The dashing driver sprints to the door. He is a man with a strong desire to eat at Emporio Italia, maybe on his way home and hungry.

The staff go through their sing-song "Buona sera, buona sera signor" lingo. "Have you got a table for two?" rushes the driver, torn between the desire to eat at Emporio Italia and the fear that one of Skipton's conscientious traffic wardens may be on overtime. Ah, mamma mia, relief. La dolce vita was achievable. A table was indeed free. By this time, which was just after 7.30 on a Wednesday evening, it was so obviously a place in demand.

The SUV driver and his lady, now safely parked round the corner, enter, chattering with happiness as they exchange sentiments with the staff. The Italiano message is strident, from the almost theatrically effusive welcome to the Italian television programme beaming silently into the room. There is the background music, the red neckerchiefs worn by the chefs, the dried and bottled provisions for sale on shelves, the random snatches of song from the chef. Oh, this was Come Prima, Volare and Ciao Ciao Bambino and I had woken up in Italy. How nice. All it needed to complete the magic was Sophia Loren and Domenico Modugno to walk through the door. Actually, what I needed was to hear him or Marino Marini singing, instead of the newer music being relayed. The romance and vibrancy and optimism of that era has not been equalled. Emporio's format is, in fact, slightly familiar. The original Casa Mia in north Leeds was doing this last century, while the famous Flying Pizza was an early exponent of the Italian mood.

Emporio Italia in Skipton is a new sister to one in Ilkley. The food proves to be fine, but it tastes twice as good because of the staff's abundant enthusiasm. If you have a hangover it may be cloying, but if you have a hangover it's probably your own fault anyway. Stay at home.

Skipton, for those who do not know it, is a strategic market town on major road, rail and waterway routes, on the western edge of the county. It has a proper castle and a fine church, both near this restaurant. Its shops and temporary street traders are magnets for trippers and there are already some good places to eat. Across the road from the Emporio you can drink Tetley beer as it should taste, at The Castle. Another neighbour is Stanforth's Celebrated Pork Pie shop.

Right now the Emporio is the hot ticket. Tables are set on its forecourt during the day. A cold counter displays the cooked fish and meats for the anti pasta first courses. The day's menu is chalked on a board which is read through and explained by the head waiter. It requires attention: no time for letting the mind wander back to the days when Amy Egan ran a charming bygones and antiques business here or the adjoining hair salon was the Coffee Pot, where teenagers learnt to drink frothy coffee and play the jukebox. From a corner window, I can see the canal and its narrow boats and a young chestnut tree in flower. Upstairs more tables are in use. Downstairs is the kitchen and WCs.

I have trio di mare, a £6.95 starter which is all I need: squid and anchovies and tinned tuna with salad. It is as fresh and vibrant as the checked table cloths and sparkling tableware.

There is a plate of sliced salami and thicker cut sausage with slivers of aubergine and hard cheese. Food to share among three or four people. The evening is going well.

The general fuss and tempo of the busy room suits my mother, who never enjoys a meal eaten in an empty restaurant. This place was right up her alley, reminding her of many touring holidays in Italy in the 1960s, when one was allowed to take out only a certain amount of currency, augmented with the pre-purchase of petrol coupons. You made every lira count and loved every moment.

Later, there is a good plate of herby gnocchetti, a pasta shaped like gnocchi. There is the familiar offering of grated parmesan cheese and the giant pepper mill. There is chicken and steak, salmon and lamb, all with an Italian twist, using herbs and tomatoes.

A side dish of baked root vegetables is delicious. Some of them are cooked to be almost crunchy and caramelised.

A lull in the mood? Not for long. Snatches of song erupt. You are on a gondola in Venice.

Prices are generous. The first courses are £6.95, mains are £7.95 for the pasta to £13.95 for the bistecca cacciatora. Desserts are £3.95. Hand-made pizza cost from £6.95 for a margherita.

Emporio Italia, 3a Mill Bridge, Skipton BD23 1NJ, North Yorkshire. Tel: 01756 793357. Open Tuesday to Saturday between 10am and 3pm then
7pm until 9.30pm. Booking is advisable at night.