Other
Savio Perna
Chef
- Discipline
- Other
i. Biography
Positano sets the working pantry before it sets the view. In the cooking of Savio Perna, fish and seafood from the Bay of Salerno, fruit and vegetables shaped by the Mediterranean, meats from the Lattari mountain range, and the Campanian staples of piennolo tomato, lemons, Cetara anchovies and mozzarella form the base vocabulary. The material brings brightness, salt, fragrance and local memory; the craft is in keeping those qualities legible while applying contemporary precision. Since 2018, the kitchen at Li Galli at Villa Franca Positano has treated Campanian cuisine as a living local practice rather than a decorative theme. In Perna’s hands, ancient local culinary traditions and products from the Amalfi Coast area are worked in direct relation to the restaurant’s geography: sea below, terraces and villages above, and an inheritance that asks for restraint as much as imagination.
The Path
Formal kitchen discipline came through Istituto alberghiero “De Gennaro”, where Savio Perna trained before entering professional brigades. At Il Mosaico restaurant in Ischia, where he remained until 2008, the work demanded the pace, rigor and sensitivity of fine dining, with island produce and service pressure as part of the daily frame. Coastal refinement developed further in Ravello, where the sous-chef role at Caruso / Belmond Caruso in Ravello from 2011 placed Perna inside a style of hospitality defined by polish and exactitude. The register widened through work with Chef Norbert Niederkofler at Norbert Niederkofler, then as sous-chef at La Siriola in Alta Badia from 2011, where mountain sensibility added another reference point. Further sous-chef work at Elsa in Monte Carlo, and on Projects with Nino di Costanzo, including Kiton events in Worldwide, extended the range of contexts without breaking the thread of precise, product-led cooking. The career pattern is built on contrast useful to a cook: island and mountain, coast and city, memory and refinement. Since 2018, Savio has been Executive Chef of Li Galli Restaurant at Villa Franca Positano, bringing that mountain-to-sea experience into a kitchen identified with the Amalfi Coast.
The Work Today
The current work at Li Galli Restaurant at Villa Franca Positano, also identified with Hotel Villa Franca in Positano, Italy, keeps the product field narrow and deliberate. Since 2018, Perna has worked there as Executive Chef with Mediterranean products, local recipes, fish and seafood from the Bay of Salerno, and produce connected to Campania and the Amalfi Coast as the kitchen’s principal material. Revisiting local recipes in a modern way requires clarity more than novelty. In this cooking, piennolo tomato, lemons, Cetara anchovies and mozzarella operate as structural ingredients: bright, saline, creamy, aromatic, and specific to place. The menus tell the story of Campanian products with respect and creativity, enriched by techniques and ingredients from his ongoing experiences and research. Balance at Villa Franca Positano is handled through flavor, tradition, innovation, detail and presentation. The regional pantry remains generous, but the plating and composition keep it measured. Genovese fujiuta has been cited by Identità Golose as a dish not to miss at the restaurant, while Li Galli Panettone is a reinvention of the original recipe by Executive Chef Savio Perna and Pastry Chef Carmine Di Nardi.
Signature
The signatures, Genovese fujiuta and Li Galli Panettone, mark two working lines at Li Galli Restaurant. Genovese fujiuta holds the savory memory of local cooking, while Li Galli Panettone carries a pastry tradition reinterpreted through the house, in the version by Executive Chef Savio Perna and Pastry Chef Carmine Di Nardi.
Acclaim
Savio Perna has received MICHELIN Guide — One Michelin Star (2021).
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Savio
What is Savio Perna's current role?
As of 2026, Savio Perna is Executive Chef at Li Galli.
Where did Savio Perna train or study?
Savio Perna trained at Istituto alberghiero “De Gennaro”.
What recognition has Savio Perna received?
One Michelin Star (2021).
