You might have noticed that just in time for the early summer weather our local gelateria Ciao Bella has vanished.

The retail location of the popular Italian desert originally opened back on May 1, 2006, making the location a little less than 4 years old — although it has felt like it has been here forever.

-=UPDATE | April 22, 2010=-

While we were covering Tribeca Film Festivities, we were surprised to be greeted by a reopened Ciao Bella. Ciao indeed!

After shutting operations down for a week or so, it turns out the shop is back in working order and might make it’s 4th birthday after all. According to an employee in the shop — the owners had a dispute regarding renewing their lease forcing the store to close.

The employee also described the negotiations as “just like a marriage — when there is trouble you gotta work things out.”

It’s nice to know that the neighborhood’s best ice cream shop is back in business for the summertime.