About – BellaItalia

Our Story

BellaItalia is the trattoria Marco Russo and Elena Tsironi-Russo opened in October 2017 on Plastira Square in Pagrati, with a wood-fired oven shipped from Acunto in Sant'Antonio Abate, a recipe book that started in Marco's nonna's kitchen in Materdei, and a daughter named Sofia who was one year old at the time. We make the food we eat at home — pasta rolled every morning, pizza certified by the AVPN, sauces simmered for hours, and wine from people we know by name.

Timeline

2009

Marco and Elena meet in a panino queue in Trastevere

2014

They move to Athens with daughter Sofia

2015

Elena gets her AIS sommelier diploma in Rome

2017

BellaItalia opens on Plastira Square (October)

2018

Marco earns AVPN certification no. 802

2019

Giulia De Luca joins as pasta chef

2022

Listed in Lifo "Top 25 Italian tables"

2026

Sala Materdei private room opens (back of house)

Awards / Press

AthinoramaLifoOlive MagazineTime Out Athens

What We Stand For

Hospitality

A great evening is more than a great plate. We sweat the welcome too.

Honest sourcing

We publish where every ingredient comes from. Nothing to hide on the plate.

Skilled craft

Our chefs train every week. Standards do not stay still in this kitchen.

The four people behind the trattoria.

Marco Russo

Pizzaiolo & Co-Founder

Naples-born, AVPN-certified. Fires the oven at 5pm, finishes service at 12.30am, opens it again at 4am for a fresh batch of dough.

Elena Tsironi-Russo

Sommelier & Co-Founder

Pagrati-born, runs the floor and the cellar. Holds the AIS Italian sommelier diploma (Roma, 2014).

Giulia De Luca

Pasta Chef

From Bologna. Rolls every shape we serve. Will explain Bolognese to you with diagrams.

Stefanos Markou

Chef de Cuisine

Came up at Spondi and Hytra. Joined in 2021 to run secondi and antipasti. Quietly excellent.

Ready to work with us?

Get in touch and let's talk.

Contact us

Una famiglia. Un forno. Un quartiere