While Ansonia may have been settled by English pioneers as early as the mid-17th century, it was just a small farming community until an industrial developer took an interest in the terrains a hundred years later. After acquiring land and creating a canal to provide water power, he created a business village and encouraged manufacturers to relocate there. The industrialization of Ansonia was a great success and the town prospered. As the wealth of factories provided a source of stable employment for many people of various nationalities, it wasn't difficult for them to make the decision to move to the Connecticut city. It was in the 1960s that the descendants of some of the Italian families who had moved there decided to go their own way. Rather than continue to work in the existing industries they opted for hospitality and opened the first pizzerias in Ansonia.

Ansonia in Connecticut is known for pan-baked pizza

Ansonia is known for pan-baked pizza which is basically a thick or thin crust pizza that's baked in a round metal pan. The term pan-baked can also be applied to pies baked in rectangular trays although these are mostly called tray-baked or grandma-style. Baking pizzas in pans is a traditional Italian method of cooking which was, and still is, favored when a wood or coal-fired oven is being used. The pan is usually lightly oiled before the dough is put in and pressed out evenly so it reaches the edges. That helps to prevent the pizza sticking to the pan and also to stop the bottom of the pie from charring.

Best Delivery Pizza in Ansonia, Connecticut

To get the best delivery pizza in Ansonia you need to order from a pizzeria that offers more than a cheese pizza. One pizzeria in Ansonia that has a pizza menu as long as your arm is Frank's Pizza, and they make top quality pies too. Frank's Pizza is housed in a premises on North Main Street from where they dispatch a diverse selection of pies. At Frank's, not only will you have over fifty different pizzas to choose from, you'll also be able to select what type of base you want from five different types. At Frank's they make thick and thin crust, pan-baked, Sicilian-style and grandma-style. Unless you eat pizza every day, altogether that's more or less enough different possible combinations to keep you going for a lifetime.

Best Takeout Pizza in Ansonia, Connecticut

If you've been checking out new and used vehicles in some of the car sales showrooms on Main Street and ended up with nothing but an empty belly, don't despair. You're paces away from where you can get the best take-out pizza in Ansonia. The pizzeria that bakes that pie is also on Main Street and is called The Hub Pizza Bar. The Hub Pizza Bar is exactly how the name describes it, a bar that makes pizza. It's a stylish place too that's been decorated out in a contemporary factory-style with bare brick walls, exposed ceiling pipes and polished wood floor. Here the pizzas are as well-presented as the premises. Whether you choose a Beastmode Pie, a Return of the Mac or a Rangoon to the Moon Pie, it'll be in a class of its own.

Best Pizza near Ansonia, Connecticut

New Haven

You don't need to drive more than ten miles from Ansonia to find some excitement, especially if you head in the direction that leads to New Haven. New Haven is a university city, so cultural activities reign. Check out the Yale University Art Gallery or the Yale Center for British Art and you'll find examples of artwork by some of the world's greatest and most renowned masters. Visit the Shore Line Trolley Museum and not only can you browse the exhibits, you can take a ride in a vintage trolley car. If you've picked up a take-out pizza from somewhere like Sally's Apizza on Wooster Street and are looking for somewhere peaceful for a picnic, then East Rock Park is ideal.

Newtown

Make the sixteen mile trip west from Ansonia to Newtown on the CT-34 and you're guaranteed a scenic drive. On the way you'll pass through the Indian Well State Park, the Webb Mountain Park and parts of the Paugussett State Forest, all of which are superb spots to take a break at if you need one. As you're going into Newtown, you'll pass by the EverWonder Children's Museum where there are plenty of hands-on exhibits to keep them occupied for half an hour. After you've enjoyed a pizza lunch at Franco's Pizza and Pasta on South Main Street, head off to the Rocky Glen State Park Scenic Preserve for a hike up to the waterfall there.

Beacon Falls

You don't have to spend half the day driving to make an escape back to nature. Beacon Falls is just eight miles north of Ansonia and bordered by the Naugatuck State Forest. There are some great trails in the forest including the seven-mile long Naugatuck Trail which is one of the Connecticut Blue-Blazed Trails. If you prefer to motor rather than hike, you can take the Spruce Brook Road off the CT-8 and it'll take you to a scenic spot known as Spruce Brook Falls. There is a short trek from the parking area to the falls, but the prettiness of the falls more than compensates the effort. If seeing the falls wasn't reward enough, treat yourself to a pizza at The Original Antonio's on North Main Street.