There’s a lot that competes for your attention when you enter Facci, the year-old Italian restaurant on the ground floor of the Inner Harbor high-rise, 414 Light Street.

There’s a lively bar, big enough to comfortably accommodate both people sipping a drink and those eating a full meal. Behind a glass partition, there’s a cook rolling homemade pasta, a not-so-subtle signal that you’re about to indulge in high quality, fresh dishes.

But truth be told, most people can’t take their eyes off Sophia Loren.

A giant photo of the then-young actress printed on wallpaper looms over the dining room, her red dress and décolletage impossible to miss. For the restaurant’s owner, Gino Palma, it’s a point of pride that she was born in the same city as him, Pozzuoli.

It was from there that Palma emigrated without his family to the U.S. at the age of 19—he had little money and no knowledge of English. He worked 15-to-17-hour days at Italian restaurants in Pennsylvania, Virginia, and eventually Maryland, doing everything from cleaning floors to washing dishes. Slowly, he began to work his way up the ladder.

Palma, 48, has come a long way. Last March he opened his third Facci. Like the others in Laurel and Ellicott City, the Baltimore location presents a lively, modern, approachable version of food from his—and Loren’s—homeland.

“Italian food is very simple,” he says. “You can eat Italian food every day. The main thing is great ingredients. We have the tomatoes and the mozzarella from Naples. You can do something so simple but so delicious that it’s unbelievable.”

Facci should be categorized as elevated dining, not fine dining. When we visited in December, we saw tourists, families with young kids, couples, and singles eating and drinking. We started with a Figgin Peachy, a refreshing combination of fig vodka, prosecco, peach purée, and fresh lime juice. We then moved on to a glass of the well-balanced sangria. With a list of 375 labels, wine is a major feature here as well.

Appetizers can be substantial and the stuffed eggplant we tried was no exception. Served piping hot with a blend of three cheeses, it was rich, fulfilling—and filling. The Aruguletta salad, which includes strawberries, sliced pears, roasted hazelnuts, and shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano topped with a lemon aioli dressing, was fresh and crisp. It certainly was enough to share.

Pizzas and pastas are the primary focus of the menu. Pies cook for roughly 90 seconds in the wood-fired oven. We loved the Genova Pesto, a pesto-based pizza with grilled chick- en, roasted tomatoes, roasted pine nuts, and smoked mozzarella. (Gluten-free pizza and cauliflower crust are available as well.) The dough is terrific, and predictably the pizzas are best enjoyed right out of the restaurant’s oven.

A plate of Seafood Marbella was the most decadent dish we tried. Shrimp, scallops, and crab in a creamy Parmesan sauce mixed with fettuccine made for a tasty and heavy dinner. The Gnocchi Caprese was slightly disappointing. The potato dumplings were on the tough side, and the marinara sauce lacked pop. The classic dish of chicken marsala was executed perfectly, with a complex sauce and juicy chicken topped with mushrooms and onions. Comfort food at its core.

Palma takes great pride in not only his food (executive chef Nicola Morosini heads the three Facci kitchens) but also the design of his restaurants, which he does on his own. Here he had a large space to work with (the restaurant has a capacity of 160 and includes outdoor seating when the weather cooperates), thus the photo of Loren that stands approximately 15 feet high and 10 feet wide.

The name Facci comes from Palma’s wife, Pilar, who is from Peru. “She wanted to be able to communicate with my family, therefore began an intense Italian course,” the menu explains. “One day while practicing Italian with me, she said la tua facci but meant to say la tua faccia, Italian for your face. When I heard facci instead of faccia I started laughing and thought it was cute. Ever since that day I called her Facci.”

Today, nearly three decades after he left Italy, Palma has a wife of 24 years, two children and, now, three restaurants. He’s living the American dream.

“I’m a guy who came to America with no money, no family, no English,” he says. “I see all these people having fun; it makes me feel so good.”

FACCI: 414 Light St., Inner Harbor, 443-835- 2789. HOURS: Sun.-Thur. 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Fri.-Sat. 11 a.m.-11 p.m. PRICES: Appetizers $16-27; salads $13-16; pastas $24-35; pizzas $20-23; entrees $28-46.