As one leaves Sacramento with a vision of heading over to the Northern California Coast and Fort Bragg, Magellan often routes you I-5 North, ultimately taking the highway 20 cut off headed west to the coast.

There is a little secret that some folks miss out on, if they aren't local and don't know about it.  In the town of Williams (at I-5 and highway 20), there is a delightful Italian stopping off place called Granzella's.  Granzellas has a nice Inn and a restaurant.  But it's so much more than that.

Granzella's was founded in 1976.  And when you step inside, you immediately are taken by the warm ambiance that emanates from within.  The walls are covered with historic pictures of the surrounding community.  And act as a museum for the little rural farming and ranching town.

In October 2007 Granzella's sustained a substantial fire, and the locals were concerned they had lost a pivotal historical anchor to their community.  However, the owners rebuilt, and with many of the local historic artifacts saved from the fire, and back up on the walls, Granzella's is better than ever.

If you should ever be in that neck of the woods, I highly encourage you to treat yourself to a respite from the bustle of the city, and step back to a more relaxed atmosphere for awhile.

In addition to the Inn and the restaurant, Granzella's has a wonderful deli complete with olive bar, and gelato counter.

And the refrigerated "liquid refreshment" shelves are loaded with every kind of beverage you can imagine.  Do you like domestic or imported beer and ale?  There are varieties I had never seen before.

I was traveling through last Thursday morning, on my way to Fort Bragg and Mendocino.  It was quiet, but by the looks and the size of the bar area (complete with a full sized stuffed Polar Bear), I can imagine that place rocks on Friday and Saturday nights:-)

You can Click Here for more information and pictures on Granzella's

Granzella's Restaurant
451 6th Street
Williams, CA 95987

Granzella's Inn
391 6th Street
Williams, CA 95987