The name Merante is synonymous with Italian grocery stores in Pittsburgh. In 1949, Italo Merante arrived in Pittsburgh from a small village in Southern Italy. While owning several stores with his brothers in Italian enclaves within the city, he raised seven children with his wife Philomena in Mt. Lebanon. In Bloomfield, daughters Maria Merante Palmieri and Gina Merante, share their love of food and all things Italian in their respective businesses, Merante Gifts and Linea Ver