Husband and wife team will open authentic Italian market in downtown Perry
Daniele and Telisa Asaro are opening a carefully curated Italian market that will include a cafe and deli in the fall in downtown Perry, thanks in part to their grandchildren.
The couple have deep roots in Italy where Daniele Asaro grew up, and where his family has lived for generations.
“We planned to retire to Italy in a few years, but now that we have grandchildren, I don’t think we can do it,” Telisa Asaro said. “So part of building the market was to bring the things that we love about Italy and Sicily here instead of us being thousands of miles away.”
The couple have already taken their oldest grandchild, 2-year-old Nikko Ward, at least three times to Italy where Daniele Asaro’s two sisters live, and the Asaros plan to also take their youngest grandchild, 5-month-old Ira Ward, when old enough to travel.
When the couple travels to Italy, it’s “mind blowing” what all family and friends in Georgia want them to bring back with them, Daniele Asaro said.
“Everybody has a list of things that they want when we come back,” Telisa Asaro added. “So our suitcases are chock full of Italian goodies.”
Those requests were also an impetus for their decision to open a market full of authentic Italian pastas, salsas, olive oils and other pantry staples, meats and cheeses, wines, gifts and home goods.
Add to that their entrepreneurial spirit, already owning and operating a successful wellness center in Warner Robins and enjoying working for themselves, and the Ciao Bella Market was born.
All things Italian
The Ciao Bella Market is expected to open this fall on the first floor of The Chalet Lofts at 1013 Northside Drive, Suite 102.
The Italian market joins Fuego Fresco Mexican Grill, Academy Mortgage, a nail salon and a real estate company all expected to open on the first floor of the new building below a dozen luxury lofts on the second floor.
“Ciao Bella,” which translates to English, “Hello beautiful” or “Goodbye beautiful,” is a common greeting in Italy that conveys the atmosphere that the Asaros aim to create in the Italian market. Their tagline is, “Where Italy says hello.”
Visitors to the market can expect the aroma of freshly baked breads and coffee wafting in the air from the cafe and deli where they will also find pastries, sandwiches and to-go grazing boxes called “tagliere andare” in various sizes.
“One of my favorite things about being in Italy is getting up in the morning and going out to the piazza and getting a cappuccino and a pastry for breakfast because that’s kind of a typical Italian breakfast,” Telisa Asaro said. “So I want people to have that same experience as soon as they walk in the door. Very authentic.”
The Asaros also want to stress that the Ciao Bella Market is not a restaurant. They won’t be baking Italian pasta dishes, for example, or anything like that.
Instead, they’ll offer imported meats like prosciutto and salami and cheeses like “parmigiano” and antipasto such as olives, marinated vegetables and cheeses.
Marketgoers will be able to enjoy a quick lunch and a sparkling soda inside at a few tables near the cafe and deli, or on the patio out front, or they can pick up something for a picnic or to fix a meal later at home.
The front of the market, which will be the retail section, will be filled with pastas, grains, sauces, pestos, olive oils, vinegars, herbs, spices and canned goods.
The market also will offer all sorts of sweets and snacks, curated gift boxes, home and kitchen items such as hand-painted dishes, olive bowls and kitchen towels, wellness and beauty products such as soaps, lotions and candles, regional wines and other beverages such as coffee and sodas.
Daniele Asaro emphasized that what’s sold in the market will be authentic Italian goods that will come from Italy — and not manufactured in the U.S. under an Italian label.
“There are brands that you can find in Italy, that you can find here,” Telisa Asaro added. “Like he said, it’s still not the same quality.
“But also what we want to do is introduce brands that you’re not finding at Kroger or Publix or Aldi. We’re not trying to compete with big grocery stores. We’re trying to bring in things that you cannot get in Middle Georgia.”
Some specific products from Italy guests will be able to find at the Ciao Bella Market include olive wood charcuterie boards and spoons; “Aperitivo in Amalfi” artisan soap and perfume oil; “Siciliana Limonata,” lemon soda from Sicily; five flavored Orecchiette pasta from Bari; rosemary infused extra virgin olive oil from Lazio; and Sicilian sea salt from Trapani.
The Asaros also plan to offer classes and have events at the market.
“I see tons of potential for collaboration with things going on in downtown Perry,” Telisa Asaro said. “Maybe we’ll do a paint and sip.
“I was thinking about doing an Italian 101 for travelers, people who are going to Italy and they want to learn some basic phrases. They can also come and snack with the things that we have in the store and maybe have a glass of wine and learn some Italian. They’re just so many things that we can do.”
The Asaros plan to be hands-on at the market.
Their wellness center
Their first business, Float Robins at 225 Smithville Church Road, Suite 100, in Warner Robins, opened in July 2019.
“It’s the only wellness center of its kind in central Georgia because we have sensory deprivation tanks,” Telisa Asaro said.
Other services offered include massage therapy, infrared sauna, red light therapy and halo therapy, which is a dry salt cave.
All of their therapies are designed to work together for overall wellness with the aim of helping people feel better, she said.
Telisa Asaro left her full-time teaching job of 13 years at Bonaire Middle School to found Float Robins. Daniele Asaro, who previously worked at an international business stateside, joined the Float Robins team full-time in 2022.
The couple met in 2012 through a dating app and married in 2013. They make their home in Bonaire.
Hours for the Ciao Bella Market are yet to be determined.
This story was originally published June 27, 2025 at 11:48 AM.