Welcome back.
Late September has one more warm spell in it. It stays in the low to mid twenties all weekend, and Saturday looks the best of it.
Inside: the best pizzeria on the planet turns out to be on Devonshire Road, and the lifeboat crew that has worked out of Chiswick Pier for nearly 25 years has moved downriver. There is also a Sunday with a flea market and a movement workshop in it, and an afternoon for midlife women at Chiswick House next Saturday.
Glad to have you with us.
🍕 The world's best pizzeria is on Devonshire Road
Napoli on the Road has been named the best pizzeria in the world at the 50 Top Pizza World Awards 2026. The award was presented at a ceremony at Teatro Mercadante in Naples.
It is not a popularity vote. Close to 1,000 anonymous inspectors do the judging, and each contender gets two visits, scored on everything from dough and sourcing to service.
The man behind it is Michele Pascarella, who grew up near Caserta in southern Italy. In 2016 he started out with a three-wheeled Piaggio Ape van fitted with a wood-fired oven, selling pizza on London's streets and at farmers' markets. It now has restaurants in Chiswick, Richmond and Soho.
This is not a one-off either. Pascarella was named the world's best pizza chef in 2023, and the restaurant has topped the 50 Top Pizza Europa list three years running, from 2024 to 2026. The one to order is the Ricordi d'Infanzia, which won Pizza of the Year in 2025: slow-cooked beef ragù, Parmigiano Reggiano, fondue and basil.
I've eaten there, and I can report that the fuss is justified. It is excellent. Get there before the rest of the world does.
It is also a short walk from Doctor Dough at number 19, which opened in August. Devonshire Road has quietly become Chiswick's pizza street.
🔗 napoliontheroad.com
📍 9A Devonshire Road, W4
🍕 And another one: Yard Sale Pizza opens on Monday
Chiswick's pizza count goes up again next week. Yard Sale Pizza opens at 88 Chiswick High Road, the old KFC site, on Monday 28 September.
It started 13 years ago with three friends and a little oven in a back garden, and it now has 18 shops across London. It does things slightly differently from most: delivery is handled by its own drivers and cyclists rather than the apps. The Chiswick shop will deliver across Chiswick, Gunnersbury and Hammersmith, plus parts of Acton, Barnes and Shepherd's Bush. There are also a handful of seats if you'd rather eat in.
The menu comes in 12-inch and 18-inch, with house favourites like the Holy Pepperoni and the TSB (tenderstem broccoli, pine nuts, garlic and parmesan), plus rotating collaborations that have included Dishoom, Ottolenghi and BAO.
To mark the opening, they're giving away pizza to a whole street. Nominate yours, and the street with the most nominations by midnight on Sunday 4 October wins a voucher for every household. Five runner-up streets with at least five nominations each also win a prize. Nominate your street, then start rallying the neighbours.
Open Monday to Thursday 4pm to 10pm, Friday and Saturday 12pm to 10.30pm, and Sunday 12pm to 10pm.
🔗 yardsalepizza.com
📍 88 Chiswick High Road, W4 1SH
Sources: Chiswick Calendar, Yard Sale Pizza
🍕 Is Chiswick now London's pizza capital?
The world's best pizzeria on Devonshire Road, Doctor Dough a few doors along, and Yard Sale landing on the High Road on Monday. We think there's a case. Settle it for us: where's your go-to right now?
Where's your go-to for pizza in Chiswick?
Yard Sale is sitting this one out until it's had a chance to bake. Rematch next month.
The local wins, openings and milestones worth knowing about this week.
🛟 The lifeboat crew leaves Chiswick Pier
After nearly 25 years in cramped quarters at Chiswick Pier, the RNLI crew began operating from a new station a few miles downriver on 22 September. It is now called Wandsworth Riverside.
The old base was tight. The lifeboat shared its building with the Chiswick Pier Trust, and the kit room was a small cupboard, so the 60 volunteers had to take their kit home after every shift. The new station has more than ten times the floor space, with hanging space for every volunteer's kit and rest rooms for crews on duty.
