"It was always in the back of my mind. Someday...," he reminisces.
Melo scoured the classified ads, and "then, one Sunday," he noticed an ad for a space at 1261 Cambridge St., and opened the pizzeria of his dreams.
Located about 10 minutes from Harvard, Inman Square forms the perfect backdrop for Melo's restaurant, as the neighborhood has been home to generations of Portuguese immigrants.
The interior of Pizzeria As-Ilhas-- "Pizza of the Islands"-- evokes the island atmosphere of Melo's childhood. The walls are covered with woodcarvings of dancing children, made by Melo's father. He had been a carpenter in Terceira and ran a small souvenir shop. Melo began working for his father when he was nine.
A large wooden map of the Azores dominates one wall of the pizzeria, and the other is covered with pictures of the islands, showing green and blue lagoons, white churches and majestic volcanic mountain ranges.
The restaurant also contains hand-carved horse-drawn carts and memorabilia of bullfights, a favorite pastime in the Azores.
A small picture of Melo and his family arriving at Logan Airport in 1971 hangs to the right of the door.
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