Celebrating 20 years of culinary excellence at Lancashire’s La Locanda

Nestled in the village of Gisburn in the heart of the Ribble Valley, you will find a hidden gem, Italian restaurant, La Locanda; a cosy cottage restaurant, full of original, rustic charm.

And this Christmas La Locanda owners Chef Maurizio Bocchi with his wife Cinzia have much to celebrate, with 9th December also marking the award-winning restaurant’s 20th Anniversary.

Tom Pridmore, Tourism Officer at Ribble Valley Borough Council said “The Ribble Valley is home to many award winning restaurants and, for twenty years, La Locanda has been providing truly unique culinary experiences with the finest authentic Italian food, served in a most charming venue. Twenty years of excellence, borne out of hard work and dedication. We feel proud to have La Locanda in the Ribble Valley.”

Head chef and Lancashire Taste Ambassador Maurizio was born and grew up on the banks of Lake Maggiore in northern Italy. Here a young Maurizio cultivated his passion for good food and traditional ingredients – foraging for chestnuts and mushrooms on woodland walks with his grandmother, and helping his mother, who every morning would knead the flour from the local mill and collect eggs from the hen house to prepare fresh pasta for lunch.

The young couple moved to Lancashire in 1996 where Maurizio had the opportunity to further his education at Myerscough College in Garstang and advance his career at Carlo’s in Colne.

With the ultimate dream of owning their own restaurant, a walk in Whalley past an estate agent window would be where they first spotted their La Locanda. After extensive renovations, Maurizio and Cinzia opened La Locanda’s doors in 2003.

Today, its menu of handcrafted, authentic dishes showcase wonderful Lancashire produce along with the very best Italy has to offer.

Chef Maurizio Bocchi said “For 20 years, my promise has been to create and serve a menu of Italian dishes passed down through generations to allow our lovely customers to immerse themselves into a truly Italian mealtime experience; giving a flavour of the culture, heritage, tradition and hospitality of the place we are so proud to call our home.”

Regular diners Joan and Gerald Dickinson said “Over the past 18 years wonderful memories have been, and are still being made at La Locanda – serving award winning Italian food where you are received and greeted with a very warm Italian welcome. Thank you to two wonderful people, Cinzia and Maurizio for bringing a taste of Italy to our North West of England for the past 20 years.”