Bella Ciao

What I love about Bella Ciao is that every time I visit, I feel transported to a land far away. It's as if the humdrum of the city life is a thing of the past, and that all that really remains is peace and tranquility. That's the effect the place has on me. Every single time. It's our go-to place. Open-air, thatched roof, excellent music, and good, good food.

I must have tried all the pizzas on the menu by now and not a single one has ever disappointed me (obviously if you order aubergines on your pizza, then God help you - actually they might do those well too, I have never tried. I can't.) They have nailed the authentic, thin-crust wood-fired pizza, and no pizza has tasted the same after the delight that is the Bella Ciao pizza. 

Unlike a lot of other places, they haven't placed a table in every empty square feet available, leaving you, thankfully, with room and privacy. The waiters are smart, they have never made a mistake in my order - and that's saying something given the crazy specifications we put on the table sometimes ('a quarter of the pizza should not have mushrooms, another quarter should have chunks of sausages, the rest of the pizza can include your standard, from-the-menu ingredients. Oh, except extra zucchini over everything. And NO aubergines!') Yup, they got it right! Their lasagne is good too - and they only had the authentic lamb lasagne last I checked. 

I love their desserts - the Nutella crepe is to die for, as is the Panna Cotta. The Grandma's apple pie was a 3 out of 5 - not crumbly enough. 

Appetizers: 

• Caprese: Naples salad - tomatoes and Mozzarella slices, herbs and olive oil (3.5 / 5)
• Bruschetta : Toasted bread, fresh tomatoes and herbs (4 / 5)
• Verdure Fritte: Deep-fried, crispy veggies - bland and disappointing, also very 'out-of-place' (2 / 5)

Main Course:

• Aglio, olio e peperoncino: Garlic, olive oil, chilli - finally aglio olio done well! (4 / 5)
• Lasagne : Lamb. Little heavy, but done well (3.5 / 5)
• Pizza, Al Salmone : Cheese, smoked salmon, basil - Good! (4 / 5)
• Pizza, Verde : Cheese (yes, we like our cheese), olives, zucchini, broccoli, spinach (we also like our greens) - Excellent! (4.5 / 5)

Desserts:

• Panna Cotta: Caramel, always caramel (4.5 / 5)
• Crepe Nuttella: (4.5 / 5) 

Yay or nay?
Big, fat yay! Go if you have a couple of hours to sit, chill and have good conversations, and not if are on the eat-and-run mode. Orders take time, presumably because everything is made fresh. If there is one flaw in the otherwise perfect setup, it's the fact that Bella Ciao is not reeealllyy on the beach, and you don't have a view. You have to take the beach road to get there but then you turn in a little bit, and really can't hear the beautiful crashing of waves of the sea. Well, you can never really have everything, can you? Sigh!