Nothing changes on the water. The crews still cover the same stretch of the Thames, from Battersea to Richmond, and the new base should cut response times because it is nearer to where most incidents happen. Since 2002 the Chiswick station has attended more than 5,600 incidents and rescued more than 2,500 people.
That is worth a thank you on the way out.
Source: RNLI
❤️ Two defibrillators for Grove Park
The Grove Park Group has put two public defibrillators into the neighbourhood. The first is inside the vintage telephone box in the piazza on Grove Park Road. The second is by the Copper Cow on Fauconberg Road.
The group's hope is that neither one ever gets used. Still, it is worth knowing where your nearest one is before you need it.
Source: Grove Park Group autumn newsletter
Chiswick's friendly rugby club, and the feed is exactly that: match days, minis in the mud and the odd triumphant clubhouse photo. Three senior sides, plus vets and minis.
Training is Tuesdays and Thursdays on the all-weather pitch, and the bio says it plainly: everybody welcome. If you've been meaning to get back into it, or know a small person who needs somewhere to run about, this is your nudge.
🌿 Rediscover & Reconnect
Chiswick House & Gardens | Sat 3 October | 1pm to 3pm
This is an afternoon for midlife women, and it is the first event from three local practitioners. It is built around three hands-on talks: breathwork, colour and personal style, and skin health. There is also lunch and a prize draw worth over £750.
It is designed so you try things rather than just listen to them. It is also a good way to meet people nearby.
Tickets are £89 for general admission, or £149 for a Come Together ticket. Numbers go to the caterers on Monday 28 September, so book this week to be sure of a place.
This week
🎐 Gong Bath at the Learning Hub | Thu 24 Sept | 7pm to 8pm | Chiswick House & Gardens
This is Gabi Lozano's session in the new Hub, and it starts an hour after this lands. Lots of other sessions available too over the coming weeks. Book
🧘 The Body Reset Day | Sun 27 Sept | 9.30am to 1pm | Chiswick Catholic Centre, 2 Duke's Avenue, W4 2AE
Anny at Personal Best Fit runs three 45-minute sessions, covering Pilates, resistance-band strength and mobility, with breaks between each. The cost is £65. Book
🛍️ The Lazy Flea | Sun 27 Sept | 10.30am to 4.30pm | Chiswick House & Gardens
Vintage, antiques and one-off finds, in the house forecourt. Details
🥖 The Food Market at Dukes Meadows | Sun 27 Sept | 10am to 2pm | The Pavilion, Market Drive, W4 2RX
It runs every Sunday, and the proceeds go back into the park. Details
🗿 Sculpture inspired by life | Weds from 30 Sept | 7pm to 9pm | Chiswick House & Gardens
A weekly life-sculpting class with Gillian Brett, a professional sculptor based at Chiswick House. It runs to 9 December. Details
Further ahead
🎷 ReBeL Yell Jazz Orchestra | Fri 2 Oct | 7.30pm | St Nicholas Church, Church Street
A full jazz orchestra in the parish church by the river. £15 on the door. Details
👑 Antonia: Behind the Myth of Marie Antoinette | Sat 3 Oct | 3pm to 5pm | Chiswick House & Gardens
Music and theatre that tells the untold story of Marie Antoinette. Details
🧵 Sashiko sessions with B_Boheme | From Sat 3 Oct | 10am to 12pm | Chiswick House & Gardens
A beginner-friendly two-hour introduction to Japanese sashiko stitching. Details
💐 Chiswick Flower Market | Sun 4 Oct | 9.30am to 3.30pm | Old Market Place
First Sunday of the month. From October it runs to winter hours and closes at 3.30pm. Details
✨ Divine Light | Thu 8 Oct | 7pm | St Nicholas Church, Church Street
Janet Gough OBE talks about the church's stained glass. £10 on the door. Details
🦆 Duck Pond Market | Sun 11 Oct | 10am to 4pm | Chiswick House & Gardens
Arts, crafts and homeware. Note that it falls on the second Sunday this month, not the first. Free. Details
📬 Which newsletters land on your doormat?
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