Yes, they are completely different foods. The Italian pizza has a totally different base and will seldom be absolutely dripping with toppings. In the US, the pizza became all about the toppings – the more the better. So much so that the abses had to be changed to allow them to support all the toppings, and in the case of Chicago Pizza Pie, the bases had to have walls to hold all the toppings.

One can argue about which is better, but that’s just down to individual taste. But they are not the same product.