Rocco Paolilli is the second-generation proprietor of Ovidio’s Ristorante Italiano, which is celebrating its 45th anniversary in Fresno. Photo by Ben Hensley

When Frank and Virginia Paolilli opened Ovidio’s Ristorante Italiano in Fresno on Dec. 29 1979, their shared passion for Italian cuisine began to resonate with local diners as profoundly as the work of the restaurant’s namesake, Roman poet Ovid.

Forty-five years later, Ovidio’s Ristorante Italiano continues to thrive as one of Fresno’s most well-known Italian eateries.

Frank Paolilli immigrated from Sulmona, Italy, a town in the Abruzzo region several hours east of Rome. After arriving in America, he worked alongside the DiCicco family at their First and Shaw avenues location. After meeting Virginia, who came from the DiCicco family, the pair would go on to found Ovidio’s in late 1979, combining their knowledge of Italian cuisine at the Bullard and Marks avenues location.

 

“All of our recipes are very typical of that region of Italy,” said Rocco, Ovidio’s owner and son of Frank and Virginia. “A lot of my dad’s cooking and my mom’s cooking came from family recipes passed down from my grandparents.”

The culinary connection runs deeper than the two generations that have owned Ovidio’s. Rocco’s grandparents owned LaRocca’s, which opened a year after his parents’ restaurant, and later earned a Lifetime Achievement Award from the California Restaurant Association.

Rocco’s uncle, Pat LaRocca, another member of the DiCicco bloodline, owns Five Restaurant at Champlain Drive and Perrin Avenue.

“It’s all in our blood,” Rocco said.

While many Italian restaurants specialize in regional foods, Rocco said the menu at Ovidio’s embraces the Italian-American tradition, offering a broad menu featuring everything from pastas to seafood and pizza. Rocco continues the standard set by his parents of importing quality, authentic ingredients.

“We’re more of an Italian-American restaurant where we have everything on the menu,” he said.

From humble beginnings as a small Italian restaurant, Ovidio’s has expanded to become nearly a six-in-one business, offering dine-in service, a lounge, banquet room for special occasions, take-out, delivery and catering services.

Catering has taken on a particularly heavy focus since the pandemic, with many customers opting to host guests at home and workplace settings.

Rocco said the restaurant can typically have around 90% of their menu available for catering with only 24-hour advance notice.

“That’s really been another component to the business which has done really well the last few years,” Rocco said.

The full-service bar also offers a wide range of California wines, and also features a variety of Italian specialties, including two — a Trebbiano d’ Abruzzo and a Montepulciano d’ Abruzzo — from vineyards just 45 minutes from Sulmona, bringing a taste of the Paolilli family homeland to customers in the Valley.

Ovidio’s also features Italian-inspired cocktails and a daily happy hour menu from 3 to 6 p.m.

Open Tuesday through Thursday from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., Saturday from noon to 9:30 p.m. and Sunday from 3 to 9 p.m., Rocco said he hopes the customers in the Central Valley understand how appreciative the restaurant is for their business, driving the Italian eatery ever-closer to its anticipated 50th anniversary five years down the road.

“We just want to thank the people of the Central Valley,” he said. “They’re our people. They’re our guests; they’re the ones who support the restaurant.”