So, dear restaurant-loving readers, my ever-forward quest for real-deal Italian food took me to the dreaded Carlisle Pike, that over-trafficked highway stretch of mercantilism just west of Harrisburg. And, more than that, to a strip mall along said stretch. Such is the strength of my commitment to the culinary joys of Italia. Because in the strip mall, across the pike from a Denny’s, is La Bella Sicilia, an Italian bakery that opened in 2020, and earlier this year also became a dine-in bistro.

The décor, as you might imagine, is simple. It’s a bakery. There are two-top, white enamel tables with chairs along one long wall by a pastry case. There are larger tables for larger parties in a back room. There are outside tables for warmer weather, though, sadly, with a view and noise of the aforementioned Carlisle Pike.