In a short conversation with Mario Maccioni, the restaurateur confirmed that his family would close its iconic Italian restaurant Circo in Bellagio in late spring 2014.

With the imminent closing of Valentino in the Venetian, the Italian fine-dining scene in Las Vegas is being hit hard. And while lovers of fine Italian cuisine still have high-end places such as the Batali restaurant empire and Il Mulino to fall back on, the choices seem to be dwindling year to year.

More on this trend in an upcoming Diner’s Notebook column.