Wood-burning brick-oven pizza coming to Castiglia’s in Fredericksburg

A renovation project that will close Castiglia’s Italian Restaurant at 324 William St. in downtown Fredericksburg for the next month started yesterday. A crew led by owner Luigi Castiglia is building a wood-burning brick oven that will cook pizzas in the authentic style used in Naples, Italy. Luigi Castiglia’s brother is now in Naples getting trained on making authentic Neapolitan pizza, whose thin crust cooks in less than two minutes in the oven’s almost 900-degree heat. A man named Ciro Marchetti, who has lived in Naples and built dozens of brick ovens, is building the oven and a 20-seat bar around the cooking area that will allow customers to watch the pizza getting made and fresh meats and cheeses being sliced. Luigi Castiglia said he’s patterning the new facility off a restaurant in Washington called 2 Amys. Castiglia’s will also continue to use its existing pizza oven for customers who prefer it that way. It will still have the traditional menu as well as some new offerings. The restaurant is shooting for a Feb. 28 re-opening, which will also coincide with its 10-year anniversary. Luigi Castiglia wants to eventually put up a new awning and fence around the restaurant for outdoor dining. He’s also thinking about doing cooking classes at the restaurant.

Castiglia has applied to the Fredericksburg Economic Development Authority and City Council for grant funding and tourism-zone incentives. He’ll also need to go before the city’s Architectural Review Board for the awning.

This is the latest example of investments along that area of William Street, which I wrote about recently here.

Bella Italia, a short-lived Italian market that had been open next to Castiglia’s, is now available for lease. Mike Degen with Cushman & Wakefield|Thalhimer has been hired to represent the property.

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