Restaurateur-sommelier Joe Campanale and chef Erin Shambura, both late of L’Artusi, had been searching earlier this year for the perfect Brooklyn location to open their own place. Then came the call from Francine Stephens, with the shocker that she and her husband, Andrew Feinberg, would be closing local landmark Franny’s, and did they want the space?

Being longtime Franny’s regulars and fans, they did, to put it mildly. And after hiring HOME Studios to redesign the premises with Venetian-plastered walls, a travertine-and-marble bar, and terrazzo-inlaid tables, they have transformed it into Fausto, a restaurant that celebrates (mostly) Italian wine and regional Italian food made with local, seasonal ingredients.