It’s somehow appropriate that the city of Naples is blessed with an abundance of excellent Italian restaurants, although it’s probably less due to the town’s name than the culinary inclinations of the wealthy Midwestern snowbirds who are the core of the area’s tourists. Two of the best are located on a stretch of Fifth Avenue in the historic downtown area.

Bellini (445 5th Ave., 239/261-1117, lunch 11:30 a.m.–2:30 p.m. Mon.–Sat., dinner 5:30–10:30 p.m. Mon.–Sat., main courses from $12) offers a fantastic alfresco dining area along with a more old-fashioned interior dining room. The menu is fairly basic, with only a few dozen options, including a variety of pasta dishes and seafood, meat, and poultry plates. Still, everything is prepared with fresh ingredients and an eye toward presenting generous portions of Italian comfort food in a homey environment.

Vergina (700 S. 5th Ave., 239/659-7008, 11:30 a.m.–11 p.m. Mon.–Sat., 4–11 p.m. Sun., main courses from $17) is a far more upscale proposition, with a sumptuous dark dining room and a menu that combines Italian classics with touches of other Mediterranean cuisines. An expansive assortment of pasta dishes are the bulk of the menu, but there are also a handful of interesting veal, seafood, and chicken plates like salmon stuffed with hearts of palm and prosciutto, and a lip-smackingly spicy lobster fradiavola. The bar-lounge area is quite comfortable, and the restaurant has an extensive wine list.

Although its owners have attempted to gussy up its somewhat utilitarian interior with flowers, deep-red walls, and the work of local artists, Bella Maria (489 S. 5th Ave., 239/403-7222, 11 a.m.–5 p.m. Mon.–Wed., 11 a.m.–9 p.m. Thurs.–Sun., main courses from $9) is unlikely to receive too many compliments on its cramped dining room. But that shouldn’t stop anyone from indulging themselves on the expansive menu of Chilean, Spanish, and even Italian-influenced tapas and entrées. The food is extraordinary, and in comparison with many other Naples restaurants, the kitchen at Bella Maria isn’t afraid to add a touch of spice to your meal.

For a straightforward selection of inexpensive gyros, falafel, pita, and chicken dishes, head for the low-key Greek Gourmet (390 U.S. Hwy. 41, 239/403-7003, 8 a.m.–9 p.m. daily, main courses from $8).