Roma Caffe closes its doors

    In a posting on its website, Roma's owners cited the economy as a leading reason for closing after 27 years in business. It did not say when the restaurant closed and fellow tenants of the Old Pueblo Plaza at Ina and Oldfather roads were unaware the restaurant had closed.

  "Unfortunately the economy, not only in Tucson, but everywhere, has been affecting local businesses and has hit Roma Caffé," the note on the website read. "It is so important to support your local stores and restaurants. The culture and life of Tucson can not thrive without it."

  Roma Caffe was owned by Gino Marinelli, who took it over from the original owner Rosa Holland. Marinelli's mother Carmela Marinelli, who inspired her son to cook, worked in the restaurant until her passing last year.

    For years, Roma was the lone fine Italian restaurant along the growing Ina Road corridor. In the past several years, it has faced a slew of competition including from the Italian buffet restaurant Contessa across the street, and from a pair of restaurants in the Foothills Mall area — the chain outfit Romano's Macaroni Grill and Gavi's, a fine Italian eatery that closed in the past year.

  We couldn't reach Marinelli early today for additional comment.