The aroma of simmering pomodoro, freshly trimmed basil, and rosemary-crusted focaccia bread wafted through the streets of Naples, Italy every Sunday evening. The oak-paneled windows of Rosa Donna Rummo’s home were left open during her regular Sunday feasts – an invitation for her friends, family, and neighbors to stop by and gather for a delicious meal. She was a staple of the town – traveling through the winding, weathered Italian roads in her crimson Fiat 500. Passersby would comment that the tiny red car looked like a “pummarola,” which means "tomato" in the Neapolitan dialect. Rosa had an idea. She wanted to share her love of cooking with more than just her family and friends. She was not one to sit still.

 

Rosa founded Pummarola in 1968, a few blocks from her home in Naples, Italy. For two decades, her restaurant was brimming with locals and tourists alike. The red Fiat 500 was always spotted outside the front doors of the restaurant – a welcome sign for those who remembered the smell of the Sunday night air. After Rosa passed away, and the doors to Pummarola were locked, paintings of miniature cars and pizzas would appear on the walls outside of the restaurant.

 

Over forty years after Rosa’s original Pummarola was founded in Italy, her four grandchildren decided to work together to reopen Pummarola across the world. Fond memories of their Nonna’s small, lively Pizzeria inspired the four to continue her legacy. Rosa’s signature Fiat 500 can be spotted inside all of Pummarola’s locations as a tribute to their tough and beloved Nonna, along with her favorite cooking utensils and pasta makers. As their Nonna would always announce to her guests, along the walls of every Pummarola are the words, “Qui si mangia bene!”