History
Sadie Tronco, born to Charles and Anna Serio Carnaggio, on February 18, 1901, moved to Columbia with her parents and siblings around the year 1910. Charles Carnaggio owned one of the first fruit stores in Columbia, located on Gervais street close to Seaboard Railway Station. During World War I, James Tronco was sent from his home in Philadelphia to Camp Jackson as a medic. There he met Sadie in her father's fruit store and they were married in 1918. They moved to Philadelphia and lived there for a few years before moving back to Columbia in 1930. They had four children - Joe, Charlie, Carmella and Anna Rose. Sadie and Jim opened a fruit store at 1901 Main Street. They named it Iodine Fruit Store because South Carolina was known for the iodine in the soil. A few years later, they opened another fruit store at 1712 Main Street. During World War II, when so many Northern soldiers of Italian descent were stationed at Fort Jackson and were becoming homesick for their own mother's cooking,
Specialties
Villa Tronco servers the traditional Italian Cuisine that Mama Tronco introduced to Columbia over 70 years ago. Located in a historic 19th century Firehouse, we invite you to enjoy our authentic recipes, old-world atmosphere and warm Italian hospitality.