Pizza Party in Naples

Inside the warm, sweet-smelling kitchen in Naples, Marco and his father are getting ready to make a special pizza. His father places a soft, white block of dough onto the wooden table. Marco eagerly puts on his red chef apron and fits a little white chef hat onto his head. The little boy uses his hands to press and squeeze the soft clay dough. He excitedly asks his father if the dough is ready to be rolled out into a circle. His father smiles, pats his shoulder, and shows him how to use his palms to make the dough flat.

His father gives Marco a small wooden rolling pin that is just the right size for his hands. Marco holds the handles tightly and pushes the rolling pin back and forth across the dough until it stretches flat and round. The little boy stares at the smooth white dough, proud to see his little fingerprints on the soft clay surface. His mother walks into the kitchen carrying a bowl of bright red tomato sauce, smiling at the busy little chef.

Now it is time for the sauce, and Marco uses a large spoon to scoop the tomato sauce from his mother's bowl. He carefully pours the red sauce onto the middle of the dough, using the back of the spoon to swirl it around in neat circles from the center to the edges. The red tomato sauce covers almost the entire pizza, making Marco jump with joy. He happily tells his father that the pizza is now wearing a bright red coat.

Next is the best part of decorating the pizza. His father brings over a plate filled with shredded yellow cheese and fresh green basil leaves. Marco uses his fingers to pinch the soft cheese and scatter it all over the red sauce. He places the tiny green leaves on top, making a beautiful pattern that looks like little green flowers. His father lifts the pizza onto a large wooden paddle and carefully slides it into the warm stone oven.

Very soon, the delicious smell of baked dough and melted cheese fills the entire kitchen. His father pulls the golden, crispy pizza out of the hot oven, the melted cheese stretching like yellow ribbons. Marco jumps up and down in excitement, his eyes wide as he looks at the hot, steaming pizza. The whole family sits together around the wooden table, happily sharing their very first homemade pizza slices.