Arrangiarsi

Arrangiarsi (pizza... and the art of living) is my quest for the secret of Neapolitan pizza. It was in Naples that I also discovered Arrangiarsi: the art of making something out of nothing. Only the Italians have a common verb for this art form, and the Neapolitans are known all over Italy as being the masters.

While making this film, I lived for five years in my camper van in California and in a tent in Naples, Italy, where I made a total of nine trips for filming. I worked, bartered, and "arranged" my life to create this film which I wrote, directed, produced, photographed, narrated, and edited. To truly understand the film's subject matter, it was important for me to actually "live it" - not just go to Naples for two weeks with a big budget and a film crew and be a "tourist" but to immerse myself and deeply experience the culture. The film also explores each element of Neapolitan pizza: the tomato, wheat, and olive harvests, as well as Italy's only organic buffalo mozzarella farm. In addition to each ingredient, the film examines the skill of the "pizzaiolo" (pizza-maker) and reveals their secrets.

From the beginning, I envisioned this project to be more of a non-fiction film with narrative elements rather than a documentary with talking heads. I wanted this film to be "alive" - like Naples and the pizza it created. This eight-vear project is my love letter to Naples, pizza, Italy, and the knowledge that "there is always a way."

Mangiamo!

Matteo Troncone