Roman pizza isn’t one thing. It’s a whole texture culture — a family of styles united by the same obsession with crispness, structure, and lightness. Two names sit at the centre of that conversation: La Tonda Romana and Scrocchiarella. They’re closely related, often confused, and outside Italy you’ll frequently hear them used as though they mean the same thing.
They don’t. And once you understand the difference, you’ll taste it every time.
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What do these names actually mean?
La Tonda Romana
Tonda means “round.” La Tonda Romana is the classic round Roman pizza — thin base, clean structure, a crisp bite that holds from the first slice to the last. It’s a style built for precision: clean edges, defined toppings, and a base that doesn’t buckle under weight.
Scrocchiarella
Scrocchiarella gets its name from the sound of it — that satisfying crackle when you bite through. It’s still Roman pizza, still obsessed with crunch, but the texture leans into something lighter and more open. The interior has more air in it. The bite feels a little different.
Both styles are Roman. Both reward technique. The difference is in how that crunch is built, and what you feel when you get through the base.
👉 Read the full Roman pizza breakdown
The real difference: structure versus aeration
If there’s one thing to hold onto, it’s this: La Tonda Romana is about thin, crisp structure. Scrocchiarella is about crispness with more air in it.
That distinction changes how the pizza behaves under toppings, how cleanly it slices, and how it keeps eating across the whole pizza — not just the first piece.
How La Tonda Romana eats
- Thin base with a dry, defined crunch
- Slices hold shape cleanly — no drooping, no collapse
- Toppings stay where they’re put, flavours stay distinct
- Classic Roman feel: unfussy, precise, satisfying
How Scrocchiarella eats
- A crackly, almost shattery crispness at the edges
- More open crumb — you can see and feel the air in the structure
- Lighter on the palate; that “one more slice” quality
- The texture itself is part of the experience
Neither is better. They’re different expressions of the same Roman sensibility, and both are brilliant when done with care.
Why people mix them up
Outside of Rome, Scrocchiarella often gets used as a catch-all for “really crispy Roman pizza” — even when the pizza is round and closer in format to a classic Tonda. And honestly, you can see why. The two styles share a lot of the same DNA.
They both prioritise crispness over softness. They both aim for a lighter eating experience. They both reward the kind of technical control that doesn’t happen by accident. And they’re both Roman to their core.
The confusion usually comes in with shape. A lot of people assume Roman pizza means rectangular — because pizza al taglio, the Roman pizza you buy by the slice from a tray, often is. But Roman pizza includes round styles too. La Tonda Romana and Scrocchiarella-inspired approaches sit squarely in that round tradition.
👉 See why Roman pizza isn’t always rectangular
The technique behind the texture
Roman pizza texture isn’t a topping story. It starts in the dough — and a few key decisions along the way determine whether the result leans towards classic Tonda structure or something more crackly and aerated.
Hydration
How much water goes into the dough has a direct effect on how open the interior becomes. Higher hydration can encourage a more aerated crumb — the kind of light, bubbly internal structure often associated with Scrocchiarella. Lower hydration tends to produce a tighter, denser bite.
👉 Learn why high-hydration dough matters in Roman pizza
Fermentation
This is where flavour and structure come from. A long, controlled fermentation lets the dough develop properly — building both crispness and a cleaner internal texture that bakes with clarity rather than density. Rush it, and the pizza tells you.
👉 Read the role of long fermentation in Roman pizza
The bake
Roman crispness is unforgiving. The bake has to set the exterior cleanly while keeping the interior balanced. When everything aligns, you get that Roman snap — not brittle, not tough, just right. It’s the kind of result that looks easy and isn’t.
These three levers — hydration, fermentation, bake — are what separate a Tonda-style result from a more Scrocchiarella-leaning one. The toppings get to do their job once the base does its job first.
Where 170 Grammi fits
At 170 Grammi, our Roman pizzas are round, not rectangular. The base is crisp and structured — true to the Tonda tradition — with fermentation and hydration dialled in to bring that Scrocchiarella lightness to every bite.
We’re not chasing labels. We’re chasing the result: clean crunch, flavour clarity, and a pizza that stays structured from the first slice to the last. That’s what Roman technique makes possible — and it’s what makes sharing a few pizzas across the table in Surry Hills feel like the right way to eat.
👉 Explore the Roman pizza menu
How to tell which style you’re eating
If you want to read what’s on the plate, a few cues will get you most of the way there.
Look at the slice
La Tonda Romana tends to be flat and uniform — it slices cleanly and stays that way. Scrocchiarella-style texture often shows more irregularity through the crumb, with visible air pockets and a slightly more rustic interior.
Listen to the bite
Both styles can be crisp, but Scrocchiarella crispness has a more shattery, crackly quality at the edges. La Tonda tends to be firmer, with a little more resistance through the base.
See how it holds toppings
Classic Tonda structure is famous for keeping toppings in place — nothing slides, nothing collapses. Scrocchiarella-inspired texture can be just as supportive, but you’ll often notice more lift in the bite, particularly through the base itself.
Which one should you order?
If you love clean crunch and a precise, classic Roman experience, La Tonda Romana is your base. If you’re drawn to texture — that crackly, almost irresistible lightness — a Scrocchiarella-inspired approach is likely your thing.
But the honest Roman answer is: don’t pick just one. Order a few, share across the table, and let the pizzas make the case for themselves. Roman pizza was made for that kind of eating — a few different styles, good company, and an afternoon (or evening) to actually pay attention.
👉 Read why Roman pizza feels crispier and lighter
👉 Planning a group dinner? Use our Roman sharing guide
Frequently Asked Questions
La Tonda Romana is the classic round Roman pizza style — thin base, crisp structure, and a clean bite that holds shape from slice to slice. Tonda simply means “round” in Italian.
Scrocchiarella is a Roman pizza style named for its crackly, shattery crispness. It has a lighter, more aerated internal structure than La Tonda Romana, and a distinctive bite that feels almost featherlight despite being very crisp.
No — they’re closely related Roman styles but not identical. La Tonda Romana focuses on thin, crisp structure and clean sliceability. Scrocchiarella leans into a crackly, more aerated texture with a lighter feel through the base.
No. Pizza al taglio — Roman pizza sold by the slice from a tray — is often rectangular, but Roman pizza also includes round styles. La Tonda Romana and Scrocchiarella are both round-format Roman pizzas.
170 Grammi serves round Roman pizzas that are crisp and structured in the La Tonda Romana tradition, with fermentation and hydration dialled in to bring Scrocchiarella-style lightness to the bite. The result is clean crunch, clear flavours, and a base that holds from the first slice to the last.
Order a few pizzas and share them across the table. Comparing slices side by side — noticing how the base holds, how it bites, how it feels from slice to slice — is the most direct way to understand what separates one Roman style from another.
