Romantic Dining Surrounded by Antiques and Vintage China

Welcome to the 371st Tablescape Thursday!

Good Morning! Hope your day is off to an awesome start! I have a fun Halloween craft I’ll be sharing tomorrow, something I’ve been wanting to make for a while. I think it will put a smile on your face. It’s one you can do for yourself or share with your children or grandchildren.

Last week for Tablescape Thursday, I shared a beautiful table from one of the lovely restaurants we ate in while on a tour of Italy. The restaurant was Antico Francischiello located in Massalubrense, very close to Sorrento.

Dining In Italy 1

 

This dinner really stood out from the others because each course was served on beautiful dishware, a different china pattern for each course!

Dining In Italy 3

 

You never see this done in restaurants, or at least I never have.

Dining In Italy 4

 

Thanks to everyone last week who tried to help with identifying the various china pattern used for this dinner.

Dining In Italy 5

 

You’ll find the suggested patterns in the comments on that post here: A 4-Course Meal with 2 Desserts

Dining In Italy 6

 

For this week’s Tablescape Thursday, I wanted to take you through the other areas of this delightful restaurant. Just as dining on different china patterns was such a wonderfully unique experience in dining out, walking into and through this restaurant was a charming experience, as well.

When we entered the front door, this was what we saw in the center of the room. I was completely enchanted by all the swan planters, I could not quit gawking at them! Aren’t they beautiful! I wonder how they keep all these plants alive with so little available sunlight. It must be a houseplant that doesn’t require a lot of light.

Romantic Dining in Italy 13

 

It was surrounded by these lovelies…yum!

Romantic Dining in Italy 16

 

I loved the wood ceiling. The walls were covered with beautiful art and vintage dishware.

Romantic Dining in Italy 18

 

You can tell that one of the owners must be a lover of vintage china because it was displayed everywhere. I wondered if it might be for sale, but I didn’t see any price tags, so I think it’s their personal collection.

Romantic Dining in Italy 14

 

I don’t think this is where they actually prepared our meals but I wonder if it’s a place they teach classes. I never saw anyone to ask. I’m going to see if I can find out more about this restaurant.

Romantic Dining in Italy 15

 

A bar, probably for use when they host events here.

Romantic Dining in Italy 17

 

Another view of the old kitchen area and the vintage china collection.

Romantic Dining in Italy 12

 

Romantic Dining in Italy 04

 

This was one of the dining areas inside the restaurant. We didn’t eat here but were seated in another area of the restaurant.

Romantic Dining in Italy 01

 

Sooo pretty! I love the color of the walls and how perfectly it matches the tablecloths and napkins.

Romantic Dining in Italy 02

 

Wouldn’t this be perfect for a Ladies’s Tea or a Bridal Shower?

Romantic Dining in Italy 03

 

There was so much to see, it was hard to take it all in.

Romantic Dining in Italy 05

 

More art to enjoy…

Romantic Dining in Italy 08

 

Romantic Dining in Italy 07

 

Romantic Dining in Italy 06

 

I wish we had been able to meet the owners and hear the story behind this collection.

Romantic Dining in Italy 09

 

It was a lovely dinner and highly recommend this restaurant if you are ever in that area of Italy.

Romantic Dining in Italy 02

 

Looking forward to seeing all the beautiful tables posted for this Tablescape Thursday!

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Comments

  1. Rushing out the door for an appointment, but I will be back to take this all in. Amazing!!!! I would love to dine at this restaurant.

  2. Gorgeous Susan! What a cozy setting and I love those peach covered tables! What a fantastic collection of dishes too!

  3. Wow! This place just gets better and better. So much beauty to see. I’m not sure I’d be able to eat much, because I’d be gawking at all of the collections. I love the table when you walked in, with the swans in a circle and food under cloches. I think I might need to open a restaurant, so I can display some of my collections, since I have no more room in my house. Of course, the cooking might be a problem. Thanks for hosting.

