“We started this year in mid-February. At the beginning it was just a translator and a web-developer. It was a success right away, and now we have eleven employees, with four translators. There are lots of ads and lots of work for us,” said Topino.

Since Europe’s economic crisis began, pinching business throughout the region, there has been a steady increase in the number of Chinese opening up shop in Italy. A recent study estimates the number of Chinese-backed businesses in Italy has risen by 34 percent in recent years.

Angelo Ou, the representative of the Chinese business community in Milan, says Chinese investment in Italy is changing.

“There is a change towards the service industry. In the past most businesses were in small manufacturing, so for example in ready to wear, fast fashion manufacturing. But now there is more in the servicing sector. At first the response locally was - and to some extent still is - of rejection. ‘These Chinese buy everything, even the town's bar that has been in the hands of an Italian family for three generations. What do Chinese people know about how to operate a café?’” said Ou.

With time, Ou thinks, having more Chinese working in Italy’s service sector will help with integration.

Zanardi and Borlini’s café is listed for sale for $1.4 million. The Chinese entrepreneurs who have come to see the space so far say it's too big of an investment for them. Nonetheless, the owners remain optimistic that the right buyer will come along eventually.