Mario is back:Fellini pizza in a new place – and we have already been

Some restaurants you visit for the food. Others for the people. Very rarely you find a place you keep coming back to for both.

For Giovanni, Miss Hannah and me, the Fellini in Hohenems was exactly that kind of place. Not because of the rooms. Not because of the parking. But because of Mario, his pizza and his team.

Four times Falstaff. Despite everything.

Four years in a row, most recently in 2025, Falstaff readers voted the Fellini the most popular pizzeria in Vorarlberg. In 2022 it was even around 62 percent of the votes.

Anyone who knew the old location in the cinema complex knows what that means. The smell of popcorn from next door, film music through the wall, an underground car park where you briefly wondered whether you had come with the right car. And yet it was almost always full. Because the pizza was right. And because Mario stayed a host, whatever happened around him.

We told him more than once: “Mario, you deserve a place that matches what you can do.”

A farewell. And a brief scare.

In August 2026, after more than 25 years of Fellini family history, the old location closed. We were sad, but not surprised. Our biggest worry: that Mario would leave Vorarlberg. Zurich? Munich? Please don’t.

Then the relief. He is staying. And a few months later we are sitting at his table again. Only this time, everything is different.

We have already been there twice.

Once privately with family and friends. Once after closing time, in a small circle, for a birthday. The new restaurant is still settling in, so we are not revealing the address just yet. But we will share our impression.

Mario finally has room to breathe. And so do his guests. Large windows, harmonious light, beautiful tabletops, different levels. Plus a garden under old trees that already makes you think of mild summer evenings. Quiet, a little off the beaten track, easy to reach on foot, parking right outside.

No more parking odyssey. No more cinema backdrop. And a team that is attentive, warm and noticeably in a good mood. If it stays like this, it will become a true favourite place.

Italy to Italy: our housewarming gift.

You don’t turn up empty-handed to a new beginning. So we brought Mario a piece of Milan, Made in Italy, from Italy to Italy: room fragrance and scented candles by Eredi Zucca in the scent Bigli.

Bigli Room FragranceEredi Zucca · DiffuserBigli CandleEredi Zucca · Scented candle

Why Bigli? Because it is bright, clear and refined, just like Mario’s new room. Bergamot, Chinese peppermint and Indian cardamom open fresh and slightly herbal. In the heart, jasmine sambac and ylang-ylang bring a delicate, almost transparent bloom before light woods and musk let everything fade out softly. Whoever walks in is greeted by a quiet welcoming scent that never competes with the pizza. And in the evening the candle adds warmth, light and a touch of festive mood.

The bottle of glossy green glass with a brass plaque fits Mario’s colour scheme surprisingly well. Coincidence? There was a little intention behind it. And because several guests asked that very evening what smelled so good: here is the answer.

And what we wore that evening.

We are a perfumery. So of course we did not sit at the table without a scent. And Miss Hannah’s mother was there too: Yvonne the Great.

• Giovanni wore Castiamanti by Agatho Parfum: saffron, bay leaf, honey, rose, plus oud and frankincense. The name comes from the Casa dei Casti Amanti in Pompeii. And now it gets curious: in this very house, archaeologists excavated a complete ancient bakery with oven and mills (Pompeii Sites). A scent from a Roman bakery, with Mario’s pizza. It could hardly fit better.
• Miss Hannah wore Impadia by BDK Parfums: a Parisian evening sky in pink and orange, elegant and luminous.
• Yvonne the Great wore Sweet Enigma by Alexandre.J: strawberry, pistachio, date and roasted sesame. A dessert before dessert.
• I wore Espresso Aoud by Roja Parfums: roasted coffee beans, caramelised nuts and oud. So in my case the espresso came before the tiramisu.

CastiamantiAgatho Parfum · GiovanniImpadiaBDK Parfums · Miss HannahSweet EnigmaAlexandre.J · YvonneEspresso AoudRoja Parfums · Wolfgang

Four characters at one table, without a single argument. Which one suits you? We are happy to find out together, during a fragrance consultation in Bregenz.

Let’s talk about this dough.

We love pizza in almost every form: Neapolitan with an airy crust, Roman wafer-thin, al taglio, in teglia, pinsa, New York style. And yet every time at Mario’s we think the same thing: this is our pizza.

