The Radisson's Italian restaurant is beautiful, with mahogany columns, marble floors and a lovely ceiling mural. The romantic indoor/outdoor garden setting is understandably popular with couples, who relish the well-prepared traditional fare. Try an antipasto platter, followed by tender veal piccata, kicky shrimp diavolo, or succulent grilled portobello mushrooms. Accompany it all with a nice bottle of red wine, and you have the makings of a memorable evening.

Matisse the painter may have been thoroughly French, but Matisse the café is completely Italian. Set in an 1800s home, the restaurant has a charming courtyard and an abundance of colorful art prints on the walls. The menu changes every three months, taking advantage of the freshest available produce, but dishes are creative and wonderfully flavorful. You might enjoy an appetizer of thinly sliced veal with a tuna-caper sauce, or lobster salad with hearts of palm and orange-ginger vinaigrette. Pastas and gnocchi are homemade, and main dishes such as rack of lamb, baked snapper with braised fennel, and veal with prosciutto on a bed of spinach are all divine.

CABLE BEACH. From the outside, this looks like an upscale Italian ristorante, with grand columns and an attractive open terrace. Inside, however, the atmosphere is that of a busy trattoria. The midday lineup is mostly sandwiches and salads, accompanied by an espresso or cappuccino. Evening meals are heartier, with appealing choices such as spaghetti with pesto and pine nuts, and chicken with sage and wine sauce. The staff may look like locals, but they're experts when it comes to traditional Italian cuisine!

Opened in July 2005, this outpost of the favorite New York City restaurant is as convivial and satisfying as the original. Like its northern siblings, this Carmine's sports lots of dark wood, wall-to-wall framed photos, and white linens lightened up with the addition of bright tropical flowers. The food is traditional, home-style Italian: pastas with a choice of 22 sauces, chicken and veal dishes, steaks and a handful of seafood options. It's also served family style, in massive portions, so there is no way you can leave hungry!

Atlantis' trendy Italian dining room has a particularly elegant atmosphere with classy murals on the ceilings and white linen on the tables. A good variety of appetizers includes caponata, unusual little fried rice balls stuffed with meat and cheese, and a zingy-sweet sliced orange salad with shaved coconut, almonds, micro greens and Marsala. Among the traditional main dishes are a tender veal chop Milanese, rack of lamb Melenzane, and grilled swordfish with orange gremolata. Pastas are excellent ­ try the Misto di Mare (seafood in a piquant tomato sauce over linguine), or chicken and porcini mushrooms with prosciutto in cream sauce on perfectly al dente fettuccine.