NEWPORT -- You might feel as though you've taken a quick trip to Italy when you dine at Il Primo Restaurant and Wine Bar. But, happily, the only body of water you'll have to cross is Narragansett Bay . . . unless you're already on Aquidneck Island.

Il Primo, which is in its third year, looks like a set from the movie Three Coins in the Fountain. An inviting brick patio has stone garden seats with tables sprouting colorful red-and-white umbrellas. Heavy planters filled with flowers add to the festive look. Cement obelisks, "tied together" by heavy ships' rope, separate the patio from the road running down Brown and Howard Wharf.

On a recent warm summer evening, Il Primo's wide doors were flung open to pull the outside in. Inside, rustic tiles give an Old World touch to the place, as do slim Roman columns that don't quite reach to the high ceiling and classical statues, including a boy riding a dolphin atop a dry fountain. The only thing missing was Audrey Hepburn riding by on a Vespa.

You could be in a Roman piazza, except for the looming Eastern Ice Co. opposite the restaurant. Despite Il Primo's neverending selection of Italian favorites, crooned by Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra and Louis Prima on the music system (so loud when we arrived that I asked if it could be turned down a few notches . . . it was!), it quickly became apparent that Eastern Ice provides its own unending soundtrack to dining.

From somewhere deep in the ice plant's frigid bowels, droning machinery churned out a heck-of-a-lot of ice all evening long, even after the workers had left for the day. From time to time a loud rumble shattered the drone as the machinery gave birth to yet another huge block of ice, which then noisily slid down a chute into the refrigeration room. At least it was a cool thought on a hot summer night and may help encourage the sale of more cold drinks.

A practiced hand

Although the dining choices at Il Primo are not terribly inventive -- clams casino and calamari as appetizers; spaghetti Bolognese along with veal-or-chicken parmesan, saltimbocca or marsala among the entrees -- it's obvious in the eating that there is a practiced hand in the kitchen using very fresh ingredients and a light touch.

Rick Simone, who owns Il Primo and Federal Hill's Renaissance with longtime partner John Velez, said in a followup phone call that executive chef Cesar Uruaz, once of Pane e Vino, has been at the helm of Renaissance and Il Primo for the past year.

In these inflationary times it's also good to see that the entree prices are reasonable, especially for Newport. They range from $16.95 to $23.95, with most in the $20 neighborhood, although the appetizer prices -- $8.95 to $9.95 -- seemed high.

New this summer is a Prosecco Bar on the patio, featuring an assortment of sparkling Italian wines from Mionetto Valdobbiadene. There's also a large selection of wines from such farflung vineyards as Australia, Germany, France, California's Napa Valley, Oregon and Middletown, R.I. But we decided that when in Rome, or at least the Brown and Howard Wharf version of it, go for the Prosecco, which we did with glasses ($7 each) of Mionetto's Il Prosecco (very dry) and Il Prosecco Rose (pleasantly sweetish). The rose was so nice, I ordered a second glass mid-dinner.

A lot of raviolis

There were only three choices on the appetizer menu and, because we wanted to sample something a bit beyond clams casino and pan-fried calamari, the Funghi Arrosti ($8.95) -- a Portobello cap baked with extra-virgin olive oil, garlic, parsley and fresh herbs -- seemed just the ticket. Fortunately, there also was a wild card this evening -- a fried ravioli special -- so we quickly decided on that as well.

Four plump slices of warm, homemade focaccia bread arrived before the appetizers, just the right pick-me-up for two famished people. The focaccia was deliciously chewy on its own, and even better with the accompanying plate of extra-virgin olive oil and hot pepper flakes for dipping. This first basket, the menu advised, was on the house; each additional basket would be $1 extra.

The portobello came with a side of mixed greens well served by a light touch of balsamic. The dressing, with a hint of garlic, was on the sweet side, but didn't overwhelm the mushroom cap's woodsy flavor.

It was a tossup as to which we liked beter -- the mushroom or the (lightly) fried ravioli. A generous serving -- eight ravioli, filled with cheese -- swam in a tomato cream sauce that included slivered basil and large-dice tomatoes. Together with the sauce, they tasted like mini pizzas.

