A POPULAR Dunfermline eatery has said arrivederci after it closed its doors following a move into new ownership.

Ciao Italia, on Nethertown Broad Street, shut today (Monday) after its acquisition by former head chef, Fabio Teti, and his parents Silvana and Giuseppe.

But, in good news for pizza and pasta lovers, its closure is merely temporary as it is set to re-open as a new restaurant, Casa Mia, next month when a revamp of the premises is completed.

Last January, the Press reported that Ciao Italia's then owners, M Crolla & Sons Ltd, Ciao Italia, had put the business up for sale to focus on their five other food operations, but a change of heart just three months later saw them commit to staying open.

However, it will be now taken on by the Teti family under a new name – which means 'my house' in Italian – that will showcase cuisine from their home region of Campania, which has Naples as its capital and is known for its fresh seafood and the most of famous of the country's pizzas, the Neapolitan.

Fabio, who is retaining staff from Ciao Italia for his new venture, is set to source many ingredients for Casa Mia's dishes from a supplier in his home town of Alife - close to the coastal holiday spot of Amalfi - and bring traditional, home cooking and family favourites to West Fifers.

"My parents and I are excited about running this business together as we can put our own stamp on it," he explained.

"We thought why not cook like we cook at home? The name 'Casa Mia' says it all - the restaurant is a representation of what we like to eat ourselves as a family.

"We are now going to be sharing our unique food heritage with our customers old and new."

Central to the menu will be a wide choice of authentic stone baked pizza, courtesy of a bespoke pizza oven specially made for the restaurant, and meat and fish specials that will change on a weekly basis.

He continued: "Our catchphrase is Casa Mia – A Lively Italian Food Experience.

"We are really pleased with it – it sums up what we are all about in terms of the authentic Italian food we are now offering. We wanted to reference Alife, as it obviously holds a special place in our hearts, being our home town, and we are using specialist food suppliers from Alife to provide us with pasta and various other quality ingredients."

For more information on Casa Mia, which will hold an opening launch night early next month to showcase its new look and menu, visit www.casamiadunfermline.co.uk.