Although Italians originally invented pasta as a fastener to keep Sicily from floating away, they abandoned it for less-delicious moorings after locals on both sides kept snacking their way toward separation. Tether your taste buds to today's Groupon, which gets you fine Italian fare at Bocci's Italian Restaurant on Church Street. Choose one of the following options:

• $5 for $10 worth of Italian favorites from Bocci's lunch menu
• $15 for $30 worth of delicacies from Bocci's dinner menu

Bocci's pleases palates day and night with gourmet preparations of Italian flavors. Midday meal grabbers can get things going with focaccia and artichoke dip ($6.99), or opt for the classic simplicity of a Caesar salad, which, like the real Caesars, rules its empire with the help of tangy dressing and herbed croutons ($5.99). For more substantial lunch fare, look to an assortment of sandwiches, such as a chicken-pesto panini with sun-dried-tomato mozzarella ($8.99), or call for a calzone (starting at $7.99) stuffed to your precise specifications. Bocci's dinner menu ups the starter selection with options such as arancini, delicious and ready-to-juggle rice balls packed with sausage, cheeses, and peppers ($8.59), and adds entrees such as herb-coated Tuscan duck, which is seared and plated with parmesan risotto ($19.99 for a full serving).

Both the lunch and dinner menus feature a variety of pastas and sauces capable of making proud Italian matrons renounce their family recipes. Day or night, Bocci's also offers diners the meal-enhancing atmosphere of its 140-year-old structure and interior, which is outfitted with terra cotta floors, cream-hued walls, and artwork that evokes the sunny confines of a Tuscan villa. This classic Italian eatery is an ideal destination for hunger havers that want to take a special someone to a business dinner or gather coworkers for a romantic lunch.

Reviews

Bocci's Italian Restaurant was featured in the Charleston City Paper. Trip Advisors give it an average of 3.5 owl-eyes and Citysearchers give it a 4.5-star average rating.

• Bocci's has a great wine menu as well as quite a few excellent selections available by the glass. – Charleston City Paper
• Excellent home made pasta dishes. I liked that you could order a large or small portion. – Treetops2, Trip Advisor