To say pickings are slim at Verona's Porto Nuova train station would be an understatement. Spizzico…read moreis like an Italian version of Sbarro but in retrospect somebody should slap me for eating bad pizza in Italy, the world's culinary capital.
Look, I was coming off an 11 hour train trip of nightmare transfers, crowded steerage class seats, and a lost ticket that resulted in a *very* cranky conductor. I was hungry and left my snacks back at my last hotel in Rome as I ran out the door in a hurry to catch my train. Spizzico wasn't crowded (should've been a big clue) and had ready to eat pizza so it seemed perfect at the time.
We got two huge slices of pizza (for about 4 Euros each) and a couple of bottles of soda. I had classic plain pizza that had a stingy portion of cheese and red sauce on an even more unappealing pre-made crust. Hubby was intrigued by what he dubbed "hot dog pizza" and after one bite said it reminded him of those English muffin "pizzas" he used to make after school in the microwave.
There's a small and inviting, cheerful dining area if you want to sit and eat. Our layover was about 45 minutes so it was nice not to have to grab a slice and run, although it would've been easy to do so.
The pizza tasted about as good as it looked. It wasn't fresh and tasty and was obviously mass-produced. Spizzico is a chain owned by the giant Autogrill, so you'll only find these outlets at road parks on motorways, malls, train stations, and airports (big clue #2).
Do not, I repeat, do NOT go out of your way to eat here. This isn't great pizza. It's not even good pizza. But it's not the worst thing to fill your rumbling tummy with as a quick train station meal.
