Nestled beside the Ink Block apartments in the South End, coastal Italian restaurant Bar Mezzana is the kind of neighborhood restaurant everyone wishes they lived close enough to walk to. “This area we’re in all used to be under water, so our menu really invokes the ocean and the coast,” said Heather Lynch, who owns Bar Mezzana along with her husband, Chef Colin Lynch, a Barbara Lynch Gruppo alum (no relation).

Lynch said that the food at Bar Mezzana is meant to easily lend itself to grazing and snacking. “You really can have a picnic at the bar if you want to,” she said. “Have an arancini! Order a couple of glasses of wine!”On their days off in the warmer months, the couple is known to pick up some Italian munitions and head out for a full-day picnic outside. Here are some of Heather Lynch’s tips to plan your own Italian picnic in the city this summer.