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Nuova Italia, the downtown St. Charles restaurant operating in a historic church since 2011, will undergo a transformation now that it’s under new ownership.
City Council approved a Class B-1 liquor license with a 2AM late-night permit Monday for CMI Charles LLC. The group is taking over the 18 N. 4th St. space and plans to open a new restaurant called Tranita.
Here's what to know:
New owners, similar concept: Police Chief Daniel Likens told council the new ownership group plans to operate "substantially similar" to Nuova Italia, continuing as an Italian restaurant. The building itself sold to new owners and will be leased back to the group opening Tranita.
Some downtime expected: The new owners still need to complete remodel work and obtain their state liquor license before reopening, meaning Tranita won't open immediately.
The next chapter: According to Nuova Italia’s website, Antonio Lettieri was the restauranteur behind the business. A trained sommelier born in Italy who got his start in restaurants at age 14 in Munich, he started a 17-restaurant chain in Germany between 1985 and 2000 before eventually settling in the Chicago area. He opened Nuova Italia in St. Charles in 2011, after first opening a location in Addison in 2007.
According to the St. Charles History Museum, the Gothic Revival style church building was built in 1851 as the first Roman Catholic church in St. Charles. The building was used as a church until 1912 and St. Patrick School classrooms until 1950, then sat vacant until 1974 when it was redeveloped into the Old Church Inn restaurant.
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