A fine, beautifully baked crust on the outside. Airy and elastic inside, almost like a marshmallow, just without the sweetness. Exactly this combination is one of the hardest exercises for any pizzaiolo: a fully baked crust and, at the same time, a tender, open crumb. For us it is the best pizza dough we know. Full stop.

And then this burrata salad.

Marinated colourful cherry tomatoes, concentrated, with lively acidity. Plus preserved lemons, dried olives, spring onions and croûtons. In the middle, creamy burrata. On the side, corners of pizza dough: tear, dip, enjoy. They soak up the juices without going soft. Pure cinema. Only this time without the cinema.

Pasta is back. And Mamma makes dessert.

Anyone who knew the Fellini back when Mario’s father still worked there remembers the pasta. Now it is back: tagliolini with fresh black truffle, with red pesto or properly spicy as aglio e olio. And Wednesday is lasagne day.

And then the tiramisu, made to Mario’s mother’s recipe. The menu only says: “Homemade. Outrageously good.” True. Creamy, delicate, balanced. After the first spoonful the table goes quiet for a moment. Also lovely: it is made without added alcohol, a dessert for truly everyone at the table.

A wine list you would not expect in a pizzeria.

From around 30 euros up into the high three-digit range, plus champagne (as of October 2026). You can have a quick pizza here. Or celebrate a whole evening. We chose the latter and raised a glass of Dom Pérignon Vintage 2015.

And one detail that shows how Mario thinks: for take-away, a dedicated circulating-air unit keeps the boxes warm without moisture building up. Even if you pick up later, you still get a crisp pizza. Not “How do I sell pizza?”, but “How does it get better for my guests?”.

A look at the menu.

For everyone who already wants to know what to order (as of October 2026, the menu may change):

And for the brave there is the Pizza Nero, the hottest in the house. A cup of milk is served with it. The menu simply says: “You can guess why.” According to the menu, every pizza is also available with gluten-free dough.

Gallery: this is Mario’s new home.

All photos are real, only light, colour and sharpness edited.

Why this story means so much to us.

After more than 25 years, Mario could simply have stopped. His father shaped the Fellini, Mario stood by his side for a long time, then took over and carried it on with his own signature. Instead of calling it a day, he is starting over: investing, building a team, creating a place the way he imagines it.

High costs, staff shortages, uncertainty: anyone who runs a business knows all that. That is exactly why we take our hats off. Tradition does not mean staying in the same place forever. It means taking the best with you and making something new out of it.

A small thought to finish.

We often take a surprising amount of time for criticism. And far too rarely for honest praise. Yet behind every successful evening there is a whole team: kitchen, service and everyone who makes sure the glasses shine and everything is well kept.

If it was lovely, feel free to show it: with a thank-you, a tip or a Google review. And if something does go wrong, a short conversation usually helps more than a public slating. A few kind words cost nothing. For someone who gives their best every day, they mean a lot.

What makes a place worth living in.

In the end, it is people who make a town worth living in: hosts who give their best every day, and guests who notice. A little more kindness and appreciation costs nothing – and sometimes it starts with simply telling someone like Mario: good to have you back.

First perfume, then pasta.

Our new favourite plan for a day on Lake Constance: first to our boutique in Bregenz, find a scent at leisure, stroll through the town. And afterwards pizza, lasagne, a good glass of wine and, absolutely, Mamma’s tiramisu. We already have our favourite table, by the way. You have to set priorities.

Dear Mario, dear team: we wish you every success from the bottom of our hearts. You have earned this new beginning. We will be back. Very often.

And now? Where is Mario?

You have read this far and are probably hungry. All right then. Drum roll.

Mario is in Vorarlberg. The restaurant is open. The pizza is at least as good as we remember it. The address? We will reveal it shortly, right here in the article and in our newsletter. If you want to know first, sign up.

In Pizza we trust. Again.

Giovanni, Miss Hannah & Wolfgang · 4D OUTFITTERS, Bregenz on Lake Constance

P.S.: Not paid advertising. We paid our own bills. Simply genuine enthusiasm for Mario and his team, whom we have known for many years.

Sources: Leadersnet: The best pizzerias in the country 2025 · Leadersnet: The most popular pizzerias in Austria 2022 · Pompeii Sites: House of the Chaste Lovers