A tiny bakery on Smithdown Road is so popular, there's often a huge queue of people lining the street to get in.
Fritto is the passion project of Luca Sanvittore, who spent six years trying to secure the small but mighty space as part of Liverpool City Council's Shops for a Pound scheme. The project aimed to revitalise disused stores by offering them to small business owners for £1 rent per week for three years, and it has helped ensure many independents flourish in the L15 area.
For Luca, it was an arduous and "stressful" process to secure the store, but it's proving worth it. The Milan native, who lives in Toxteth, has been welcomed to the community by his fellow business owners - as well as food lovers keen to sample the delights of authentic Italian creations.
Fritto, which opened in July 2021, is often packed, with huge queues snaking down Smithdown Road. It specialises in authentic Italian street food and baked goods, with an extensive menu that boasts panzerotti, arancini, pizza, focaccia, desserts and more.
Luca, 40, spotted a gap in the market for Italian street food and told the ECHO that in Italy, it's quite common to pop into a "bakery" and purchase a fresh slice of pizza, or other decadent treats to eat on the go. The passionate food lover was keen to bring this practice to Liverpool.
Speaking to the Echo, he said: "In Italy, these places are more like bakeries - it's like a cross between an Italian bakery and a takeaway and there wasn't really anything like this in Liverpool. Here, your takeaways and restaurants are different, there's places to sit down and eat but this is food to go."
Luca used to host "pizza parties" at home, where his friends and family would gather and he'd spoil them with his delicious cooking. Now, he's managed to turn that passion into a business.
He continued: "They [family and friends] are all very happy and proud, they couldn't believe it. It's incredible because I used to invite people over for dinner and pizza parties at home. It's always been my passion to make pizza and invite people over and serve them my food.
"Now, they remember the times I was cooking for them and now they see me with my own business. From a passion - a little thing - it became a business. It feels like it's a dream, I follow my passion and my heart but for people outside, it seems like a bigger thing. It's all part of my journey."
Every morning, Luca makes the delicious pizzas that have secured Fritto's impeccable reputation in the community. His freshly made items are sold by the slice - focaccia, fresh bread and even sandwiches. Luca loves experimenting with new types of flour and flavour combinations, all in a bid to create something different and exciting each week.
It's not been an easy road to make Fritto the successful, beloved spot that's amassed such a dedicated following. Luca said: "Six years ago, I came across an article in the newspaper about getting one of the shops on Smithdown Road. I applied but without much hope, then it's been a long process with the Council with interviews, short leases, business plans, then there was delays with the Council.
"It hasn't been the most straightforward process but ultimately it's been great - I survived and they gave me one of the shops for £1. It was worth it at the end - now watching back, it's all good but in the present, it was stressful.
"Running my own business has been great - the good thing is, you decide, you're in charge; you decide what to do and how to do it but I can't say it's very flexible because I'm working so many hours. I'm alone in the business, in terms of I'm the only owner and I do everything. I have staff working with me when we're open in the shop, but I have to sort everything out, all the admin.
"It's a great sense of achievement and pride but the downside is you never switch off and it's great but it's very tiring. From day one, it's been busy.
"We've been doing events for a while - for the last seven years - so we already had some followers and we were established, so as soon as people knew I was opening a shop, they couldn't wait. It feels now, we're getting busier and busier.
"The feeling is that more and more people are speaking about us and recommending the place which, considering we're not in a central location, I think we're doing really well. Every day is different."
Luca added: "We've got many people around here who are regulars, especially the people who got their houses for a pound, and other businesses that have £1 shops. It's nice to have a new wave of people doing something good and we're all happy because the area is just constantly improving and getting bigger and better.
"My neighbour, the music and record shop, he's been here for 30 years and has seen a lot of changes and he said it's like a new hope for the future. It's giving everybody a boost to do better - when you're there on your own with derelict shops, it's hard, so it's good to see this new wave of businesses. It's only positive."
Fritto is based at 149 Smithdown Road, Liverpool L7 4JF. It's open Thursday to Sunday from 11am until 8pm. For more information, click here.
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