Umberto's opening at former Bellagio Pizzeria in Farmingdale

Breaking Suffolk County pizza news: Umberto's, the venerable Long Island pizza chain, is opening a Farmingdale location at Airport Plaza this fall. The new location is the longtime former home of Bellagio Pizzeria, which moved to nearby Melville Road across from SUNY Farmingdale's campus.

"We are excited to bring the famous Grandma pizza to this new and renovated pizzeria," Umberto Corteo, owner of the ubiquitous pizza dynasty, said. He is shooting for an October opening.

As for Bellagio: Isabelle Caggiano, and her husband, Joel Gullo, whose parents have owned Bellagio in Farmingdale since 2001, were originally planning to close the business. "Essentially, the high rent and the economy in the area made it so that the plan was to close Bellagio and move onto the next chapter," Caggiano said. Then came word of a soon-to-be-vacant pizza shop, Talluci's, that owner Danielle Cataffo was shuttering after nearly a decade.

"My husband and I were planning to buy a house when we found out," Caggiano said. The pair shifted gears and put their savings into rebuilding Bellagio in their own vision. "It just lined up," said Caggiano. "The owner who was selling was looking to close the pizza chapter in her life. And we were looking to put in the work to make it our new chapter."

Caggiano and Gullo, now the new owners of Bellagio Pizzeria on Melville Road, opened quietly in January, but many of their regulars still don’t know that they’ve moved.

"We were open but without the new sign, then we had to get the new logo right, make our dough healthier, and stock more ingredients from Italy — which is harder now because of the tariffs, but we’re working that out, too." Their official last weekend changed all that.

Caggiano appreciates Bellagio’s new environs. "The college [SUNY Farmingdale] has been awesome," she said. "The Italian club came and did a pizza-making class, we’ve hosted preseason pasta lunches with the basketball team." 

Bellagio Pizzeria, 1249 Melville Rd., Farmingdale, 631-777-8282, bellagiopizzali.com; Open Monday through Thursday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Sunday noon to 8 p.m.

Umberto's Farmingdale, opening this fall at 211 Airport Plaza, Farmingdale, umbertosfamily.com

By Marie Elena Martinez

marieelena.martinez@newsday.com@mariesworlds

A global freelancer who has checked her suitcase to raise her young daughter on her native Long Island, Marie Elena will always make time for good mezcal, even better tacos and killer conversation. Preferably, in a corner bar seat. She can be found on Instagram at @mariesworldeats.