As a proud descendant of Sicilian immigrants and member of a rambunctious family of “New York Italians,” I was ecstatic to learn of the opening of All’Antico Vinaio in Boston.

The authentic Italian sandwich shop, which was established in Florence, Italy, opened its 18th U.S. location in Back Bay Oct. 3. Saveur dubbed it the “world’s best sandwich” in 2016.

I happened to stumble upon one of All’Antico Vinaio’s New York locations while visiting my Aunt Anne Marie — known affectionately to us as “Ree Ree” — over the summer, and we were blown away. I visited the Boston store Tuesday to talk with the team and get a familiar taste of family.

“We always want to say, ‘Hey, if you’re in here for three minutes eating a sandwich or 10 minutes waiting or a half hour waiting in line, we want to almost transport you to Italy and take you out of that grind of the day-to-day,’” said Zach Allen, the culinary director and development director for All’Antico Vinaio.

The sandwiches are famous for their housemade schiacciata — a Tuscan flatbread that Allen said is like the “love child” of fluffy focaccia and crunchy pizza romano bread — which has a soft interior and crispy outer layer. Around 200 servings of the bread are baked at the store every day, said Disney Arias, kitchen manager for the Boston store.

In addition to the bread, just about every part of the sandwich is made in-house. Allen said none of the offerings has more than five ingredients, and most are imported from Italy or closely replicated with the help of chefs abroad.

The turkey, for example, is marinated and then slow cooked for four hours before being roasted for a crispy outer edge and cooled for a tender inside, Arias said. 

“[It’s] a sandwich place, but we make everything in house, so it’s fresh,” she said. “Everything is from scratch, so I get excited about that because it’s not a simple sandwich.”

Arias traveled to New York ahead of the Boston launch to train for the kitchen and learn the process of preparing all the key ingredients for the sandwiches.

“I got to learn how to do this from scratch because I never worked in a place like this before,” she said. “I just fell in love with the idea of doing something new.”

The Back Bay store has seen long lines out the door every day, which Allen said has motivated the staff during their busy first few weeks in business.

“For the staff to constantly see people excited to be here, it keeps their energy up and keeps them coming in here, and they have a good time,” he said. 

Jennifer Khoury, 47, brought her daughter to All’Antico Vinaio for the first time Tuesday. The two traveled to Italy over the summer and were thrilled to learn of the store opening.

“We saw this on Instagram, and we were like, ‘Yay, finally Italy’s coming to Boston,’” she said.

Khoury ordered the “La Toscana” sandwich — which features salame toscana, pecorino cheese and truffle honey — while her daughter opted for the classic combination of prosciutto, mozzarella, tomato and basil with “La Summer.”

At Arias’ recommendation, I opted for “La Paradiso,” which provided an enticing combination of mortadella, stracciatella cheese, pistachio cream and crumbled pistachio on the staple schiacciata. 

I could hear Ree Ree pronouncing “pistachio” with a hard “c” in her Italian intonation, and I got flashbacks to throwing shells into the grass with my dad on soccer Saturdays, so I had to give this flavor pairing a try.

And it was heavenly. The pistachio cream provided a sweet element that counteracted the saltiness of the meat and cheese. When I got a bit of crunchy pistachio on my third bite, it made the meal for me.

While the North End gets much of its charm for the wide array of Italian cuisine, Khoury said it’s great to see All’Antico Vinaio set up shop in a different part of Boston.

“We actually almost never go to the North End because it’s hard to park, and it’s a little bit out of the way,” Khoury said. “But we’re always in Back Bay, so I think this is a great spot.”

Allen said the Back Bay location attracts a “good mix” of customers in Boston — from businesspeople on their lunch break to college students looking for a quick bite.

He said a favorite moment of their opening weekend was meeting a couple who ate at All’Antico Vinaio in Florence on their honeymoon in 1989 and came to the Boston store that day for their wedding anniversary.

All’Antico Vinaio is in the early stages of opening two more Boston locations, Allen said. The franchise will open its 50th store worldwide in Paris, France, on Nov. 1.

I’m beyond excited to return to Back Bay soon for another taste of All’Antico Vinaio. If there’s one thing to take away from the store’s offerings, it’s that the sandwiches are fresh and flavorful — a testament to Italian cuisine.

“The greatest thing about Italian food is that it’s ingredient driven,” Allen said. “The best thing is to find the ingredients and let them sing. Don’t mask them over.”