Bar Piazza owners set record straight on cafe's future

Antonio and Rosie Campo have been the proud owners of Bar Piazza, located on Upper Dock Street in Newport, since August 2022. Two years on, they are in the process of finding new owners for the 25-year strong coffee shop, but not for the reasons you might expect.

Antonio Campo, 39, said: "We love Newport, we love Bar Piazza and we love our customers, they are gold.

Dedicated gelato counter in Bar Piazza (Image: Newsquest) "You might think it is due to finance or cost-of-living, but it is actually because we want to be closer to our family in Italy.

"Our kids are growing up and we want to make sure they are around their family and connect with our Italian heritage."

In July, it was announced that the site of the café was put on the market, rocking the community that loves to pop by regularly for their fix of Italian coffee and food.

Bar Piazza's pistachio pastries (Image: Newsquest) Now, Mr. Campo has confirmed the store is open for business as usual for the foreseeable future, as the sale and transfer of ownership of the café could take several months.

He said: “Our customers deserve to have Bar Piazza open. I’ll be honest, some people cried when they found out we were living, it’s, they feel at home here. They feel warm and welcome here and it feels like family to them.

“I want to make sure that people understand the coffee shop is open, it will stay open, and we're going to try to find the best people who want to keep the space the same way and make sure the customers keep coming.

The café serves only the best Italian coffee, satisfying those looking for their morning fix. (Image: Newsquest) “We don’t want them to buy and turn it into fish and chips.”

However, they are aware that once the sale of the site goes ahead, new owners can decide what to do with the site.

Both Antonio and Rosie are hoping that the future owners will understand that Bar Piazza is a profitable business, a staple for the local community, and they are willing to help the future owners to succeed in running the bar and café.

Bar Piazza also has an alcohol licence (Image: Newsquest) Mr. and Mrs. Campo have built up a strong reputation in the community and have set themselves apart from the coffee shop chains in the area, providing a personalised Italian service.

In his words, people like "a bit of craziness and a bit of the Italian way."

"People try to speak Italian here and that's the atmosphere they want to see," as do the owners.

Antonio and Rosie: [Our customers] They feel warm and welcome here and it feels like family to them. (Image: Newsquest) Since the announcement in July, there has been an outpour of love and well wishes for the owners, with some calling it 'one of the nicest cafés in Newport.'

Antonio has said that before they leave, they plan to host a party to celebrate the end of an era with their regulars over a cup of their signature coffee.