He's never been to New Orleans or Memphis or Chicago.

Yet, he sings and plays the blues like he was born to it. Well, maybe he was.

At just 28, Gennaro Porcelli is already being heralded as one of the best blues guitarists around. The big surprise is that Porcelli is from Naples. Not Naples, Florida. Porcelli is from Naples, Italy, and he has been playing the blues since he was 13.

This weekend, Friday and Saturday, Porcelli will be performing at Rosa Rosa Late Jazz at 10 p.m.

As he puts it, he's out to show that Italians don't just play the mandolin.

"I grew up in Naples, near a U.S. naval base," says Porcelli. "And that's where I learned about the blues, and the music of Johnny Lee Hooker, Elvin Bishop, Johnny Winter, Gary Moore and others."

As it turned out, Porcelli wasn't content to just listen to the blues. He wanted to play the blues. So he got a guitar and figured out how to duplicate the music he loved so much. Entirely self-taught, he has shown that determination and a good ear can get you places.

"I am the first musician in my family," says the son of an Italian breadmaker and his wife, a homemaker. "My father gave me a toy guitar when I was three, but I don't think he ever thought I'd be a guitarist."

In the past 10 years, Gennaro has built his career as an Italian blues guitarist. He was recently voted as one of Italy's best blues guitarists. He is the official guitarist of two of Italy's leading rock stars, Edoardo Bennato and Alex Britti.

Adriano Isernia, of Rosa Rosa Late Jazz, is thrilled to welcome Gennaro to Central Pennsylvania. During his first visit to the United States, Gennaro performed at Suba Tapas Bar in Harrisburg and the Coffee Company in Lancaster in addition to his performances at Rosa Rosa last weekend and this. Last weekend, audiences were stunned by Porcelli's talents as a guitarist.

If it wasn't for the trace of an Italian accent as he sings songs like "Dallas," "Canned Hear Blues" and "Mess Around," you would swear he was a homegrown bluesman from someplace like Texas or Louisiana or Mississippi.

Porcelli's new CD is titled "Revisiting...!" He is quick to explain the meaning behind the title. On it, he performs some of the best known blues songs in America, from "Rock Me Baby" to "Tiger Rag." He puts his own twist on each one, with his bluesy vocals and intense guitar riffs.

His band is called Gennaro Porcelli and the Highway 61. Throughout his career as a blues guitarist, Porcelli has played with Louisiana Red, Nathaniel Peterson, Kenny Neal, Hot Tuna, Corey Harris and Mojo Queen.

"My biggest influences have been Johnny Winter and Tommy Johnson," says Porcelli, But I never forget the three kings, Albert, Freddy and B.B."

Now that Porcelli has finally made his way to the U.S., he'd love to visit some of the cities that are known for the blues, like Austin, Houston, New Orleans, Kansas City, Chicago and Memphis. But not this trip.

After he finishes his brief tour of local Pennsylvania clubs, he'll be heading home to Italy, where stages in Milan, Rome, Naples and Bologna await their homegrown blues musician.

"The blues transcends any place in the world," says Porcelli. "It is all about passion. It is all about passion."

Gennaro Porcelli

with Octavia and the Earthblood Blues Band

Fri. and Sat. 10 p.m.-1 a.m.

Rosa Rosa Ristorante

398 Harrisburg Ave. 509-3970
www.rosarosalancaster