Silvia Bernardocchi, wife of Giancarlo Perbellini, dies at 57
She managed the finances of the Perbellini restaurant group in Verona and was vice president of a Padua foundation for bile duct cancer research, which has now opened a fund in her name.
Silvia Bernardocchi, the wife of chef Giancarlo Perbellini of the three-Michelin-star Casa Perbellini 12 Apostoli in Verona, died on the morning of Wednesday 30 September at the age of 57, the news agency Adnkronos and the broadcaster Canale Dieci reported.
According to ANSA, she had been ill for a long time with cholangiocarcinoma, a cancer of the bile ducts. The Verona daily L'Arena and Sky TG24 reported that the disease was diagnosed in 2024 and that she was treated in Padua.
Silvia Bernardocchi and the Perbellini group
Her name now goes on a research fund for the cancer she was diagnosed with in 2024.
A commercial accountant by profession, Silvia Bernardocchi managed the finances of her husband's restaurant group, according to L'Arena and Sky TG24.
The group's flagship is Casa Perbellini 12 Apostoli, which the Michelin Guide raised to three stars in November 2024, ANSA and L'Arena reported. On that occasion Perbellini described the result as "a triple somersault" and thanked his wife by name, according to L'Arena and the trade site Italia a Tavola. Italia a Tavola and the Sicilian daily La Sicilia also mention Locanda Perbellini al Mare, the group's restaurant at Bovo Marina, on the southern coast of Sicily.
Casa Perbellini sits in a province better known abroad for its wine: Amarone della Valpolicella again took 13 awards in the Tre Bicchieri 2027 list for the Veneto, according to the guide Gambero Rosso.
A research fund for cholangiocarcinoma
In 2025 Silvia Bernardocchi helped set up the Fondazione Colangiocarcinoma ETS in Padua and served as its vice president, ANSA and L'Arena reported. Sky TG24 and La Sicilia named the surgeon Enrico Gringeri and the manager Giorgia Scognamiglio as its other founders. According to L'Arena and Sky TG24, the foundation funds research into bile duct diseases and supports patients who receive the diagnosis.
After her death the foundation announced a Fondo Silvia Bernardocchi per la ricerca, Adnkronos and Canale Dieci reported. Scognamiglio, the foundation's president, said the money raised would go entirely to scientific research on cholangiocarcinoma and other bile duct diseases, and that the initiative respects the wishes of Silvia Bernardocchi, according to both outlets.
None of the reports published on Wednesday gave a date for the funeral or said whether the Perbellini restaurants would close, and none quoted a statement from the family or the restaurants.
