievito Pizza, Pane in Rome's EUR district. Arnesano started as a pizzaiolo at 21 and founded the brand in 2016 around genuine products, seasonal rhythms and traditional fermentation. The name says the rest: lievito means yeast, and the work runs on selected flours, lievito madre, long dough time and raw materials chosen for bread, pizza and sweet leavened baking alike. Gabriele Bonci, founder of Pizzarium, is the mentor in that story and has praised the pizza publicly. The signature is Roman pizza al taglio, an airy, crunchy sheet-pan pizza sold by weight, topped according to what the season is giving. The same fermentation-led approach carries through fresh bread, breakfast bakes, biscotti and panettone.
A counter-led bakery-pizzeria for pizza, bread and sweets
The appeal is the bakery-pizzeria format rather than a restaurant ritual. Lievito works as a compact, counter-led Roman stop where the main categories are pane, lievitati, dolci da credenza, colazione and biscotti. Bread is central to Arnesano's language: he talks about the loaves as children, all different but all beautiful, each with its own aromas, shape and flavour. That points to a programme built on variety rather than a single standard loaf, with natural sourdough and selected flours as the through-line. The sweet side takes in panettone as a year-end specialty from the same laboratory as the bread and pizza, plus shelf sweets, cookies, creams, marmalades, honey and the range called Alveoli della salute. Savoury stays anchored to pizza al taglio, and the drinks side is small but real: a short wine card and more than ten beers.
Order around the dough
Start with the pizza al taglio, because it is the product closest to Arnesano's reputation and to the brand's awards. Lievito was named number two in the world for pizza al taglio in 2023, and Arnesano took Gambero Rosso's emerging pizzaioli prize in 2020. Choose by looking at the trays first: the Roman sheet-pan base should show the balance of air and crunch, while the toppings follow the same seasonal logic as the breads and sweets. Add bread if you want the everyday side of the project, since the house was built as much around pane as pizza. For breakfast or a later sweet, look to the lievitati, biscotti and dolci da credenza, and in winter to the panettone. The clearest way to read Lievito is as one dough-focused system carried from the original EUR shop into this second room.
Frequently asked questions
What should I order at Lievito Francesco Arnesano?
Pizza al taglio first. It is the product that carries the reputation, and it was named second in the world in its category in 2023. Look at the trays and pick by topping, then add a loaf, since bread matters as much here as pizza. In winter, the panettone is worth the detour.
What is the baking like at Lievito?
Fermentation-led. The house works with lievito madre, selected flours and long dough times, and applies the same method to bread, pizza and sweet leavened baking. The bread rack changes rather than repeating one standard loaf, and the sweet shelf runs to biscotti, dolci da credenza, creams, marmalades and a year-end panettone from the same laboratory.
Compare nearby places
| Venue | Type | Area |
|---|---|---|
| Panificio Marè | Bakery | Prati |
| Triticum Micropanificio Agricolo | Bakery | Marconi |
| Zampa Forno Etico | Bakery | Tuscolano |
| Tulipane | Bakery | Centro Storico |
| Rinaldini Store Roma Stazione Termini | Bakery | Esquilino / Termini |
