According to ChipandCo.com, “Last Friday the Patina Restaurant Group opened a new, 14,000 sq. ft. casual dining and pizzeria this week, called Via Napoli, in Epcot at Walt Disney World Resort. This becomes the first authentic Italian pizzeria to ever open in the park.”
“The grand opening featured a comedic grape stomping and Italian sing-along by the Ziti sisters, whose robust personalities engaged guests before Mickey and Minnie Mouse appeared in their horse-drawn carriage for the ribbon-cutting ceremony. ‘Our guests have enjoyed excellent, traditional Italian cuisine and first-class service at Tutto Italia and we’re proud to be the location of the Patina Restaurant Group’s newest location,’ said Dan Cockerell, vice president of Epcot. ‘Working with the Patina Restaurant Group has provided an opportunity to build on our long-term relationship and provide a unique, high-quality and authentic experience for our guests.’ Restaurateur and longtime Patina Restaurant Group CEO Nick Valenti created the Via Napoli concept, based upon his travels in Southern Italy and his time developing and overseeing the successful Naples 45 Ristorante e Pizzeria in New York. While in Naples, Valenti spent time studying the art of dough, crust, sauce and oven temperatures at the famous pizzerias Da Michele and Trianon. He also discovered after a trip to Naples that the secret to perfect Neapolitan pizza was in the water.”
Read more: Growth Continues at Epcot with Opening of New Pizzeria “Via Napoli” | Chip and Co. http://www.chipandco.com/2010/08/growth-continues-at-epcot-with-opening-of-new-pizzeria-%E2%80%9Cvia-napoli%E2%80%9D/#ixzz0wJ8o9weH
