Italy is a land of deep culinary traditions, where anyone worth their salt knows the set of unwritten rules about what, when and how to eat, (preferably with others). It's also a country where people are firm and united in their convictions of what not to eat. For years, the Canadian-invented Hawaiian pizza — featuring pineapple, bacon, ham and mozzarella cheese — topped that list.

That is, until one brave Neapolitan pizzaiolo, or pizza maker, recently introduced his own version, triggering a heated national debate, TV coverage and "taboo breaking" headlines. "Pineapple pizza has been a revelation for me," said Gino Sorbillo, perched at a table in one of the three pizzerias in the gritty centre of Naples that carry his family name. (There are another 20 or so throughout Italy and around the world.)