FORKS TWP., Pa. – Following the closure of a nearly 50-year-old pizzeria last year, a new restaurant will soon serve up brick-oven pizza, homemade pasta and classic Italian entrees at the same Lehigh Valley location.
La Piazza Italia Ristorante, offering authentic Italian cuisine “made with passion” and “served with love,” is coming soon to the Forks Towne Center on Sullivan Trail in Forks Township, Northampton County, according to exterior signage.
The new dining establishment will occupy the site of the former Salvatore’s Pizza restaurant, which closed in April 2025 after 49 years of operation.
La Piazza Italia is coming soon to the Forks Town Center on Sullivan Trail in Forks Township.
Ryan Kneller
The new restaurant will be owned and operated by Antonella Di Fiore and her husband, Amedeo, according to an announcement posted in several community pages on Facebook.
“We’re so excited to be joining the Forks Township community!” Antonella stated in the online announcement.
“I was born and raised here in Pennsylvania. My parents immigrated here as teenagers from Italy and have owned and operated an Italian restaurant for over 30 years. Growing up in a family restaurant, I learned from an early age the importance of good food, hard work, and treating every customer like family. My husband was born and raised in Italy and has a true passion for authentic Italian cooking and hospitality. Together, we’re excited to bring that passion to La Piazza Italia.”
La Piazza Italia will offer authentic brick-oven pizza, fresh homemade pasta, classic Italian entrees and homemade desserts, according to the announcement.
A spacious dining room will be available, and the restaurant also will offer outdoor seating, catering services and private event space for showers, business functions and other special events.
“Our goal is to create more than just a restaurant — we want to create a place where family and friends come together to celebrate life’s special moments,” the online announcement continues.
An exact opening date has not yet been announced, but La Piazza Italia is expected to open sometime in August or September pending the permitting and remodeling process, Antonella said.
The restaurant also will operate as a BYOB establishment.
The Campanelli family owned and operated Salvatore’s Pizzeria & Restaurant for 49 years until its closure in April 2025.
“We’re very sad to say goodbye to the community because we’ve been a part of their lives for so long,” Serena Campanelli told 69 News at the time.
“So, we’d just like to thank everyone for 49 wonderful years and for the tremendous amount of support they’ve given us all of these years.”
Campanelli’s late father, Vito Campanelli, founded Salvatore’s in July 1975, and Serena and her twin sister, Briana, had run the restaurant in recent years.
The restaurant’s closure came amid the retirement of owner Tracy Campanelli, the sisters’ mother.
“We have a great deal of respect for what they built, and we hope to honor that legacy while creating wonderful new memories for everyone who walks through our doors,” Antonella wrote in the online announcement.
Dining and Cooking