Forno Bello means “beautiful oven” in Italian. For four years now in historic Downtown DeLand, the restaurant by that name has been delivering piping-hot pizzas out of their wood-fired brick oven. When I say hot, I mean temperatures reach up to 900 degrees Fahrenheit! “Every day before our restaurant opens, we get oak firewood and start a fire in our brick oven,” general manager Christy Chiarenza said. 

The heat generated in the oven gives the restaurant the ability to push out pizzas in three minutes with a natural char and flavor. Forno Bello is owned by Fathi Almomani and Charlie Chiarenza, and is located at 138 S. Woodland Blvd., next door to the new offices of Morgan Stanley.