La Bottega is a new Italian eatery located on the Grand Canal in the old district of Hangzhou. The three founders all grew up in different parts of Italy – from Florence, Venice, and Rome and recently came back to China to start a new life. With a deep love of Italian culture and cuisine, they decided to bring an authentic experience to the city. The site is situated along a narrow leafy street with traditional-style Chinese teahouses set amongst other stone buildings. While the design had to be authentic and classic the client wanted modern touches and edgy visual elements to bring the space to life.