June 9 – ALBUQUERQUE, NM – Villa di Capo, a longstanding Italian restaurant in downtown, was permanently closed in mid-May, marking the end of a once prominent local restaurant chain in Albuquerque.
“We are sad but at the same time happy about our retirement because we will miss all our friends, our customers became our friends at Villa di Capo,” said Giovanna Mourning, who owned the restaurant with her sister Madelyne Venaglia.
Grief said the decision to close the restaurant was more a result of a desire to enjoy retirement after several decades of leadership than COVID.
“We just saw the opportunity and took it and flew,” she said.
Though the ending may be a bit bittersweet, Mourning said the years of ownership have allowed her to see generations of families grow up, with the restaurant serving as the venue for celebrations for weddings, prom dinners, and graduation parties.
“We’ve always had a very loyal following,” she said.
Villa di Capo opened in the early 80s on the corner of 8th and Central and was one of the many Italian restaurants under the Capo roof that started with the opening of a small pizzeria in the 50s.
Owned by Mourning’s father Frank Venaglia and his wife, Casa Luna Pizzeria would eventually grow to nearly 50 restaurants in New Mexico with additional locations in Colorado and Arizona.
Villa di Capo was one of several restaurants that bore the Capo name, including the last remaining restaurant, Capo’s Corner in Red River.
Grief said the building had been rented to a new restaurant.