Italian restaurant Ciao Bella to close in Hewlett

Ciao Bella, the cozy Italian trattoria on Broadway in Hewlett, is closing on Aug. 13. Owner Freddy Sammarone announced on Facebook that he and his wife, Dina, “have decided that it is time to say goodbye.”

This week, dinner will be served only on Thursday and Friday; next week, dinner only on Friday and Saturday. On those last two evenings, there will be a set menu, “no ordering, and plenty of wine.”

Sammarone said that the price should be around $50 for each person.

Ciao Bella first opened in 2008 in Valley Stream right under an LIRR trestle. The small dining room featured one of the trestle’s support columns and, on occasion, the rumble of a passing train.

A landlord dispute forced the restaurant to close. It reopened in Hewlett in 2012 and received two stars from Peter M. Gianotti, who praised its straightforward Italian and Italian-American cooking and particularly the lemon chicken.