Vincenzo’s Pizza House on Park Street is under threat of eviction after more than 50 years, and they need Bristol’s help to avoid it being turned into student flats!

Authentic, family-owned Italian restaurant, Vincenzo’s Pizza House needs people to spread the word about their battle and the petition to save them.

The late Vincenzo Ricci, born in Naples, opened the iconic pizza house in 1970, along with his wife Teresa, taking over a small bookshop. They gradually expanded the restaurant themselves and turned it into what you see today.

Their three children grew up there and now own the business following the passing of their parents.

Isabella, Rafaele and Giuseppe are born and bred Bristolians mind, which is very apparent from their accents, until they start speaking Italian. All three have worked in their mum and dad’s restaurant their entire lives.

They speak nostalgically about their childhood at 71 Park Street, sleeping on flour sacks in the warmth under the pizza oven, creating a sun terrace on the roof of TM Lewin below, and all of their family mucking in and being a part of business.

Now they face a battle that threatens to take away their life’s work, as the landlord has been granted planning permission by Bristol City Council to build 12 student flats, and intends to evict the Ricci family and sell the premises to developers.

50 years of authentic Bristol culture will be demolished, stripping our city of a much-loved, valuable and special independent business that has touched the lives of many.

As Bristol changes at some speed, cross-generational venues like this are an important way to connect us to our past.

Whilst the world changes around it, in these four walls life has stayed the same. Customers love that it looks and feels the same as it did when they started coming in.

Isabella Ricci - “We’ve known this day would be coming for a while, and our hearing is on December 20th.”

“We are hopeful we will get a new 15 year lease, but the threat of eviction hangs over us and we’ve already invested a lot of time and money trying to save our family restaurant.”

“It’s exhausting to be honest, and expensive. Someone from the council even told me ‘you can just find a job somewhere else’ which made me want to laugh and cry. I’m a business owner, this restaurant is all I know, I’m pretty stuffed without it to be honest.”

“My brothers, our kids, our parents and our cousins worked here, it’s our family home. We have such an amazing relationship with all our customers from over the years, as we’ve stayed true to our roots and done things Dad’s way!”

“We’ve watched families change over time, grandkids becoming grandparents, as they visit us year after year. Nearly 52 years we’ve been here mind, that’s a lot of names for us to remember!”

Vincenzo’s Pizza House is asking customers to sign and share the petition to save them, as well as follow them on Instagram, Facebook!

Even those who haven’t visited or even heard of Vincenzo’s, will hopefully understand the importance of this petition to save somewhere loved, somewhere people grew up, somewhere so meaningful for so many.