The Associated Press reports that the Italian government is doing for pizza what the German government did for beer ages ago: regulating its contents and production. The regulations include restrictions on the diameter and thickness of a pizza, the types of flour and yeast that are used, and the permissible baking methods (a wood burning oven that reaches 485 degrees Celsius). At least the Italians are being more helpful with Pizza Napoletana than the French are with Cassoulet.

If you understand enough Italian and can figure out how to navigate the site, you can read the official rules in the Gazzetta Ufficiale of Italy. I have found what I believe to be the proposed text of the regulations here (whether this is the text that was adopted, I have no idea). And just in case AP decides to make you pay for this story after it gets archived, you can also get it from CNN.

As always, you can read more about good old New York style pizza on Slice.