The Lutgert Companies today announced the grand opening of Piola at The Mercato in Naples, Florida. The contemporary Italian pizzeria is among the latest of several new restaurants, national retailers and specialty stores to open in the premier lifestyle center at the intersection of U.S. 41 North and Vanderbilt Beach Road.

Founded in Treviso, Italy in 1986, Piola currently operates five pizzeria locations in the United States - New York, Miami, Miami Beach, Hallandale Beach and Washington, D.C. - in addition to locations in Italy, Brazil, Argentina, Chile and Mexico. There are plans to open future locations in the midtown section of Atlanta and in Istanbul, Turkey.

“We are very happy to open our first location on the Gulf Coast of Florida,” said Dante Carniato, one of the two founding brothers of the Piola concept. “We look forward to serving our new customers in Southwest Florida with the same attention to quality and service that we have provided now for many years at our other international locations.”

At Piola, the most genuine Italian tradition of simple and delicious food combines cleverly with a contemporary service style and ambiance for the demanding and modern customer. The restaurant’s cuisine is rigorously Italian, specializing in thin-crust, brick oven pizzas prepared with homemade dough and original combinations of the freshest ingredients. Piola also offers a selection of fresh made salads, carpacci and Italian pastas.

Piola is located at 9118 Strada Place, Suite 8170. It is open for lunch and dinner seven days a week. Hours are from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. The telephone number is 239-592-5056.

“We are delighted to announce the grand opening of Piola at The Mercato,” said Dougall McCorkle, Senior Vice President of Commercial Real Estate for The Lutgert Companies. “This contemporary Italian pizzeria fits very well with our mission of bringing together the most exciting national and specialty retailers along with an exceptional collection of well-known restaurants, thereby creating a totally energized main street environment.”

Located on 53 acres at the intersection of U.S. 41 North and Vanderbilt Beach Road, The Mercato is a premier lifestyle community that will offer the finest in condominium living together with the best in shopping dining and entertainment all in one location. The project is a joint venture of The Lutgert Companies and the Barron Collier Companies.

When completed, The Mercato will provide nearly 330,000 square feet of main street-style retail and restaurants, 140,000 square feet of Class A office space and 175 luxury residential units. Convenient deck parking will interconnect to the various buildings.

The Strada, the first Mercato residential community, will be comprised of 92 luxury condominium residences located on the second through fifth floors of two architecturally distinct buildings that overlook the main boulevard. Ranging from just under 1,000 to 2,400 square feet and one to three bedrooms, a total of 10 floor plans are available. Home prices for The Strada at Mercato currently range from the $400s to more than $1 million.

Among the major tenants at The Mercato is Whole Foods Market, the world’s largest natural and organic grocery store, which anchors one end of Main Street. National and specialty retailers include Books-A-Million, Coldwater Creek, Jos. A. Bank Clothiers, Sur La Table, Signatures, Z Gallerie, Swim ‘n Sport and Gigi’s Children’s Boutique.

Among the other restaurants open at The Mercato are The Capital Grille, McCormick & Schmick’s, AZN and The Pub. Work is proceeding on sites for two additional restaurants – Bravo! Italiana Cucina and the Stage Deli – for their first locations in the Naples area.

Professional office tenants include the financial management and investment advisory firm of Merrill Lynch and the local law firms of Porter Wright Morris & Arthur; Salvatori, Wood, Buckel & Weidenmiller; and Wicker, Smith, O’Hara, McCoy & Ford.

Complementing this stylish urban lifestyle will be an 11-screen, 1,300-seat movie theater by Cines Unidos to open this summer. Seats in each auditorium will be numbered so customers can purchase their seat of choice in advance through the box office or online. The theater also will offer fresh food and beverage service through an interior restaurant.

The Mercato also will offer the latest in nightlife entertainment with high energy tenants such as Blue Martini, Florida’s premier martini lounge, which will occupy a ground floor space adjacent to McCormick & Schmick’s. Construction is currently proceeding on the Blue Martini location with an anticipated grand opening of late summer or fall of 2009.

For leasing information, contact Dougall McCorkle, Senior Vice President of Commercial Real Estate for Mercato, at 239-261-6100 or e-mail Dougall@Lutgert.com.