    • Hi Laurie,
      there is an idea for you: I have heard that in Bucharest, Romania, there are 2 places where people can come and meet friends (instead of inviting them at home). They only pay a certain fee for the time they stay there (I think they are billed for every “chunk” of 30 minutes). There are tables and chairs, just like a restaurant, and people can even bring their own food and drinks. Those places also serve tea and coffee, if you want (for which you pay extra). So if you could provide a lovely place, without cooking and with all your collections… wow! I think these types of places also exist in other countries. Anyway, I loved the idea!
      Now I’m going to do some sleuthing and find out what’s the name of this gorgeous restaurant!

  4. Wow…do “they” know how to whet the visual palate!! franki

  5. Wow Susan- there’s so much eye candy here! There’s a lot to be absorbed so I will look back a few times. It is nice how they kept a cohesive look with all the peach on the walls and dining tables. I think it allows you to see the decorative elements better- not too busy.

  6. Oh, Susan, this restaurant is a tablescaper’s dream! I wouldn’t be able to order or eat, I’d be so busy looking at the beauty and variety of china all around the space! Exquisite setting (the the wall and linen colors). Lovely, lovely, lovely. Thank you for sharing this…..Rosie @ The Magic Hutch

  7. Most restaurants don’t use good china because restaurant use is murder on your crockery. The dishwashing machines will take the pattern right off of it. Plus, quite a lot is lost through breakage. So whoever is washing dishes must be doing it by hand. And the wait staff would have to be extra careful too. It must be family run, and the matriarch/collector/owner has a firm hand on her things. Heck to pay if you break it!

    • That’s an excellent point! I wonder if they use reproduction dishware to serve on. Like for example, my Blue Willow that I use for everyday was super inexpensive. It’s by Churchill and I bought it in Publix Grocery Store Each time I spent something like $30 for groceries, you were allowed to purchase a dinner plate with a cup/saucer for $2.50. All the other matching pieces (salad, butter dish, bowls, etc…) were also super cheap. The dinner plate they served us on reminds me of a pattern that was reproduced again a while back again, another reproduction of an older pattern. I should have held each plate up in the air to read the bottom but hated to do that surrounded by my fellow tour goers. lol

  8. You have a great blog and I love following it. If I ever go to Italy, I will certainly go to this beautiful restaurant.
    I am sharing my “Halloween Tea”. I am new at Tablescape setting and photography. I need practice LOL.
    Thanks for hosting a great party. Thelma xo

  9. That restaurant is so charming. I would love to just spend hours looking at all of the china. I’ll bet the food was great too! I love hearing about your trip, you visited so many interesting out of the way places. Cant’ wait to see the rest of the pictures. Happy Halloween!

  10. Linda Louise S. says

    I do love the peach color on the walls. I have loved it for a long time ever since I put almost the same color on my walls. It’s so warm and inviting. I would love to visit this restaurant if I go to Italy and am looking forward to finding out the name. Sounds and looks like you had a wonderful trip.

    • Linda, I just heard back from our program director and the restaurant’s name is Antico Francischiello. It has great reviews onlined and I’m not surprised. Food was excellent! It’s located in Massalubrense, a town very close to Sorrento.

  11. I would love to go to that testaurant, Susan, and I don’t even have to eat. How pretty! Love the kitchen!…Christine

  12. What a lovely spot! I agree, those swan planters are fabulous. I adore the different patterns used for different courses. How fun is that? I may have to incorporate that into my holiday meals – so I can use all my different dishes – haha!
    Thanks for hosting this great party!

  13. What a charming spot! I could happily have many, many dinners there. I don’t know about you, but I was so impressed with Italian cuisine. I found it much more refined than the American version and like much of Europe, I never felt rushed, but was encouraged to enjoy a long and leisurely meal. Thank you for sharing your photos with us. I so enjoyed this post ~ especially all the wonderful dishes!

    Big Texas Hugs,
    Susan and Bentley

  14. What a delightful place…Too bad we were never taken to that restaurant when we were in that area! I would have done just what you did…

    The plants in the swan planters are anthuriums and although they are tropical and need semi-shade or shady, humid places to grow, they do well as houseplants when kept moist (not too wet or they rot) – I have some growing in my yard.

