VILLA SAN GOIVANNI
Italian Restaurant in Pretoria

His parents, delighted with his arrival, called him Giovanni and dreamed of only good things for his life ahead. Unfortunately, times were tough and with thirteen children to feed, hard work and long hours were a given. Giovanni’s grades got so bad at one point that his mother decided to intervene. She started picking him up from school herself to make sure that he came straight home. When Giovanni was nine, his parents decided to move to Milan in search of new opportunities and a better life. After another three years of going to and loathing school, the twelve year old boy decided that he had had enough. After a few other jobs he went on to work at an engineer tool maker company and when he finally turned 21, he started his own company on the side. He would get up early in the mornings to work on his own projects, then work from eight to five at the tool maker company and continue his own projects until 11 at night. Although they didn’t start dating immediately they saw each other again a few months later, this time at the doctor’s consultation rooms. From there blossomed a beautiful romance and in 1970 this great love was solidified in marriage. Life in Milan was hard, with long working hours and not much time for family. And this is where our hard working hero’s adventure (and the brave quest into the unknown) really starts. Giovanni bravely said goodbye to his family and when he arrived at his destination was blown away by the absolute beauty of the surroundings. In preparation for his new line of work, he attended a gastronomy course. The baker was however weary of Giovanni’s intentions and refused to give him any of his recipes. She did, however, have one condition: As they had no idea what type of furniture they would find in South Africa, they would buy everything for their new home in Milan and then ship a container with everything they needed there. Armed with the latest gastronomy from Europe, Giovanni impressed the locals with the unfamiliar tastes. News spread fast and the little café at the airport became a popular choice for anyone and everyone who heard about it. After buying out his nephew’s share in 1983, Giovanni’s other partner decided to immigrate to England in 1985, leaving him as the sole proprietor of the airport restaurant. Several changes were made including minor and major revamps, extensions and additions. Today you can see Giovanni at the restaurant at any given time during the day, smiling contently in his surroundings, very possibly with one of his grandchildren perched on his knee. Christian and Luca can be found pouring their ideas, hearts and hard work into Villa San Giovanni, carrying on the family legacy of hard work and excellence. Christian’s three children (Christiana, Alessandro and Giovanni) are more at home at the restaurant than most kids are in a sandpit, happily riding their bikes on the premises, insisting on helping out from time to time or taking a nap under grandpa’s watchful eye. But somehow this family has managed to find the perfect balance between raising happy families, growing a successful business and enjoying every minute of it.