No matter how many times one eats at Villa San Giovanni, there is always a traditional Italian taste to be experienced. Their food is a true celebration of southern Italian flavours that have been carefully prepared by the owner and Chef, Giovanni Maiorana. The story dates back to 1981 when Giovanni took a leap of faith and moved to South Africa together with his wife Maria and two young sons, Christian and Luca. Giovanni started as an employee at the Wonderboom Airport café and before he knew it, he was the new owner of ”Wonderboom Airport restaurant” as it was then known to all its patrons.
This family run restaurant has not stopped since. Constant innovation and “changing with the times” has created a restaurant where Italian passion flows through every crevasse of its cosy décor, its outstanding wine selection and unrivalled cuisine. “Gathering round a table is how our family expresses love and friendship.
The restaurant is our home, and although the menu has seen changes over the years, the consistency of cooking that comes from having Giovanni in the kitchen never has. It’s quite customary to always find family festivities being celebrated in the restaurant.” The Maiorana’s passion for food and the family’s natural Italian warmth is what has transformed a small Airport café into one of Pretoria’s most sought after restaurants. It’s no wonder Villa San Giovanni is in the company of the oldest Italian restaurants under the same owner!
Villa San Giovanni symbolises the family’s long journey as well as the traditional, easy going and friendly southern Italian customs in which Giovanni grew up. “What we eat lies at the heart and soul of our beings and is the embodiment of what the Maiorana family is all about. Food has always been used as a means to channel the celebration of life; our meals provide a connection to the past as we reminisce about the good old days back home in Italy”.
