Locanda Amalfi, an Italian restaurant in downtown Pleasanton, opened this month to Tri-Valley diners. The Neapolitan restaurant at 349 Main St. offers diners the "true Italian experience," said owner Enzo Rosana, who was raised near the Italian city of Naples.

Rosana's mother, founder Mama Carmela, is among those working behind the scenes in the kitchen. She's the mastermind behind menu items such as meatballs and lasagna, while the Naples-born pizza chef serves up authentic Neapolitan thin-crust pizza, he said.