NEW: Huntsville-area pizzeria ranks in the top 50 in the U.S.

Joe Carlucci—owner of Valentina's pizzeria in Madison — Joe Carlucci and his daughter, Valentina. (Lacey Muenstermann / Hville Blast)

Recently, Valentina’s owner and pizza chef Joe Carlucci hit the road for New York to compete in the prestigious 50 Top Pizza competition for the U.S.

Read on to learn more about Carlucci’s experience and where Valentina’s landed on the list.

One of many awards for Valentina’s

Pizza at Valentina's — My favorite Valentina’s pizza is the Camaroni on the tavern-style crust. (Lacey Muenstermann / Hville Blast)

Valentina’s Pizzeria is no stranger to awards. Carlucci has brought home hardware three years in a row from the elite International Pizza Expo. Here’s the only person in the world to win first place for three successive years. Here’s a rundown of Carlucci’s recent awards:

2022 Best Traditional Pizza in the World
2023 Best Non-Traditional Pizza in the World
2023 Best Pizza Maker of the Year
2024 Best of the Best Winner
NEW: 2024 Best in Bama Pizzeria by Alabama Magazine

Ranked 31st in the entire country

Joe Carlucci wins top 50 pizza in U.S. for Valentina's in Madison — (Valentina’s Pizzeria)

Top 50 award for best pizza for Valentina's in Madison — (Valentina’s Pizzeria)

Now, Valentina’s grabbed another award, officially making the list for the top 50 pizza in the United States.

On June 25, Carlucci traveled to New York to compete in the Top 50 Pizza competition—a respected culinary guide originating from the efforts of a group of Italian pizza experts, food critics, and journalists to discover the top pizzas in the world.

At the competition, a group of inspectors—who don’t have any professional involvement in the food sector—taste and judge the pizza anonymously. They rank the pies based on the menu, ambiance, ingredients, quality, dough, service and more.

Carlucci solidified Valentina’s in the top 50 for pizza in the country—which is just another way to remind you that if you haven’t been to Valentina’s yet, you’re truly missing out.

Taste the pizza for yourself at Valentina’s

Interior of Valentina's Pizzeria in Madison — Valentina’s Pizzeria in Madison. (Lacey Muenstermann / Hville Blast)

In addition to pizza, Valentina’s offers a full cocktail menu, authentic Italian desserts, tasty appetizers and delicious calzones. Here’s where you can find them: