A new Italian restaurant is coming to downtown Macon. La Bella Vita co-owner Donny Barnes says he and the other co-owner, Vincent Kelly, plan to open the spot at 347 Cotton Ave on May 1. This is Barnes’ first restaurant venture, but he says Kelly has his hands in Fatty’s Pizza -- a Macon pizza restaurant franchise. The Alabama native moved to Central Georgia about a year and a half ago.

“We are very excited,” Barnes said. “One thing that we’ve talked about for a long time, it’s something that we felt downtown Macon needed was an Italian restaurant. Something, you know, locally owned that puts their customers first.” Barnes says they’ve been in the process of establishing La Bella Vita for the last month and a half. They've been working on renovations, hiring staff, and organizing the menu at what he calls a “prime location” right across from Fatty’s Pizza.