Despite growing up in Naples, Italy, Pasquale Illiano didn't start making pizza until he moved to America. He grew up around food, helping his father, who was a chef, in his restaurant kitchen washing dishes, preparing ingredients and whatever else needed to be done. In 2017, he moved from Italy to Charlotte and began working at Enrico's, an Italian restaurant and pizzeria, where he learned to make pizza. 

Last year, after he and his wife had a baby, they moved to Fayetteville to be closer to his wife's family. On Nov. 16, Illiano opened Capri Italian Restaurant & Pizzeria at 2734 Bragg Blvd. in the Eutaw Shopping Center. The space had been home to a few other pizzerias, most recently Slice of Italy, which opened in May 2020, and Tim's Pizza Place before that.