it all began seven years ago when mario mauriello needed a location for his italian delicatessen,Vini e Salumi. He ''re-discovered'' the neighbourhood and saw in the old buildings and winding lanes such charm and potential he dubbed it''little Italy''.Six mouths later Gordon hughart opened disco disco and after the initial excitement, the area adapted its two new tenants and settled down to comparative anonymity once again.
Then four years later,during the summer of 1982 four ambitious young people decided there was a void in Hong Kong's ''places to go'' which they felt they could fill.They opened a very casual,easy-going bar-cum-restaurant wittily named 1997. As there was nothing else like it in H.K,1997 prospered dramatically and within a year these partners had opened three more establishments on the street.Meanwhile,other entrepreneurs had noticed their success so they too opened up places each contributing something unique