Italian chef and entrepreneur Enzo Rosano has opened his sixth Locanda restaurant in the Bay Area, and it’s his first in San Jose.

Locanda Ischia — all of the names are followed by a destination — is located on the Lincoln Avenue restaurant row in Willow Glen. Ischia (pronounced ees-KEE-ah) is named for an island off Naples.

Rosano and team took over and renovated the space that another Italian restaurant, Vin Santo, had occupied for years. It’s now freshly painted and decorated in Amalfi Coast shades of blue and yellow,

Locanda Ischia, newly opened in Willow Glen, has been redecorated to evoke the Amalfi Coast. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group) 

Manager-partner Annalisa Luongo, a Rosano niece, and chef Marcello Zasso came here from the Locanda Sorrento in Campbell. Both have roots in the Naples region.

Already, Luongo says, Willow Glen customers have made the Wrong Scarpariello entree a favorite. (Why wrong? The original chicken recipe doesn’t have burrata like the version here.) The Carbonara Ravioli, a creative spin with the carbonara components encased in pasta, is also a hit.

“The idea is to be contemporary Italian but still keep the traditions,” she explains.

Chef Zasso has been adding other innovative touches. His first two appetizer creations are offered only at this location.

This savory dish, called Broken Cannolo. features cannoli shells with fresh ricotta, mortadella, .pistachio cream and pistachios. (Linda Zavoral/Bay Area News Group) 

One is Broken Cannolo, a savory twist on the dessert in which Zasso trades sweet ingredients for ricotta, mortadella, pistachio cream and pistachios. A drizzle of balsamic vinegar completes the dish.

The other is the Zingarella, a riff on a sandwich famous back in his home. Zasso grills focaccia, then tops it with prosciutto aged for 24 months, fresh burrata, confit tomatoes and basil, with a touch of saffron aioli.

At Locanda Ischia, like the other restaurants, a number of dishes share the family legacy: Mamma Carmella’s touch. Her recipes are showcased in Polpette Della Mamma and Lasagne Della Mamma.

Locanda Ischia is now open on Lincoln Avenue in San Jose. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group) 

One of Carmella’s nine children, Rosano grew up cooking with his mother in a town just outside Naples. He attended culinary school, then worked in Italy and London before heading to California and getting into the restaurant business.

For years, he’s been broadening his Bay Area restaurant empire at a rapid clip. In 2008, he opened Acqua Pazza in San Mateo.

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Next came his “locanda” eateries based on the Italian concept of hospitality. First there was Locanda Positano in San Carlos in 2011, then Locanda Ravello in Danville, a Positano move to Lafayette, a Locanda Amalfi in Pleasanton, a Locanda Wine Bar in Livermore, Locanda Sorrento in Campbell in 2022 and Locanda Capri in Brentwood in late 2023.

Details: Open six days a week at 4 p.m. for dinner (closed Mondays) at 1346 Lincoln Ave. San Jose; www.locandarestaurants.com