A look back at when the Da Umberto restaurant was in Norwich

Umberto Iannello ran the self-named Da Umberto from October 1992 until March 2017.

The doors first opened in 1992 (Image: ECN - Archant)

Mr Iannello takes partial credit for bringing Italian specialities to the city at the time - from his signature pappardelle to espressos.

Here is a look back on the chef's life and legacy in and around the city.

Background

Mr Iannello was raised in Tropea in Calabria, southern Italy, as one of 11 children.

He always said his mother's cooking inspired him to teach himself the craft.

Mr Iannello served 100pc authentic Italian food (Image: Eastern Daily Press © 2007) From a young age, he knew he wanted to relocate to the UK and earn a diploma in hospitality in hopes of it improving his chances.

He moved in 1967 and found a job waiting tables in Wales - but within two years he had fallen in love with the Norfolk coast and relocated to Norwich.

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Italy was still largely important to him and, with the help of his 90-year-old mother, he opened his first restaurant there in 1976.

The chef was self-taught (Image: Eastern Daily Press © 2007) For the next 15 years he split his time between his two homes, with his summers being devoted to Italy and his winters to developing his career in Norwich.

When the former Pink Rose premises in St Benedict's Street became available in 1992, Mr Iannello jumped at the chance to open another restaurant and bring a touch of his culture to the area.

A lasting legacy

After his retirement in 2017, he reflected on his career and explained his vision was always to be authentic to Italian culture.

"My idea was to be 100pc Italian," he said.

"That wasn't accepted by all customers - people asked for draft beers and lagers and I lost some customers in the beginning because I didn't supply French, Greek or Yugoslavian wine.

"But eventually they realised that was the way to eat Italian food - people became more knowledgeable."

Some customers were initially sceptical of the menu - but the city grew to love it (Image: Eastern Daily Press © 2007) Mr Iannello added he takes part of the credit for introducing Norwich to traditional coffee.

"When I came here, nobody knew what an espresso was," he said.

"People learned about it from this restaurant."

In addition to its food and drink, diners will remember Umberto's for the beautiful images of Tropea which lined the walls, transporting them to another world.

He announced his retirement in 2017, much to the disappointment of customers who had become like 'family' (Image: Shaun Lowthorpe)

After Umberto's

Mr Iannello announced his retirement at the age of 78 in 2017, much to the disappointment of many customers across the county.

He said he wanted to spend more time in southern Italy and visit his daughter in San Francisco. 

The venue's leasehold was sold on to new owners but, according to Mr Ianello, people continued to ring them and ask why he had closed.

He added these regulars had become "like family" in the time he had known them.

Following the closure, the space was taken over by the Tipsy Vegan from 2017 until May this year.