Architectural elements of Venice stand at the showcase entrance, including the Doge’s Palace with elegant decoration, and a scaled-down version of the Campanile (bell tower) of St. Mark’s Square.

Complementing these buildings are Venetian bridges, gondolas, colorful barber poles and a sculpture of the Lion of St. Mark atop a column.

The promenade paving is patterned after St. Mark’s. Other buildings are composites of architecture found throughout Italy.

L’Originale Alfredo di Roma Ristorante is reminiscent of the Florentine style; the stairway and portico adjoining the Doge’s Palace are typical of Verona; and the town hall overlooking the promenade is reflective of Northern Italy.

The garden wall enclosing the piazza is typical of Rome and Florence. Sculptures include a heroic version of Bernini’s Neptune Fountain, based on the original in Florence and the Fountain of Trevi in Rome.

One of the most interesting parts of this area is the forced perspective that is created. While most of the others are closed in a horseshoe shape, the Italy pavilion is open in the rear, drawing your eyes to the Italian cypress trees in the background. This architectural sleight of hand, along with the help of carefully planned landscaping, tricks the eye into believing the area is larger than it really is.

Container gardens bring the architecture to life here. Grapevines on the trellis and near the statue in the rear further enhance the Italy theme. Olive trees also can be found just outside of the Delizie Italiane, but no fruit is produced by these trees because of Florida’s humidity. Near the gondolas, citrus and kumquat trees are planted to represent the Mediterranean region of Italy.

Dining

"I can make peace between nations, just with my fettuccine," insisted Alfredo DiLelio. L'Originale Alfredo di Roma Ristorante at Epcot, under the supervision of longtime DiLelio family associate Guido Bellanca, serves le originali fettuccine all'Alfredo according to the family recipe.

"We're using fresh pasta made on the premises and the same brand of Parmesan cheese imported from Reggio Emillia we've used for more than 50 years," says Bellanca. The pasta-making process is on view behind large windows looking into an area of the restaurant's Italian-tiled kitchen.

Decorated in the warm earth tones characteristic of Florence and Siena, Alfredo's red-brown walls and deeply upholstered armchairs create an inviting atmosphere in which to sample pasta specialties such as trenette al pesto Genovese (imported linguine with Alfredo's pesto sauce), scaloppine con funghi selvatici (veal sautéed with demiglace, wine sauce and wild mushrooms) and ziti alla Mediterranean (ziti with fresh mozzarella, Sicilian olives and fresh tomatoes).

Shopping

Il Bel Cristallo offers fine leather purses and wallets, silk scarfs and ties, Gucci, Armani, Dolce e Gabbana Perfumes, Giuseppe Armani ceramic figurines, Venetian glass jewelry, and gold and silver jewelry.

La Bottega offers Florentine desktop products, Venetian masks and crystals, and a selection of wines, books and chocolates.

Type - pavilion

Tips
Look for the gondolas moored in the lagoon.

Facts/History
One of the statues on top of the columns at the square's entrance shows Theodore and the Dragon. The other statue is of the Lion of St Mark, protector of the city of Venice.