LITTLE NECK — Joe Oppedisano’s favorite item in his restaurant isn’t margherita pizza, penne vodka, or calamari Napolitano. In fact, it’s not even on the menu — it’s in the basement. 

Underneath the dining room at Il Bacco Ristorante, Oppedisano’s popular dining spot on Northern Boulevard in Little Neck, is a life-sized, copper statue of St. Padre Pio. 

The statue will soon have a new home, thanks to Oppedisano, 67, who is putting the finishing touches on a park he is having built on Little Neck Parkway, around the corner from the restaurant, where he plans to place the statue for all to see. 

The restaurateur has a deep devotion to Padre Pio, whom he said has helped him through two major turning points in his life — including surviving a plane crash — and is eager to share it with others. 

Construction is in the final stages for the park, which is located on a plot owned by Oppedisano. When it’s completed, the park will feature the statue of Padre Pio, statues of the Holy Family and other saints, and a seating area with benches. 

Designed to be a quiet, peaceful oasis where people can pray, meditate, or just sit and contemplate life, the park will have its grand opening on April 26 and will be open to the public from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., seven days a week. 

“It’s going to be open to everyone,” he said. “Whoever needs it.” 

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Oppedisano, who was born in Calabria in 1958, moved from southern Italy to the U.S. at the age of 13 and grew up to become a restaurateur, explained that he hasn’t always had a devotion to Padre Pio. 

“I heard of him, of course,” he said. “But to me, he was a saint like any other saint. No difference.” 

Padre Pio (1887-1968) was an Italian friar of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin who bore the stigmata — the wounds of Jesus Christ on the cross, on his hands and feet — and was known as a mystic. He was canonized by Pope St. John Paul II in 2002. 

Oppedisano, who has made numerous trips to Italy to visit Padre Pio’s tomb in San Giovanni Rotondo in southern Italy, said he saw the statue during one of his journeys and decided to buy it and have it shipped home. The statue depicts the saint with his arms raised, as if greeting a visitor, and features images of the stigmata on his hands. 

The first time Oppedisano felt Padre Pio’s presence in his life was 15 years ago, in 2010, when he was about to open Il Bacco Ristorante at its current location. He had operated the restaurant for many years in another spot on the same Little Neck block, but needed a bigger place as his business grew. 

Three days before opening, he was sitting at a back table talking to one of his servers about the mother of another worker who had given him a gift — a candle with Padre Pio’s image — which she said would ensure that the saint would bring him good luck. She explained that her grandfather was Padre Pio’s cousin. 

While talking to the waiter, Oppedisano pointed to the candle. At that moment, he felt a sensation throughout his entire body “like someone was grabbing me,” he recalled, “and I started crying like a baby.” 

He was convinced that it was Padre Pio. 

“And I’ve been a firm believer ever since,” he added. 

The second time he felt Padre Pio’s intercession was on Oct. 4, 2020, when he survived a plane crash on the Long Island Sound near the Throggs Neck Bridge that killed one of his friends. Oppedisano, who has a pilot license, was operating a single-engine Cessna with two friends, Maggie O’Neil and Jose Urena, aboard and was getting set to land when a boat obscured his path.  

“In just one second, everything changed,” he recalled.  

In trying to avoid the boat, the plane crashed into a pier and was destroyed. O’Neil was killed. Oppedisano and Urena survived, but both sustained multiple injuries. 

Oppedisano, who suffered a fractured spine, 16 broken ribs, and a pulverized ankle and heel, underwent 10 surgeries and was hospitalized for four weeks. 

He asked for Padre Pio’s intercession every day during his recovery. 

“I truly believe Padre Pio helped me. I’m alive, and I’m here today,” he said. 

With his park dedicated to Padre Pio, Oppedisano said he hopes others will also ask for the saint’s intercession. 

“Look at what he did for me,” he said. “He can help you, too.”