Ports of Italy reopens in Maine, signaling coastal tourism season

Ports of Italy is back on Maine’s coastal calendar Thursday, April 16, when its season kickoff brings dinner service back at 4:30 p.m. in Boothbay Harbor. The reopening has the feel of a small community event as much as a restaurant update, because the house-made pasta, local seafood and steady wine list have made the room a spring marker for Midcoast diners and visitors heading into tourism season.

The draw is not just the label. Ports of Italy’s Boothbay Harbor location at 47 Commercial Street says reservations are recommended, and the restaurant books through Resy, a practical signal that tables move quickly once the season starts. The menu leans into the details that matter most to pasta regulars: homemade pasta, homemade ravioli, bread, focaccia and desserts made daily with free-range eggs. The Boothbay Harbor page also points diners toward traditional Italian cooking built around fresh ingredients, local seafood and a curated wine list.

That reputation rests on a long personal arc. Sante Calandri began working in a kitchen at 13 in Trevi, Italy, at Il Cochetto, then cooked in Rome before moving to the United States at 24 and building a career in New York City. He bought Ports of Italy in 2010, and the restaurant has since grown into a Maine brand with a second location in Rockport, at 141 Commercial Street. A Maine profile says the business is now managed by his son, Ariel Calandri, giving the operation a clear family line behind the front door.

Chef Fabrizio Ventricini works alongside Calandri, and the kitchen’s pitch has stayed focused on simple, honest, flavorful Italian cooking rather than seasonal gimmicks. That continuity is part of why the reopening lands with more weight than a standard spring rollout. The same pasta-first identity that built the restaurant’s reputation is what carries it back into the busy months ahead.

The timing also fits Maine’s broader visitor economy. Maine’s tourism office says tourism protects and creates jobs, boosts the state economy and supports amenities for visitors and residents. The state reported 14.8 million visitors in 2024, with those travelers spending more than $9.2 billion and supporting 115,900 jobs. In that context, Ports of Italy’s return is one more sign that the coastal dining season is turning on, and that Boothbay Harbor is ready for the rush.