In the heart of Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia, the restaurant/pizzeria “Bella Italia” confirms the Platinum level of certification ITA0039 by Asacert, guaranteeing its authenticity and 100% Made in Italy brand quality.
The upgrade took place after a new audit conducted – one year after the first certification, as required by the Protocol – by an ASACERT inspector, a certification, inspection, evaluation and training body, creator of the ITA0039 | 100% Italian Taste Certification system.
The story of Bella Italia begins with the desire of partners Andrea Dazzi (restaurant manager) and Nicolò Gentile (chef), who opened the restaurant in Australia five years ago. We asked them to tell us their story.
Tell us your story: how did the idea for the restaurant come about?
“We always dreamed of opening an Italian restaurant, since we both came from cooking in Italy. Andrea worked as a restaurateur in Sicily, in the Taormina area, while I worked as a baker and pastry chef in the Como area. Our idea is to do everything in the most traditional way possible and to make sure that once you enter Bella Italia, the customer feels like they are in the Bel Paese. It’s not just cooking: we have photos of Italian places in the restaurant and we talk to customers a lot.”
What kind of cuisine do you offer?
“We do simple and traditional cuisine. People really appreciate arancini, Lasagna, tagliatelle with Bolognese meat sauce (strictly from specifications), pizza and Tiramisu. After five years I decided to include Carbonara (without cream, of course), accompanied by the other greats of Roman cuisine: cacio e pepe and Amatriciana. However, there is no shortage of awards: we were two-time winners of the award for best pizza in Newcastle and best restaurant in the Hunter area. For ingredients, we work mainly with Inalca, of the Cremonini group.”
What do you think is the secret of the worldwide success of Italian cuisine?
“The secret of Italian cuisine in the world I think is dedication. We cook out of passion as well as profession. We respect the timing of recipes, we love what we do. I think it is related to Italian culture. Abroad we realize it more: here there is no such thing as Sunday gravy, homemade preserves, or the beauty of sitting at the table.”
Is there any advice you would give to tourists choosing an Italian restaurant abroad?
“The advice to tourists choosing an Italian restaurant abroad is to go to restaurants run by Italians. Here we have often fought with the ignorance of some customers, who are convinced they know Italian cuisine because of people speculating behind the back of our culinary tradition. For example, there are people here who sell Spanish Chorizo cut into cubes and pass it off as ‘nduja from Calabria. This is one of the reasons why we chose to certify with ITA0039.”
Describe three reasons why a customer should enter your restaurant.
“Cleanliness, professionalism and traditional Italian cuisine made with Italian ingredients.”
ITA0039 certification recognizes the fundamental value of food as Italian cultural heritage, representing a deep connection to local history, traditions and economies. It is based on intentional simplicity, process transparency and carefully selected criteria through a technical approach of the certifying body.
Thus, the “Bella Italia” restaurant is confirmed not only as a place to enjoy authentic Italian delicacies, but also as an ambassador of the Italian culinary tradition in the international gastronomic scene.