    Anthuriums come in different colors and sizes…I visited a nursery just outside Hilo where hundreds of varieties are grown. A must visit when coming to Hilo.

  15. Everything is so lovely!!! I loved seeing all the photographs of the trip and can’t wait for more. Thanks for taking us along!!
    The plants in the swan planters are Anthuriums.

  16. This restaurant is huge and that classroom kitchen, oh my! Thank you for hosting and have a wonderful week!

  17. Thank you so much for the party Susan! So many fun Halloween tablescapes I can’t wait to check them out for some ideas for Saturday:). Have a fun weekend, take care, Tara

  18. Susan, this is an unusual restaurant with all the beautiful artwork, pottery, and copper. It must be someone’s collections and passion. I remember Nancy @ Nancy’s Daily Dish supplied a hotel in Los Vegas with vintage transferware. Can you imagine? Don’t recall the the name.
    Thanks for sharing this interesting experience. I’ll look for the update.

  19. What an enchanting restaurant, yes someone loves vintage china! Thanks for another tablescape Thursday Susan, I don’t know how you keep up with it during your travels!

  20. Linda Page says

    Susan, you are NOT going to believe this. Go to the two pictures of the kitchen and the antique dishes. On the main shelf, in the middle, is a huge white & mauve teapot. The first picture shows it from the side and the 2nd picture shows it from the spout to the handle. I have this same huge teapot (kettle). My mom brought it to me in 1968 from England. It is made by Spode. I can’t remember how old it was when she bought it but I am sure that it was fairly old as she only bought antique pieces except for some Wedgewood pieces. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I spotted the teapot in your picture! How cool is that!?!?

  21. pam ~ crumpety cottage says

    What a beautiful and cozy restaurant! So charming. I’d love to dine there. So many interesting things to see, I’d be looking all around all night.

    I hope you’ll also tell us about your ‘home’ meal some time. That sounded intriguing when you spoke of it before the trip.

    • It was great! The host family was so nice. They didn’t speak much English but you could tell they understood it quite well. Our Program Director went with us so he was able to translate. The food was really good and we were stuffed! We had a little excitement. They had a fish tank with a large fish in it and somehow, during the meal, he went inside a big boat that was inside the tank, and got stuck. He actually threw the boat (with himself in it) up about two feet into the air inside the tank…I guess trying to extricate himself from the boat. It didn’t work so the family had to get something to break the boat apart. I was so anxious the whole time they were trying to rescue him, worried he wasn’t going to be okay. I can’t stand the thought of any animal hurting or suffering. I couldn’t watch while they worked on the boat to get him out. They finally got him out and he swam up a storm while we were there, obviously completely fine. So it had a happy ending. 🙂

      • pam ~ crumpety cottage says

        Oh my gosh! That’s crazy. Glad he was okay. What an experience! And on top of their worry over the fish, they must have been extra stressed to have it happen on a night when they had a house full of tourists for dinner!

  22. Ladies Tea in the pink room–sign me up!!

  23. They sure do have a lot of lovely china! Lots to see!

  24. Mary Davis says

    Love all the different china! What a wonderful idea to change patterns with each course. We had lunch at a restaurant in Sorrento also that had the most fabulous food! Wish I knew the name of it. I took several pictures of it ( so beautiful). Looked like a sunroom with all the beautiful plants and ferns, etc. Also beautiful table linens/china. Love that part of Italy!

  25. Susan and company, these plates came out when the stores did the Italian Cooking visuals. Even without having the people on the plates, I think they are really similar. (And they are on sale.)

    http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/heirloom-dinnerware-collection-dhalia/?cm_src=AutoSchRel

    • Those are sooo pretty!

      • Since I picked up all my plates and most of the decor for the fall/thanksgiving tablescape, I can now concentrate on that one tartan pic you posted with these black plates. I even picked up one of those black crows on sale last night. He’s all wrapped up and ready to make his debut next October.

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