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PhrasesAt the PizzeriaUna diavola, per favore.
A1

Una diavola, per favore.

A diavola pizza, please.

Pronunciation

dia-VO-la — three syllables, stress on second.

When to use it

When you want a spicy pizza — the classic combination of tomato, mozzarella and spicy salami ('salame piccante').

What it means

'Diavola' means 'devil' — the name refers to the heat of the spicy salami (usually Calabrian soppressata or salame piccante). It is one of the most popular pizzas in Italy outside Naples.

Variations

Una diavola extra piccante.

An extra spicy diavola.

Ask for extra chilli — the pizzaiolo may add fresh peperoncino

Fate la 'nduja in pizza?

Do you make pizza with 'nduja?

'Nduja is a spreadable spicy Calabrian salume — excellent on pizza, increasingly common

Quanto è piccante la diavola?

How spicy is the diavola?

Check the heat level — it varies enormously between pizzerias

Mini Dialogue

— Una diavola, per favore. — È la prima volta che la prova o la conosce già? — La conosco — ma qui è piccante davvero? — Abbastanza! Usiamo il salame calabrese.

— A diavola pizza, please. — Is this your first time trying it or do you already know it? — I know it — but is it really spicy here? — Quite! We use Calabrian salami.

Cultural Note

The diavola's spiciness comes from the capsaicin in Calabrian salami ('salame piccante'). Calabria is the heartland of Italian chilli culture — the Calabrians consume more chilli per capita than any other Italian region. The diavola is their contribution to the national pizza canon.