Civitella del Lago 22 November 1951

From this date begins the story of Gianfranco Vissani, the chef from Umbria who distinguished himself through time because of his excellent Art, which he generously offers to his TV followers and to the customers who come to his restaurant.

e had many training experiences, starting from the State Institute for Hotel and Restaurant Administration, in Spoleto. He immediately shows off thanks to his talent for cooking, but he achieves the most important results travelling the world, and having the chance to meet Chefs such as Ramponi, Rispoli and Giovanni Gavina. He still retains strong memories of him, and what he learned there is now the basic of his teaching and helping young cooks to develop their skills. Gavina, at times even using his fists, made him understand that being a chef is an amazing work, but requires sacrifice and the utmost care.

After travelling through Italy and the World, in 1974 he decides – just before taking a plane to London – to get back home and start putting in practice everything he had learned in those hard but exciting years of rising through the ranks.

In 1979 and 1980 the restaurant starts getting recognition from the best Italian guides, which will later take it on top of the charts. Gianfranco Vissani will then get important international acknowledgments for his Philosophy of cooking, deemed useful and positive for the whole world. Thanks to his success, and to the hard work pursued through the years, many influential newspapers approach him, considering him as the ideal flag-bearer of the Italian chefs.

Telling about my story is always exciting, above all if lived with great passion, humilty and a little bit of malice, which is always good.

I was born in Rome, August 27th 1977 and immediately moved to wonderful Umbria, in Civitella del Lago, Baschi, where in 1963 my family company started. Since I was a child, at 12 years old, I began to live the company getting close at the beginning to dining room service and my parents were the only point of reference, showing me all the excellences, details and possible troubles I could come across my way. I paid my dues in my Grandfather’s restaurant "Il Padrino", where the service was attentive but immediate and informal and where people to serve were really a lot.

Gradually my training developed, and my father gave me the possibility to grow and express my passion in the famous red room... "Vissani" which up to that moment I only glanced through the windows. For sure "Il Vissani" was another thing, the service was and is still now based on the maximum attention to the Guest, availability but above all a great knowledge, discretion and Humilty.
At a certain point of my professional growth I decided to improve my knowledge and than I entered into the Kitchen and begun to move from one station to another one trying to understand what food service really means, selecting raw materials, make preparations, cooking. What it means create a menu and communicate it with our passion. For a couple of years I remained in the kitchen at my father’s side, and thanks to him I begun to travel the world, enriching my cultural baggage of great international experiences made of professionals and excellent realties. After this intense period I came back to my great passion, the service.

My knowledge was at an higher point, I had understood what this great search meant and how in the proper manner, it was necessary to transmit it to our valued Giests, but above all where to strike to bend the iron, an hot deal linked to the service, nowadays of great newness but also great difficulty.
Passionate for the world of wine, in 2002 I attended the Sommelierie course and in 2003 I took the degree as professional Sommelier at Hilton in Rome, the centre of excellence.
In 2005 started the evolution Vissani, guided by an idea of mine, with the project CasaVissani, beginning from the realization of Jazz dining room, dedicated to after meal with informal tasting of desserts, spirits, chocolates, teas, infusions and coffees trying to transmit to the Guests an innate sense of familiarity and hospitality which daily gave value to all the facility and to all the staff, so as happens nowadays. The year after borns the Hotellerie, 7 gorgeous rooms and than in 2007 the price as the Best Maitre in the Guide of the restaurant of Il Sole 24 ore with Davide Paolini; in 2009 Best Maitre with Paolo Marchi and Identità Golose; in 2011 Best MAitre with Espresso thanks to Enzo Vizzari and in 2011 Best Maitre with Montresor Awards price.
Nowadays I continue constantly the work in the family company as sole administrator, always comparing with my father Gianfranco Vissani, always trying new emotions to offer to the Guests, diversifying the offer , based on the constant research of products, hospitality, creativity, modern preparation techniques and old flavors which give pleasantness and territory with care and charm, fundamental ingredients dedicated to an excellent food industry.

I am a service man than, with the pleasure and enthusiasm to suggest the Guests the right choices, always looking for perfection, the basic stirring to do always the own job at its best.

Conducts activities for:

Organization and consultancy club developing
Organization and consultancy dining room service
Organization and management events
Wine list development and valorization of the territory
Public speeches for food industry
Advertisement campaigns for food industry