For three days in early September, the smell of fresh pizza on Grand Street mixed with something else entirely: the unmistakable presence of Ferrari. L’Industrie Pizzeria at 197 Grand Street, between Mulberry and Mott, turned its Little Italy shop into F1 Monza in Manhattan, a three-day celebration built around the 2026 Italian Grand Prix at Monza.
Presented by Apple TV together with Race Service, the takeover ran from September 3 through September 5, closing the night before the Grand Prix itself on September 6. Rare Ferrari automobiles parked along Grand Street gave the weekend its visual anchor, while practice and qualifying sessions played on screen for crowds gathered over slices.
The pairing made sense. Ferrari and Monza share a history that runs through the entire Formula 1 World Championship, and in 2026 the Scuderia carries extra attention with Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc driving for the team. Little Italy, with its deep Italian-American roots, turned out to be a natural stage for it all.
Founder Massimo Laveglia built a special menu for the occasion. The Monzarita, an upside-down Margherita, layered tomato sauce with aged and fresh mozzarella, basil pesto and Grana Padano. Two Monza-inspired pastries rounded out the offering. Laveglia, born in Italy, took over L’Industrie’s Williamsburg operation in 2017 and has grown it into one of New York’s most watched pizzerias. The Little Italy location opened in March 2026 as the brand’s third New York shop, after Williamsburg and the West Village, and in August Pizza Today named L’Industrie its 2026 Pizzeria of the Year.
Race Service added a collectible layer with a three-shirt capsule collection. Each day, the first 76 guests who bought a Monzarita received a limited-edition Monza NYC shirt, with a different exclusive design released daily.
The broadcasts kept everything tied to the real race weekend. Practice 2 streamed Friday morning, qualifying aired live Saturday at 10 a.m., and the pizzeria stayed open until 10 p.m. throughout. Apple TV’s coverage featured 4K presentation with Dolby Vision and 5.1 surround sound, with the Italian Grand Prix itself scheduled for Sunday, September 6 at 9 a.m. Eastern.
The setting did a lot of the work. The Grand Street shop sits beside Ferrara Bakery & Cafe, a Little Italy institution more than a century old, so the block already told a story of Italian culture old and new. For one weekend, Ferrari red, a fresh Monzarita and Formula 1 on screen gave that story a distinctly 2026 chapter.
Originally published on Times Square Chronicles.
