Destiny and good luck granted Sr. Carmine’s arrival in Ecuador some years ago; partly for a vacation and partly motivated by the “Marco Polo” which every Italian carries within. Once in Ecuador, the extensive and abundant variety of flavours, smells and colours motivated Chef Carmine to experiment a little with local ingredients. The benefits reaped from this local curiosity took the form of comments and conversations at fiestas and social gatherings attended by the future Quiteño which eventually led Carmine to decide to open his first restaurant in Quito; the one which has been successfully open for many years. The spirit of Marco Polo once again took Carmine back to his native land. However, this time Ecuador’s quality of life and the Quito spark had really captivated him and the kindness of the people was placed forever in his travelling heart and that of his family. Not long after and with renewed zeal Chef Carmine was back and today, as a pleasant result, we get to enjoy the Restaurant Carmine in Quito and Il Casale in Tumbaco.