ristorazione — Saint-Privat-des-Vieux · Occitanie
In the countryside of the Gard, a few kilometres from Alès, a sign in Italian marks an unexpected threshold. Behind it lies Sicily: the Viola Carmelo family brought it here in 2015, restoring an abandoned pizzeria and turning it into an authentic outpost of island cooking, with produce sourced directly from Sicilian suppliers.
Once through the door, you enter a place carrying a precise story: on 12 May 2015 the Viola Carmelo family opened here where a pizzeria once stood empty, and turned it into a restaurant of Sicilian cooking. Ten years of family management, with a passion handed down from father to son, have built a landmark recognisable for miles around.
Every evening the dining room brings together two worlds: local diners from the Gard, who have made this table their favourite restaurant, and Italians living in France who find here a familiar, homely atmosphere. Attentive service and warm hospitality — described in reviews as a «coup de cœur» and as «feeling at home» — are an integral part of the story.
The wood-fired oven is the artisan heart of the kitchen: pizzas come out topped with Mozzarella Fior di Latte and include specialities such as the Pizza Cannolo, filled with pistachio cream and mortadella. Alongside, fresh pasta — tagliatelle, gnocchi, linguine — is handmade in house every day, together with great Sicilian specialities such as Caponata, Melenzana Parmigiana and Arrancina.
On this page you will find the full menu, opening hours and all the directions you need to reach Un Italiano Vero in the countryside of the Gard, near Alès.
