Bosses have sold a well-known Italian restaurant in Norwich after 23 years running the business.

Eastern Daily Press: Pinocchio's restaurant on St Benedicts, Norwich, will go to new owners. Picture: submittedPinocchio's restaurant on St Benedicts, Norwich, will go to new owners. Picture: submitted (Image: Archant)

Jayne and Nigel Raffles have handed over Pinocchio's Restaurant on St Benedicts street to Italian brothers Andrea and Gonario Vilia, who have spent 20 year running restaurants in the UK and Italy.

Mrs Raffles co-owns a portfolio of Norwich eateries under the Raffles Restaurants group, including The St Benedict's Restaurant and The Library on Guildhall Hill, Norwich.

She said: 'Nigel and I want to continue running our other sites but also pursue other business interests, so now is the perfect time to move on and explore our ideas.

'The lanes, where Pinocchio's is situated, is positively buzzing at the moment with the Great British High street award and general feel good factor, so despite the huge emotional attachment we have with all our businesses, we are definitely leaving on a high.'

She added: 'When we first visited Norwich many years ago, we ended up in St Benedict's street, pressing our noses to the window of Pinocchio's, we both said we dreamed of owning a restaurant just like that, strangely two years later we did.'