La Locanda Restaurant Bar Pizzeria

Francesco Cavalletti and Massimo Fortunato opened their “little bambino” – a cozy, picturesque, 60-seat Italian trattoria called La Locanda – as a true labor of amore. “Our local friends wanted ab alternative to the trendy spots on OCEAN DRIVE and Lincoln Road”, explains, Cavalletti, 31, an undefeated professional boxer who once had a promotional contact with Don King. “At La Locanda, you can eat your shimp tagliolini, drink your Chianti, hear some Frank Sinatra and feel at home.” Naples, Italy – born Fortunato, 32, spent four years as a military officer in the Italian Army and owned to restaurants in New York City before the “sun, sand and colors” of a South Beach vacation roused him (and his business partner Roberto Lopez, now La Locanda’s chef) to relocate in 2002. Soon after, a chance introduction to Cavalletti in Miami revealed shared restaurateur visions and entrepreneurial spirits, and the idea for La Locanda – a rest stop for horseback-riding travelers in medieval Italy – was born.