History and Culture

Farm Viganò provides an important connection to the cultural history of Melbourne’s northern region, particularly the migrant experience of Italian Australians.

The Farm is located on the site of the former Hawkstowe property. It was originally part of a much larger parcel of land settled in 1855 by the Le Page Family following a brief period in which Peter Le Page had been on the Victorian gold fields.

Photographs credit Ugo Cassio

Mario and Maria Teresa Ferrari Viganò purchased the land in the mid 1930s. At that time, the Farm extended from the Plenty River to Plenty Road and northwards to Gordons Road. The couple had arrived in Melbourne in 1928 with their three children, having left Italy to escape persecution under the fascist Mussolini Government.

In 1932, the couple established the well known Italian restaurant Mario’s at 198 Exhibition Street in the heart of Melbourne’s theatre district. The restaurant played a significant role in introducing Melbourne to a European style of dining and entertainment. It became a lively meeting place for musicians such as Jack Cera and Albert Argenti, who would sometimes perform for guests. It was common to see long queues of people waiting for a table. Over time, Mario’s became one of Australia’s most recognised restaurants and its influence continues to be felt in Melbourne’s culinary culture.

Farm Viganò was created as a retreat from the demands of running the restaurant and became the centre of family life. It also hosted large gatherings, including charity events and concerts that attracted prominent figures from Melbourne’s political, social, and artistic communities. In addition, the Farm supplied fresh produce directly to the city restaurant.

By the 1960s, the property had developed into a substantial estate that included a brick and weatherboard residence, tennis court, orchards, vegetable gardens, piggery, pigeon houses, a dairy for Friesian cattle, and stables for horses. The design of the house incorporated views across the Plenty Valley, and Maria Teresa Ferrari Viganò’s art studio was located in the southern wing. The surrounding landscape became an important influence on her painting practice.

Mario Vigano

Mario Viganò was born in 1888 in the Olgiate Comasco region of Italy. He came from a prominent family and served in the war against Turkey between 1911 and 1912. In 1912 he travelled to Canada, where he met and married Maria Teresa Ferrari in 1914. He later enlisted as a private in the Canadian Expeditionary Force and served until 1919 before returning to Italy. Due to his opposition to the Mussolini regime and an attempt on his life, he left Italy and migrated to Melbourne with his family in January 1928.

Mario was widely regarded as a charismatic and stylish figure. He was known for his expressive personality and distinctive dress sense. Through his work and determination, together with his family, he helped establish Mario’s as one of the most respected restaurants in the country.

Maria Teresa Ferrari Viganò 

Maria was born in 1884 in Villa Nuova near Milan in Italy. She was the daughter of a wealthy rice growing family and studied art at the Brera Academy in Milan in 1909 and 1910. In 1911 she travelled to Canada, where she worked as a display artist at Eaton’s department store in Vancouver. It was there that she met Mario Viganò, whom she later married and accompanied back to Italy and then to Melbourne in 1928.

In Australia, Maria Teresa balanced family life, the demands of the restaurant, and raising three children, which limited her artistic practice in the early years. By the 1960s, she began exhibiting successfully in Rome and Adelaide. The Farm became a central inspiration for her work, as she shifted from portraiture to landscape painting influenced by the surrounding environment. The National Gallery of Victoria now holds three of her works.

The Viganò family c1940. Maria Teresa Viganò is standing at centre and Mario Viganò is seated at right (Photograph: Whittlesea Historical Society collection).

History is present in every part of Farm Viganò. The orchard, covering 5000 square metres, produces a wide variety of fruit including pears, apricots, apples, plums, quinces, figs, medlars, peaches, and nectarines. It was developed by Mario and Maria Teresa’s son Ferdi, who lived on the property with his wife and five children. He managed the Farm until the late 1950s before taking over responsibility for the family restaurant in Exhibition Street. Produce from the orchard and vegetable gardens was used both at the restaurant and within the household. A full-time gardener lived on the property in a cottage with his wife, who worked as housekeeper.

The Plenty River, which runs along the length of Plenty Gorge, is central to the history of Farm Viganò. Before European settlement, it was an important food source for the local Wurundjeri people, providing fish, goanna, possum, birds, and kangaroo, as well as supporting cultural and ceremonial practices including trade. The Wurundjeri continue to maintain a strong connection to the river. During the Viganò family years, the river was also used for swimming by the family and the caretaker’s children, who recall cooling off in its waters on hot summer days.

Farm Viganò offers a direct connection to the history of Italian migration before and after the Second World War. It reflects the contribution of migrant families who established restaurants and helped shape a more diverse culinary and cultural identity in Australia.

* medlars are a type of fruit in the apple and pear family.

Farm worker at the property c1955. (Photograph credit Friends of Farm Viganò).

Members of the Italian Grand Opera Company enjoying a meal in the billiard room, 1948. (Photographs credit Ugo Cassio).