Italian street life inspires Fresco's makeover

Fresco’s is to be transformed into an Italian piazza, complete with fountain and overhead washing lines.

Fresco’s is going back to basics, with a new name to reflect a focus on simpler Italian fare.

Diners can expect homemade pasta, gnocchi and gourmet pizzas in a cosy, traditional Italian setting but with a “contemporary vibe”.

In a novel approach, the overhead washing lines, a familiar sight on many Italian village streets, are to feature clothes by Bermudian designers.

Clothes

Owner Claudio Vigilante said: “It’s a great idea, it’s very funky. We will change the items every week and people will be able to check out new clothes to buy.”

Mr. Vigilante, general manager and managing director of the Fresco’s Group, said that after 12 years, it is time for a fresh approach to Fresco’s.

Upstairs, the popular wine bar and its menu will remain the same but with a few more Italian dishes.

Mr. Vigilante said: “When we first opened 12 years ago there were lots of Italian restaurants in Bermuda but now there are hardly any, so we want to create our own niche. Fresco’s has always had a good reputation and a great clientele but I want to do something different.”

The restaurateur, from San Remo on the Italian Riviera, said: “A couple of months ago I went home and thought, ‘This is what Bermuda needs.’ It’s good, traditional, comfort food.

“I want to go back to basics, to the food I grew up with.

“Over the years I’ve worked with some of the best chefs in the world but sitting down at home and trying my mother’s gnocchi, it was like the best meal I had ever had. I want a restaurant that will recreate homemade pastas, gnocchis, risottos, tapinades, the simple flavours of olives and sun-dried tomatoes, simple grilled fish with a bit of olive oil and fresh thyme... the real flavours of the land.

“The market in Bermuda has also changed. People want simpler food, with three or four flavours.”

The new restaurant will have a relaxed, family atmosphere.

Mr. Vigilante said: “If you order a salad there will be a bowl in the middle of the table for everyone to share.”

As for the décor, the look will be “1960s Dolce Vita” teamed with a youthful, contemporary feel.

Mr. Vigilante said: “I want a casual atmosphere, warm and friendly.”

Fresco’s restaurant closed for renovations in January and will reopen, under a new, as-yet-undecided name, this month.

Mr. Vigilante said: “We have members of staff from different parts of Italy and they will be developing their own dishes. We will see what the response is.”

The décor will feature golden and pale brown stucco walls, while the outside courtyard will become a piazza with a fountain, shuttered windows and overhead washing lines.

Mr. Vigilante was heavily inspired by his childhood.

He said: “I used to play football in the piazzas and the old ladies would shout at me because the ball would bang everywhere.”

With the island in the grip of recession and firms feeling the pinch, he is unfazed by the risks of launching a new venture.

Gloom

He said: “I opened my first restaurant (as a part-owner of Ascot’s) in the recession of the early 1990s and it was really scary.

“I also opened Aqua after September 11, in 2002, but things turn around.

“You have to change with the times and listen to what people want.

“Everyone says it is doom and gloom and this is the worst recession I’ve seen since I’ve been in Bermuda [35 years] but it will turn around.

“Fresco’s was doing okay. We had lost a bit for the previous years but the thing that hit me the most was people telling me they hadn’t been in a while, that there were so many other restaurants to try, but that they knew it was good.

“There were never negative implications but Fresco’s needed refreshing, to set it apart.

“We looked around to see what other restaurants were offering and decided to do something different.”