Restaurant in Marano Vicentino, Italy
Three pizza formats, one clear point of view.
CUORE is Luca Brancati's Neapolitan pizzeria in the Vicenza foothills, making a strong case for serious pizza in an unlikely setting. The Fa Crock — a double-baked, crunchy-soft round — is the standout reason to visit or return. Booking is easy, prices are accessible, and it fits neatly as the relaxed meal in any Veneto itinerary.
CUORE is a Neapolitan-style pizzeria in Marano Vicentino, a small town in the Vicenza foothills, run by Luca Brancati with a clear point of view: traditional Neapolitan technique, carefully sourced flours, and a format that goes beyond the standard round pie. If you have already eaten here once and are wondering whether to return, the answer is yes — specifically to try the Fa Crock if you have not already, or to compare it against the pala on a second visit. Booking is easy, prices are accessible even by pizzeria standards, and there is no reason to overthink this one.
The venue makes three distinct pizza formats: classic Neapolitan rounds, pala pizza (the elongated, Roman-influenced tray style), and the Fa Crock, a double-baked round that comes out crunchy on the exterior and soft within. That range is the main reason to come back more than once. Most pizzerias at this level commit to one format; CUORE gives you a reason to revisit and compare. The emphasis on flour sourcing and raw material quality is not marketing language here — it is the thing that separates this kind of operation from the average neighbourhood pizzeria, where dough is often an afterthought.
Spatially, CUORE reads as a focused, local operation rather than a destination dining room. Expect a room scaled to the neighbourhood: not cavernous, not intimate in the way a tasting-menu counter is intimate, but appropriately sized for a pizzeria that takes its product seriously without performing it. If you are coming from Vicenza or further afield, set expectations accordingly , this is not a showpiece space, but the setting does not need to be when the pizza is the point.
This is worth thinking through before you book. Neapolitan pizzerias in Italy often run a shorter, quieter lunch service and a fuller, more social dinner. At CUORE, if lunch service is available, it is likely the better slot for anyone who wants to focus on the pizza itself: quieter room, more attentive service, easier to have a conversation with whoever is working the counter about the different formats. Dinner fills faster, the atmosphere is more animated, and the Fa Crock , which requires a double-bake , may be worth pre-ordering or confirming availability when you book, regardless of which service you choose. For a group of four or more, dinner is the natural fit. For two people who want to eat carefully and compare formats, lunch is the more useful experience.
There is no specific pricing data in the record, but Neapolitan pizzerias of this type in northern Italy typically sit in a range that makes ordering widely across the menu a reasonable proposition. Do not come expecting to spend fine-dining money, and do not come expecting canteen prices either. This is a serious-product pizzeria, and the pricing reflects that without being aggressive about it.
Booking difficulty is rated easy. Marano Vicentino is not a tourist destination in the way that Verona or Vicenza is, which works in your favour: you are unlikely to face the same lead times you would at a well-reviewed pizzeria in a major city. That said, weekend evenings at a well-regarded local spot fill up, so booking a few days ahead is sensible rather than strictly necessary. The address is Via Monte Pasubio, 9 , accessible by car from Vicenza in under 20 minutes. Public transport options to Marano Vicentino are limited, so driving or a taxi is the practical choice if you are coming from the city. For more on what else to do in the area, see our full Marano Vicentino restaurants guide, our full Marano Vicentino hotels guide, our full Marano Vicentino bars guide, our full Marano Vicentino wineries guide, and our full Marano Vicentino experiences guide.
CUORE occupies a completely different tier from the fine-dining Italian operations that make up most of Pearl's comparison set in Italy. Osteria Francescana in Modena, Dal Pescatore in Runate, and Atelier Moessmer Norbert Niederkofler in Brunico are all €€€€ operations with long booking windows, tasting menus, and very different expectations. CUORE is none of those things, and that is not a criticism. If your trip is built around a fine-dining anchor and you want something relaxed around it, CUORE is a strong candidate for the casual meal in the schedule. Closer to home in the Veneto, Le Calandre in Rubano and Casa Perbellini 12 Apostoli in Verona are the reference points if you want serious Italian cooking with a formal framework. CUORE is the answer when you want serious pizza without any of that apparatus.
| Venue | Cuisine | Price | Awards | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CUORE – Luca Brancati | Pizzeria by Luca Brancati, bringing Neapolitan tradition to the Vicenza foothills. Known for classic Neapolitan pizza, "pala" pizza, and the "Fa Crock," a double-baked, crunchy-soft round pizza. Emphasizes high-quality, carefully selected flours and raw materials. | Easy | — | ||
| Atelier Moessmer Norbert Niederkofler | Italian, Creative | €€€€ | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Dal Pescatore | Italian, Italian Contemporary | €€€€ | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Osteria Francescana | Progressive Italian, Creative | €€€€ | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Quattro Passi | Italian, Mediterranean Cuisine | €€€€ | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Reale | Progressive Italian, Modern Cuisine | €€€€ | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
Comparing your options in Marano Vicentino for this tier.
No bar seating is documented for CUORE. The venue is a pizzeria in Marano Vicentino focused on sit-down service across its three pizza formats. If counter or walk-up eating is a priority, this is not the format to plan around.
Booking difficulty is rated easy, and Marano Vicentino draws a local rather than tourist crowd, so you are unlikely to need more than a few days' notice outside of weekends. Friday and Saturday evenings are the sessions most likely to fill. A same-week booking should be fine for midweek lunch or dinner.
No specific dietary accommodation policy is on record for CUORE. The kitchen emphasises carefully selected flours and raw materials, which suggests some flexibility around ingredient choices, but call ahead before visiting if you have a strict requirement. No phone number is currently listed on Pearl, so contact via their address at Via Monte Pasubio 9 or check for updated contact details directly.
Marano Vicentino is a small town without a dense dining scene, so the realistic alternatives are in Vicenza itself, roughly a short drive away. Vicenza has a solid range of trattorias and casual Italian options, none of which directly replicate CUORE's Neapolitan-focused three-format approach. If you want Neapolitan pizza specifically in the Veneto, CUORE is the reference point in this area.
Yes, if the occasion calls for a relaxed, food-focused dinner rather than a formal celebration. CUORE has a clear culinary identity built around Luca Brancati's Neapolitan tradition and the Fa Crock format, which gives the meal a sense of purpose beyond a generic pizza night. For a milestone birthday or anniversary that requires a private room or tasting menu format, look at fine-dining options in Vicenza or beyond instead.
The Fa Crock is the order to prioritise: a double-baked round pizza with a crunchy exterior and soft interior that you will not find in most pizzerias. Classic Neapolitan rounds are the baseline and the benchmark for what Brancati is doing with quality-selected flours. Pala pizza is the third format and worth trying if you are with a group and want to compare styles across one meal.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
