THE Romans have returned to north Hampshire bringing with them the art of Italian fine dining.

Quaint country pub, The Red Lion in Mortimer West End, is in new and safe hands with Franco Guglielmone.

The pub, parts of which date from 1650, is just a short drive from Calleva Atrebatum, otherwise known today as Silchester.

Franco, who has been in the restaurant and hospitality business for 30 years, has given a new lease of life to The Red Lion with some Italian flair.

No stranger to the area, Franco has a happy connection with the pub.

“The first time I came here was when I had first met my wife Jane, who comes from Silchester.

“We went out with my brother-in-law and came here for lunch 27 years ago,” said Franco with fond memories, pointing to the spot where they sat.

Since then Franco has opened four Italian restaurants in the UK from scratch and a coffee bar, before returning to Italy in 2005 where he and his wife bought some land in Barolo, north-west Italy famous for its white truffles and wine. There he built a villa and small hotel restaurant, which they ran for nine years.

They decided to return to England last year and it was on this trip that Franco discovered that The Red Lion was up for sale.

“I said I always wanted that pub,” said Franco.

He has invested heavily in refurbishing and kitting out the kitchen, which naturally includes a pasta machine.

“We still do pub food at lunchtime – everybody is welcome to come in for a beer and baguette, but in the evening we transformed The Red Lion into a fine dining restaurant, offering modern and contemporary Italian cuisine, thanks to our Italian chefs.

“And we don’t do typical garlic bread and spaghetti Bolognese – we make everything from scratch, making our own pasta and fillings.

“Our aim is to be one of the top Italian restaurants outside of London.

“It would be easy to make money selling cannelloni and pizza, but I want to sell Italian food of 2015 and not Italian food of the 1960s.”

Franco is particularly proud of his team, including 31-year-old head chef Marco Toso, who has worked at several Michelin star restaurants in Italy.

Next month guest chef Massimo Camia, from Barolo, will be cooking for one night at The Red Lion.

Highly acclaimed Massimo, who has a Michelin star restaurant in Italy, trained Marco for six years.