Maria Furetta and family have been in the restaurant business for only 15 years but the love and enjoyment of food has been shared for decades. Maria came to the United States with her family from Italy in 1972. Maria grew up in Florence and is one of six siblings. She comes from a close knit family and as a child demonstrated her talents in the kitchen as the family cook. When food was scarce, it was Maria’s creativity in the kitchen that led her to put simple and tasteful meals together with just the basic ingredients. The simplicity of her recipes would later become the cornerstone of success for the menu in her restaurants. Maria is known by her friends to have a lively personality with hands on involvement in all aspects of the restaurant business. During her 20 year career as a stay at home mom in northern New Jersey, Maria’s home was always full of friends and neighbors gathered around the kitchen table. It was after a demanding time in her life that she accepted a challenge to follow her dream and realize her passion for cooking. In 1991, with lots of encouragement from family and friends, she opened a small 15 table restaurant in Englewood, New Jersey called Buongustaio. Success was immediate and within five years she opened a second location in Naples, Florida. In 1995, Maria opened Buongustaio on 5th Avenue South in Naples. Within the past 10 years, Buongustaio has evolved from a small trattoria style restaurant to an upscale fine dining establishment with two indoor dining areas, an ample outdoor patio, a full Martini bar and a name change from Buongustaio to Bellini on Fifth. In 1998 Maria’s children, Massimo and Stefania, also migrated to Florida to take part in the family business. Massimo, a graduate in Finance from Boston University lives in Naples and has two children, Nicholas and Gabrielle. Stefania, a graduate in Public Relations from Boston University also lives in Naples with husband, Stephen and has three children, Francesca, Massimo Jr. and Alessandro. Massimo manages the front of the house, Stephen is Bellini’s bartender extraordinaire and Stefania runs the administrative aspects of the business. Through the restaurant, the tradition of authentic Italian recipes continues to be passed down to her grandchildren as well as the ability to gather around a table and savor great Italian food with lots of Italian spoken. Because of the recent overwhelming growth in Naples, it is becoming increasingly difficult to find a true Italian restaurant run by a family where all the customers are treated as friends. We invite you to become a part of our family for one night and you will be sure to eat well, laugh a great deal and enjoy the elegant simplicity of authentic Italian food.