Imagine for a moment the many activities that could follow a successful 42-year career in medicine, a career that started in New York and wound up serving the U.S. embassy staff in Rome, Italy. Was your first thought to open a 24-seat wine and coffee bar in Cape Charles?

That’s exactly what retired gynecologist Paul Caciula, and his wife, Josephine Santoro, also a retired gynecologist, opened in November. Their unlikely path to owning Pane E Vino included an earthquake, a leading Italian cooking school, ownership of a hotel and 80-seat restaurant, and a black-and-white, cocker spaniel named, Birillo, which translates as “Bowling Pin.”