When Sam and Paul Mincarelli traveled to the Abruzzo region in 2019, it was a life-changing experience.  “It was love at first visit,” says Paul, whose family hails from Campli in the Abruzzo region.

Sam was equally smitten. “Abruzzo is untouched by American tourism,” she says. “That kind of travel experience is incredibly hard to find—and of course the food is incredible.”

The duo was so taken, they ditched their jobs with an eye toward opening a restaurant inspired by Abruzzo cuisine. Before opening their own place, they worked as managers at Allora to learn the fundamentals of running an Italian cafe. “We approached [Allora owner-chef] Brendon Hudson, who catered our wedding, and asked if we could work for him,” says Sam.

After a year at the Mt. Vernon cafe, they made a go of it on their own and leased a space inside a new condo complex in Lauraville. By mid-November of last year, they opened Café Campli, featuring the foods of Abruzzo and open for lunch and dinner.

Before going into hospitality, Sam and Paul had other careers—she’s an architect (and now double-times at the restaurant), he spent four years working for the Baltimore Police Department as a policy writer—but their true passion was food. “This was a dream come true,” says Paul.

What’s distinct about this region?
Paul: It’s a geographically and biologically diverse region. In its western frontier, it’s the Apennine Mountains and the high plains. There’s a lot of room for grazing, but the weather is such that you’re only going to grow things like legumes and lentils and that cascades down to the Adriatic, so you have more land for olives and wine cultivation. Then you have the Adriatic coast, so there’s this bountiful seafood harvest. There is something for every season.

Talk about the concept.
Paul: We knew we wanted to do an Italian cafe, a place where you could go at any point in the day.

What did you want to do with your menu?
Paul: We wanted to highlight dishes that we enjoyed in Abruzzo but keep in mind that true Italian cooking is using what’s nearby. This summer, for example, we will do seafood from Abruzzo, but will use Chesapeake and Mid-Atlantic ingredients such as striped bass or rainbow trout, so thinking of those roots but not ignoring local ingredients. What the Italians do is sleight of hand. The fewest ingredients possible put together simply but perfectly.

What did you learn at Allora?
Sam: I watched how Brendon stayed calm and moved with deliberation, even under pressure.

Talk about the design of the space.
Sam: You can combine different vibes and have them feel harmonious. I was inspired by Pescara, a midcentury modern mecca, but  there’s also a beachy vibe. I am also a big fan of antiques, so there are some items here that reflect that.

How do you hope to set yourself apart on the scene?
Paul: We want to have this Mediterranean feel here. Don’t order online—come and enjoy the space.

The year 2020 is one we’d all like to forget. Wouldn’t it be a kick to have a do-over? Two-thousand years ago, March 1 was designated as New Year’s Day on the early Roman calendar because March was considered the first month of the year. Let’s celebrate the ancient new year with these Italianate delectables.

Barone Pizzini Franciacorta “Animante” NV
($40, Winebow)

In the 19th century, the Barone Pizzini family endeavored to make a sparkling wine to rival the best of France’s Champagne region. They planted Chardonnay and Pinot Noir just like the French and made the wines exactly as they are made in Champagne, but with more age. The result, then as now, is a decadent bubbly with all the finesse of a fine Champagne, just with an Italian signature. Sure, it’s good for toasts, but also pairs well with creamy sauces, cheeses, and, of course, caviar.

Birra Dolomiti Pils
($15 six-pack, Constantine)

Nestled in the foothills of the Italian Alps, Birra Dolomiti brews up a crisp, flavorful Pilsner in the same time-honored manner that was popular when the region was still part of the Austrian Hapsburg Empire. Ideal for all kinds of reveling, it is also delicious with grilled sausages and caramelized onion.

Antica Torino Sweet Vermouth
($33, Free Run Wine Merchant)

If you like a good Manhattan, you’re going to love this Vermouth. Rather than chase a homogenous, international style of Vermouth, Antica Torino chose to focus on ingredients common in their home region of Piedmont in Italy. Rosemary, gentian, bay laurel, thyme, and other aromatics are blended with the base wine and burnt cane sugar to forge this sophisticated Vermouth that’s delightful on ice and masterful in a cocktail.

We don’t always drink in the morning, but when we do, we like a good spritz. That’s why we’ve fallen head over heels for the adorable Little Bird Coffee Bar (3600 Hickory Ave., 667-303-3263), the newest project from the owners of The Bluebird Cocktail Room, located in the same building just a few floors above.

The basement café feels very Italian in flair, décor, and menu. One especially nice touch is the row of bright blue al fresco tables and chairs lining the sidewalk. Venture inside and you’ll find an authentically rustic space with exposed brick walls, hanging vintage plates, and tablecloths with a distinctive, toile-like pattern. There’s a semicircular marble-topped bar and simple black-and-white letter board that lays out the Ceremony Coffee offerings including espresso, Americano, Cortado, and cappuccino.

If it’s a different kind of buzz you’re after, Little Bird has plenty in that department, too, with a heavy focus on all things spritz, which is a fancy way to say sparkling. But there certainly isn’t anything flashy about the spritzes, which come in Aperol, Campari, Cynar, and Elderflower varieties—simply a balanced ratio of each base spirit mixed with crisp Primaterra Prosecco, club soda, and an orange twist.

