A new café and shop, VV The Italian Experience, opened in April on Mt. Lookout Square, promising to dish up an authentic Italian experience in the Queen City. Owners and husband-and-wife team Melissa and Andrea De Giorgi moved from Italy to Cincinnati eight years ago and always knew they wanted to honor their homeland in their new country. 

"As Italians, we just love our country, our food, our traditions, our culture," Melissa De Giorgi told CityBeat. "So, we tried to bring some of Italy with us." Opening a restaurant was a natural next step to bring their vision to life and pass on their Italian traditions. "This was our dream to create a place as Italians, as we used to do and enjoy in Italy," said Melissa.