AN ITALIAN restaurant in Highworth received a five-star hygiene rating after its most recent inspection.

Ciao Eatalia opened for business on Swindon Street in 2013.

The restaurant's owner Giovanni La Porta was delighted to receive top marks from council inspectors.

He said: "I feel good because it shows we're doing our job properly, it's very important for us.

"All our staff are from Italy, with authentic Italian cooking and properly Italian food, and people really enjoy it."

The restaurant has become a local favourite over the past four years.

Giovanni added: "We're the only Italian restaurant in Highworth and we get customers from Faringdon and Shrivenham too because there aren't any there.

"I decided to open a restaurant here because in bigger towns and cities, there's a lot of competition and it's hard to make a successful business because there are big franchises everywhere.

"So we came to this beautiful little village.

"It's great for older people who can't get to Swindon because it's too difficult for them, they come here and they get to know us and they know what we do is good.

"Apparently they didn't have an Italian restaurant here for 10 years before we opened.

"Now we're looking forward to Christmas because it's our busiest time of the year."

Swindon Borough Council inspectors visited the restaurant on July 10.

They found that hygienic handling of food (including preparation, cooking, re-heating, cooling and storage) was good, the cleanliness and condition of facilities and building to enable good food hygiene was good, and the system or checks in place to ensure that food sold or served is safe to eat, evidence that staff know about food safety, and the food safety officer has confidence that standards will be maintained in future were all very good.