We also gave the Amaretto Sour a try, since it’s something we drank a lot in our younger years. This version was the best we’ve had, thanks to fresh lemon juice and Angostura bitters. We certainly didn’t miss the artificial sugars and additives.

You can also get wine at Little Bird in European-style liters and half-liters, various types of amaro, and two options of beer (Peroni and the requisite Natty Boh). And, while we particularly love the café with morning light shining through, it also features a great “aperitivo hour” Thursdays-Saturdays, from 5-8 p.m., where spritzes are $1 off and 75-cent snacks are available.

The food menu is affordable and approachable with items such as savory and sweet buns, antipasto, baguette sandwiches, and desserts. Try anything with mozzarella (it gets pulled daily) and end your meal with a refreshing watermelon granita.

We’re sure thankful that Little Bird has opened in Hampden, because it will save us so much airfare to Italy.

Last June was an emotional rollercoaster for Kristen Starks, the bar manager at Cosima at Mill No 1. She had been invited on the trip of a lifetime—to work and study wine for eight weeks at Menhir Salento in Puglia, Italy.

“Shortly after I bought my plane ticket, I found a lump in my breast,” she says. “I actually ignored it for a few weeks. I really didn’t want to interfere with this exciting thing I had coming up. But it became so painful and began changing shape, so I knew I had to get it checked out.”

After undergoing several tests, Starks received a call while doing inventory at Cosima and was told she had invasive ductal carcinoma, or grade 3 breast cancer. Her doctors laid out a very organized treatment plan that included a couple rounds of chemo, surgery, radiation, and ameno therapy.

“I went through two months of Doxorubicin, which is nicknamed the Red Devil, and it’s the grossest feeling,” she recalls. “That’s the one that makes you lose your hair and your appetite—it’s really kind of a nightmare drug. I was down for the count.”

Needless to say, Starks’ trip to Puglia had to be canceled. She said the winery owners could not have been more courteous and they reassured her that she would be able to make that trip someday.

“Keeping in touch with them really put me at ease,” she says. “I had a light at the end of that dark tunnel.”

Though she is still recovering and will be taking hormone suppressors for the next five years, Starks was finally able to make the trip to the Menhir Silento winery this past summer.

As part of her work in Italy, Starks was a sommelier at the winery’s osteria where she was able to pair wine for pre-fixe menus and explain the history, flavor, and terroir of the wines to English speakers from all the world. She traveled to Bologna, Silento, and tiny towns in between to learn about their food and drink culture.

“The food changes every town you go to, but there is a universal language,” she says. “People are very proud of traditions they’ve held onto for generations. You can read about the wine and the land and it might look good on paper. But, being there, you understand it on a much more profound level.”

She hopes to share that understanding in a wine dinner at Cosima on Wednesday, October 24, in which five Italian courses will be paid with wine selections from Munhir. Think curdo paired with a savory Verdeca or a cherry tart alongside a chilled, dry Aleatico.

“I have anecdotes that I want to share, but I won’t be long-winded,” she says. “I just want to share experiences about appreciating these wines in the middle of the countryside under the stars. I want to recreate a picture of real Silento life.”

Though there has been a lot of trials and tribulations these past 18 months, Starks is grateful for the owners at Munhir and Cosima and the overall experience. She is looking forward to bringing that same joy she felt in Italy to her guests at the restaurant.

“Something like cancer really puts you in touch with your own spirituality and gives you a new level of sensitivity,” she says. “I felt like I was more open to new ideas on my trip and just was able to soak it all in. I really want the restaurant to embody that part of the world.”

Customers have come to expect a certain elan from Da Mimmo’s Restaurant. In addition to its famously succulent veal chop, the Little Italy mainstay founded 32 years ago by Mary Ann Cricchio and her late husband, Mimmo, prides itself on extending every conceivable comfort, from complimentary limo service to a swanky cocktail lounge replete with a baby grand piano. It’s all part of what Cricchio calls the “Da Mimmo experience.”

Four years ago, that experience went international when some customers asked Cricchio to organize and lead a tour of the Amalfi Coast for them. As she is fluent in Italian, has visited the region for 35 years, and has owned a home there since 2005, she dove right in, harnessing her myriad connections to craft a 10-day trip covering the coast’s many highlights, including the luxurious town of Positano, the isle of Capri, and the ruins of Pompeii. But unlike a typical package trip, Cricchio’s tour was full of insider experiences and first-class accommodations, such as private yacht service for the journey to Capri and exclusive cooking classes with Italian celebrity chef Salvatore De Riso.

“It’s not a canned trip,” says Cricchio. “It’s authentic experiences.”

Cricchio is joined on the excursions by Da Mimmo’s executive chef Masood Masoodi, who is a native of Iran but became an honorary Italian after Cricchio sent him to Positano and Siena for culinary training once he took over kitchen duties after Mimmo’s death in 2003.

The all-inclusive trip is so popular that it’s now offered several times a year. And this year, Cricchio and Masoodi are adding a Tuscany version (August 12-22) to coincide with Siena’s storied horse race, the Palio—for which Cricchio and Masoodi have secured 22 tickets. The sojourn also will take in Florence and the Italian Riviera towns of the Cinque Terre—in style, naturally.

“My reputation, her reputation, Da Mimmo’s reputation is more important than anything else,” says Masoodi. “It would be a shame on us to take anybody’s time and money and not give them 150 percent of what they expected.”