"You get a lot of ravioli for the price," said my dining companion enthusiastically. To which I replied, "But we don't know the price." As in too many restaurants, our server had failed to mention the prices of the day's specials, which often turn out to be much more expensive than items on the regular menu. I had asked the price of only one entree special -- a filet mignon which our server described as "very large" at 8 ounces -- and gasped when she said "$32.95."

The ravioli, when the bill came, were a steep $11.95, although they were so wonderfully rich that there were no complaints. In fact, I told our server that next time I might like to order them as an entree. Simone said they've proved to be so popular, they are now often featured.

But for this evening's entrees I was sure my gnocchi-loving dining companion, who makes a sensational pesto sauce with fresh basil from a backyard garden, wouldn't hesitate to order the shrimp and pesto gnocchi ($19.95). And that scenario played out just as I had predicted.

Again, a light touch was evident. I usually think that three gnocchi are quite enough. But this homemade potato pasta was so featherweight that I sampled one, and then another, and felt that next time I could tackle a whole plate. The pesto was creamy, rather than oily, and it didn't overpower either the delicate gnocchi or the half dozen shrimp that had been first sauteed and then tossed with the pesto cream sauce. Marvelous!

My Mediterranean shrimp scampi ($23.95) came in a delicate garlic-butter sauce that didn't detract from the fresh flavors of either the linguine or the six shrimp. The latter, by the way, were described on the menu as "large shrimp," but were medium-sized. A touch of ripe cherry tomatoes, sliced green olives and basil completed the garden flavors.

Impressive touch

Few desserts, except for the tiramisu, are made in house, but they all sounded so good.

My almond biscotti torte ($8.95) sandwiched a thin layer of cake between two thick layers of cream that were almost the consistency of cheesecake. On top were sliced almonds.

Then all was smothered by a sensational amaretto-flavored buttery sauce. Our server apologized for taking so long in bringing the desserts because, she said, the chef had to fix his own special sauce for the torte. An impressive homemade touch, and I scooped up every last bit of it.

My companion's tiramisu ($8.95) was a fat slice that looked heavy, but proved exceptionally light. A layer of cake at the bottom was topped by a slab of cream filling, then dusted with cocoa and topped by swirls of dark chocolate sauce. Sinfully decadent.

The only disappointment was that on a Friday night in summer, Il Primo was woefully empty. I mentioned that I could count the number of occupied tables on one hand, but my dining companion pointed out that there were two tables I hadn't tallied in the front dining room plus one or two tables of diners on the outside deck. It was very nice out there and would have had views of Newport Harbor if the construction trailer for a nearby condo project hadn't been in the way.

Perhaps, we mused, that the low attendance the night we visited was due to the fact that Il Primo is just a bit too far beyond the tourist haunts or that, tucked down a side wharf, might simply have gone overlooked.

Too bad. Certainly it wasn't the food, nor the fact -- as Simone pointed out -- that it's one of the few Newport restaurants with free parking.

This is a lovely place with good food, free parking . . . and the added bonus of a quick lesson in ice making.

mjanuson@projo.com / (401) 277-7276

Details, details . . .

Il Primo Restaurant and Wine Bar, 33 Brown and Howard Wharf, Newport. (401) 845-0801. Dressy casual. Wheelchair accessible. Reservations taken, recommended on weekends. AE, MC, V, DC, DIS. Highchairs. Free parking. Dinner 5 to 10 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday; noon to 6 p.m. Sunday. Appetizers $8.95 to $11.95. Entrees $15.95 to $23.95. Wines are $6.50 to $8.50 by the glass; $24 to $130 for a bottle.

BILL OF FARE

Dinner for two at Il Primo might look something like this:

Prosecco (2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $14.00

Fried ravioli . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . $11.95

Shrimp scampi . . . . . . . . . . . .. . $23.95

Shrimp and pesto gnocchi . . . . . $19.95

Tiramisu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $8.95

Total ............................................$78.80

Tax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $6.22

Tip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . $15.98

Total . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $101.00

THE MENU

This restaurant's menu:

projo.com/food/menus/