Italian-born Maria Vilella feels right at home in her new La Bella Apulia Gourmet Market & Apericena in historic Naples. La Bella is so homey and comfortable that people may feel as if they should be bringing host Vilella a bottle of wine or a bouquet of flowers when they dine there as her guest.
“Everybody says it feels like being home, so they like that,” Vilella said. “It’s cozy.” La Bella Apulia opened Tuesday in the rustic Shoppes at Dockside, formerly Dockside Boardwalk, at 1100 Sixth Ave. S., in Old Naples. “I changed everything. I built the kitchen. I did everything,” Vilella said.