On the whole, there is every reason why living in small towns is just easier and more attractive than city dwelling.
The semigration to Garden Route towns such as Plett, Mossel Bay and others is testament to this.
People don’t want traffic, you can’t beat the quality of our lifestyles here with gorgeous beaches, forests and that village feel.
There is, however, just one thing I miss about a city such as Istanbul and that’s a choice of cuisine.
I would kill for a Korean barbecue with the real McCoy kimchi or how about a proper dim sum restaurant where there is a choice from char sui boa to siu mai pork or hargow shrink dumplings.
In Knysna, we don’t have a choice of Indian food to speak of, let alone a bunny chow, and we’re even thin on Asian food choices.
Having said that, the one thing the Garden Route does excel at is Italian, and particularly pizza.
Modern pizza apparently evolved from similar flatbread dishes in Naples, Italy, in the 18th or early 19th century.
Before that time, flatbread was often topped with ingredients such as garlic, salt, lard and cheese.
It was a whole lot simpler than the souped-up version of pizza we now seek with all its variety of toppings.
Just for interest, I should mention here that a whole pizza typically contains between 2,000 and 3,000 calories, depending on the size and toppings.
A large pizza with pepperoni and extra cheese, for example, can have up to 3,000 calories.
That’s more than a whole day’s worth of calories and enough to sabotage any diet if you do it often enough.
In Knysna, we have Caffe Mario which is a well-known Italian restaurant on the whole Garden Route.
It’s a family-run establishment that offers a range of authentic Italian dishes including super thin-base pizza.
Always best to book, especially if it’s a Friday night and you want to sit in the garden.
Chatters Bistro claims it is famous for wood-fired pizza and I can vouch for these and the vibe sitting on the terrace in Gray Street.
Persellos Pizzeria in Main Road has been run by an Italian family for generations.
The pizza here is done the proper way in a wood-fired pizza oven.
It’s a down-to-earth restaurant with candles in old tomato tins, checked tablecloths and a homely vibe.
When load-shedding was at its worst, Persellos saved us many times and the locals love this place.
Papa’s Pizzeria has been in the Main Road for decades and is also run by an Italian family. We all know the owner as ‘papa’.
It’s really a takeaway place and his pizzas are simple and reasonable. When you order your pizza, throw caution and calories to the wind and get a pastry right out the oven.
For years, one of the best spots for a restaurant in the whole of Knysna stood sad and empty.
Situated literally on the beach at the Knysna Heads, Piza e Vino opened just before holiday season in 2023.
With views looking through the Heads, it’s hard to beat this location. It’s the perfect spot to have a sundowner, children can play on the beach, and they claim to create a space where hand-stretched, wood-fired pizzas and homemade pastas set the pace.
It’s so chilled here I have come directly from swimming at the Heads’ NSRI beach with damp shorts and a hat over uncombed hair and enjoyed the verandah, a pizza and sunset overlooking the water.
Muse Fusion Food in Knysna, off the Main Road, specialises in pizza. It’s one of my favourites because you get to sit in their lovely garden.
The Bungalow is a boutique hotel situated on Hobie Beach, Plett.
We stumbled on a pizza here quite by accident having been for a walk on the beach and it’s one of the best we’ve had on the Garden Route.
It’s also very casual here with wooden tables and bar stools perched so that you get to watch the sea and very often dolphins.
IMAGE: Supplied
For a pizza with attitude, you can’t beat Emily Moon River Lodge just outside Plett.
Here at Simon’s Bar is a wood-fire pizza oven that produces some of the best artisan pizzas on the Garden Route.
It’s also the place to find unusual toppings such as their buffalo mozzarella, marinated cherry tomato and spring onion or the famous Cuban styled pulled-pork, baby onions, red peppers and rocket.
Enricos in Plett, perched above the sea so that you can hear the waves crashing, is famous for exceptional pizzas.
Locals know about the bomba focaccia with garlic party trick. It comes splendid like a balloon and then deflates when you cut it.
Ice Dream Land on Airport Road in Plett is not just a restaurant, the owners say “it’s an authentic Italian experience, it’s the joy of sharing and rediscovering taste as it used to be (or it should be)”.
Of course, their pizzas, the main offering on the menu, are scrumptious.
Pomodoro is a charming family trattoria in the heart of the Wilderness Village.
It is the meeting place of the locals and you will always find it buzzing.
The outside terraces offer a front-row seat of the village activities which, together with the laid-back atmosphere and great food, makes it the perfect place to take your time.
It’s quite likely that owner Claudio will come and say hello.
One of the best-kept secrets, one you only find out about if you live and explore the Garden Route, is the Road Side Deli Outeniqua Pass (AKA Roadside Pizza Hut).
It’s well worth the trek up the Outeniqua pass to the Padstal where locals go when they are craving pizza.
La Capannina in George is next to the old Slave Tree in York Street. They call their food traditional, the way Italian food is supposed to be.
When we go to Mossel Bay we head for the tiny shop named Matt and Collin’s Pizzaria and Foodbar in Bland Street.
They have a couple of bar stools overlooking the street, so mostly it’s takeaway here.
They have won awards for their food. It’s reasonable and the pizza rocks.
With all these Italian offerings on our doorstep, no wonder then that a brand new festival is to kick off this year.
I must mention that people here love festivals such as the annual Oyster Fest and the Leisure Isle fest.
To celebrate the area’s Italian heritage the Knysna Italian Street Festival, in association with RE/MAX, will take place on March 22.
Expect Italian food and flair on Thesen Harbour Town when the festival will transform the end of Long Street into a bustling piazza.
It starts at 11am and ends at 8pm.
The Knysna Education Trust (KET) will run the Bambino Boulevard, with lots to do for the smaller Italian fans.
The various food stalls will be serving wood-fired pizzas, handmade pasta, decadent gelato and artisan cheese, Salamella (Italian sausage) and much more.
Among the many Italian treats, classic Italian coffee with Lavazza and, of course, Prosecco.
Proceeds go to the local hospice. Hopes are that this fest will become a popular annual event.
Tickets are available at Quicket or at the gate. Tickets are R150pp (children under 12 free) and include a free Aperol welcoming drink (over 18 only). Follow @knysna_street_fest on Facebook and Instagram for more info.
