A Chance to Sample the Best of North End Pizzerias
Tour offers unique glimpse of Boston’s oldest neighborhood
The North End Pizza Tours begin at the corner of Hanover and Cross Streets and last approximately two and a half hours. Photo courtesy of Boston Pizza Tours
Ask any Bostonian where to go for the best pizza, and you’ll likely be sent to the North End. But how do you find the best slice and navigate the densely populated neighborhood’s historic streets?
That’s where the North End Pizza Tour comes in. This summer, try experiencing Boston’s Little Italy in a whole new way: take a walking tour of the city’s oldest neighborhood, complete with plenty of history, and of course, plenty of pizza.
Available seven days a week, the two-and-a-half-hour tour ($39) includes stops at several Freedom Trail sites and other places of interest, as well as slices from three different pizzerias, which vary day-to-day. One of the many award-winning pizzerias frequently featured on the tour is Regina Pizzeria, the city’s oldest pizza restaurant, whose brick oven dates to 1883. Other pizzerias often included on the tour are Modern Underground, Galleria Umberto, Ernesto’s Pizza, and Rina’s Pizzeria and Cafe.
While the pizza may be the initial drawing card, it’s impossible to take the tour without learning a few fascinating facts about the neighborhood. Among the stops is the Paul Revere House, the home of American patriot and Revolutionary War hero Paul Revere. The oldest home in the city, it gives visitors a sense of what life was like in Boston during the American Revolution. Other historical places of interest include Clough House, a recently excavated colonial home originally built in 1714, which today is the site of Captain Jackson’s Historic Chocolate Shop and the Printing Office of Edes & Gill, and the Old North Church, Boston’s oldest standing church building, built circa 1723. The Old North Church is known for its pivotal role in Revere’s famous 1775 midnight ride alerting the countryside that the British had arrived in Boston. The tour also takes visitors to Copp’s Hill Burying Ground, Boston’s second oldest burial ground (it dates to 1659), and Copp’s Hill Terrace, which is a great vantage point for viewing the Charlestown Navy Yard.
Note: You must purchase tickets in advance. Don’t wait until the last minute: tours often sell out and same-day walk-ins are not accepted, so planning ahead is recommended.
The North End Pizza Tour leaves from the corner of Hanover Street and Cross Street seven days a week, at 11 am and 2 pm, rain or shine. The tour lasts about two and a half hours, and tickets ($39) must be purchased in advance. Buy tickets online or by calling 617-401-0661. Take an MBTA Green Line trolley or Orange Line train to Haymarket.
Jacob Gurvis can be reached at jgurvis@bu.edu; follow him on Twitter @JacobGurvis.
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