La Fameja Veneta and the annual picnic

On Sunday May 23, la Fameja Veneta held its annual summer picnic at Villa Scalabrini in Sun Valley, California. Approximately 90 persons between members, relatives and friends participated to the happy event, guests of Father Luigi Piran, who, for the occasion, opened the doors of the new “Senior Lodges” hall of the Villa.

Holding the picnic outdoor would not have been as pleasant because the day turned out to be rather windy and chilly. The Veneti were lucky that Fr. Luigi came to their rescue, and they had a very successful picnic at the Villa’s beautiful location.

All the participants, including president Maria Varlotta were surprised when Signor Andrea Sperotti of the Italian TV Channel “Luci Nel Mondo” sud- denly appeared at the Villa, carrying video-audio equipment and a large tripod on his shoulder. Sperotti had just arrived from Italy for the purpose of recording the annual event of La Fameja Veneta; he explained that he is employed as a camera-man by the International TV channel, “Luci Nel Mondo”, headquartered in Verona.

Sperotti added that La Fameja Veneta is very well thought of for the work the Association performs in America in support of the Italian immigrants from the Veneto region. For the last few decades La Fameja Veneta has gained the admiration of the Italian community of Southern California for being at the forefront in the field of scholarship’s awarding and for encouraging students to pursue a better education.

It’s indeed a very honorable commitment on the part of La Fameja Veneta to help young people achieve their goals in life through academic studies. La Fameja Veneta has always been like a second family (“Fameja”) for the members’ bright offspring.

During the picnic two students were introduced by president Maria Varlotta and each received a $500 scholarship check that will help pay some of the expenses that pursuing a higher education requires today: Nick Burrill, 18, grandson of Ugo and Alma Mamolo, will attend Gonzaga University in the State of Washington and Christina Sem, 20, granddaughter of Angelina and Tony Rocco, will attend U.C. Riverside. To Nick and Christina best wishes for a successful course of studies.

Two other students, Isabella and Alessandra Guglielmi, daughters of Robert and Elena Guglielmi, two of the original founders of the Association, received a $100 each consolation prize. La Fameja Veneta will follow closely their progress through the years until they graduate and receive a master or a Ph.D. degree.

These bright students were truly impressed and voiced their admiration for their relatives, official members of a Club that patronizes the Italian heritage, prompting them to be proud of their Italian roots. All these students aspire one day to be able to visit Italy, to become more intimate with that beautiful land which has contributed so much to the civilization and the emancipation of the world.

Since local schools teach so little about Italy and the Sacred Roman Empire, many students that desire to learn more about the beginning of civilization in the world are encouraged by smart teachers to seek avenues which might lead them to travel through Europe in a Foreign Students Exchange or to enroll in colleges in Rome, London and Paris where they would have an opportunity to become fluent in a foreign language as well.

Obviously there is nothing more interesting than traveling through Italy, learning about the ancestors who lived there and learn Italy’s rich history while enjoying the natural beauty of the peninsula.

The annual picnic was also a great opportunity for all the members and their friends to get together, to enjoy one another’s company and to meet Father Luigi Piran, the new director of Villa Scalabrini. Fr. Piran, a “Veneto” himself from the province of Padua, on October 2009 took over the responsibility of managing the beautiful retirement home in Sun Valley. And of course whenever a group of Veneti gets together they enjoy singing in choir. Last Sunday their opening song was “La Montanara” the song of the Alpine villages and valleys.

The dramatic words “Lassù, sulle montagne, tra boschi e valli d’or…” (Up there, at the top of those mountains, between woods and golden valleys) make the most melodious and sentimental song of the Italian Alpine people. After a few minutes of encouragement by president Maria Varlotta, men and women gathered around the microphone and formed a choir. Their camera-shyness lasted only five seconds; once they started singing….nobody could stop them anymore.

Usually Dr. Piergiorgio Luciani directs the group not only because of his great baritone voice but because he knows the lyrics of all the songs sung by the people living in the Alps’ area and in the Veneto region. Since every choir has its “pezzo forte” that usually electrifies the whole audience, this choir too proved to have one when Ugo Mamolo took the lead singing “La Mula de Parenzo ga messo su botega” (the girl from Parenzo bought herself a shop).

Then, everybody joined in the singing and enjoyed the very pleasant atmosphere created by the popular Venetian songs. Both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages were free of charge, as it was also a powerful home-made red wine, the pride of Amedeo Rocca, one of the original officers of the Fameja Veneta Association.

The food was buffet-style, prepared and delivered by an outside firm specialized in the catering service, so everybody stood in line and helped themselves with the food exhibited on a sequence of rectangular tables, but from the very beginning everybody’s attention was focused on a large round table containing trays filled with original Italian pastry produced by Ugo Mamolo and a particularly large cake beautifully decorated by Tullio Mamolo.

The Italian community of Southern California is very familiar with the quality of the pastry produced by Ugo and Tullio Mamolo, the very best Italian pastry in Southern California available as a specialty only at Gelson Food Markets. Thank you, Maria Varlotta, for organizing such a delightful picnic that everybody enjoyed and will remember for a long time.

Tony Ghezzo