In 2013, Petr opened a small shop with seating in Pilsen in Smetana Park. He imported premium products from small producers from Italy himself - wines, cheeses, cold cuts, fruits, vegetables,... He offered homemade desserts inspired by traditional Italian recipes with coffee. From the very beginning, he emphasized quality, personal selection and maintaining friendly contact with suppliers.
His friend Martin would also visit him for a drink and a chat. Together they would go to Italy - for goods, but also for inspiration. Two years after the store was founded, the idea and first plans for expanding and reorienting the business to a pizzeria were born.
So Petr and Martin went to Naples to meet a pizza oven manufacturer and also to discover the local Neapolitan pizzerias and traditional street food. They visited the most famous pizzerias and tasted them. When they met the oven manufacturer Gaetano, the decision for a handmade wood-fired oven was made immediately. In addition, the manufacturer gave them a valuable contact at Luigi Castaldo's pizzeria in Naples. Luigi's pizza won out in every way, even though Petr and Martin had searched and tasted in many famous pizzerias there.
Petr returned from his first course with Luigi not only full of impressions and information, but he also brought his first oven and many other necessary things to start the operation in his van.
On April 4, 2016, Petr and Martin opened the first Neapolitan pizzeria in Pilsen - Da Pietro. Luigi Castaldo himself was present at the grand opening, who not only supervised the operation of the new business, but also advised and helped wherever needed.
Luigi also provided basic contacts regarding suppliers. He introduced Petr and Martin to a friend who owns a vegetable and fruit market, took them to a mill or a dairy where mozzarella is made.
For the first 2 years, Petr and Martin drove to Italy every week in a van to pick up goods. They met with a Neapolitan truck driver in the parking lot and loaded the goods themselves. Gradually, transport was organized and the network of suppliers grew. Over the course of 10 years, they built a network of small artisan producers, farmers and winemakers from all over Italy.
The dream of opening a pizzeria in Prague was born about 2 years after opening in Pilsen. Since then, Petr and Martin have been constantly looking for a suitable space. They never wanted to back down from their criteria that they had dreamed of - a large pizzeria with a proper kitchen and a wood-burning oven. And so the search was not that easy. But in the end, they were lucky. In 2020, they found a suitable space in Vinohrady and started the renovation. But then COVID started and everything was suddenly different. Bad luck with the choice of the first architects and bad experiences with the construction company were supported by this unexpected event, the dream began to recede. Energy prices and building material prices skyrocketed. However, Petr and Martin did not give up. Even though they had to find new architects, change construction companies three times and interrupt the entire renovation several times, they still followed their dream. And so after more than 3 years, you can finally taste pizza at Da Pietro in Prague in Vinohrady.
