PARADISE IN PROGRESS
WHEN ITALIAN
CHEF MARCO BERTINI first arrived in the sleepy fishing village of Labuan Bajo nine years ago, the 12-year veteran of Bali’s dining scene saw a golden opportunity.
“At the time,” he recalls, “Labuan Bajo was nothing like it is now. The roads weren’t properly paved, and the town was much smaller. I liked how it was not like Bali. Not that there is anything wrong with Bali, but it was different. I thought it was the right time and place to try something new.”
To some observers, the less-heralded Indonesian island of Flores might have seemed like a strange place to put down roots and open a restaurant. But Marco’s gamble ultimately paid off. Brisk business at Made In Italy, the venue he launched in 2011, is indicative of Labuan Bajo’s ongoing tourism boom. Fueled by its proximity to the reefs and islands of UNESCO-listed Komodo National Park, as well as major improvements to the nearby airport, the town is busier than ever.
I meet Marco on a sweltering April afternoon at Made In Italy’s newer digs, which he designed and built from the ground up. In a nod to his native region, dry-stone walls and arched wood-framed windows lend the venue a rustic Tuscan feel. Marco strikes me as someone with remarkable
