Vacationing veneti from Italy Entertained at Marinelli Villa

As the fiery sun slowly dipped in the ocean at the end of a long, hot summer day in September, we welcomed twilight time in the loggia at the villa of Maria Martinelli in Santa Monica. Truly an architectural gem with roots steeped into Italian design and character, it proved to be the ideal setting and backdrop for the 31 visitors from Venezia, Italy (who now live in Rome) and who were on the final leg of their California tour.

An open bar invited relief for parched throats and offered a stimulant to mingle among the local Veneto Club Board of Directors and friends..... and mingle everyone did for it is no effort to create friendship with a group of Veneti who are cordial, affectionate, warm and bursting with joie de vivre! And with a built-in pizza oven in the kitchen and a handsome young man (Maria’s son) preparing rounds and rounds of pizza, we were indulged with this treat, but that was just a prelude to the sit-down dinner.

Every appetite was satisfied with courses of pasta (delicious sauce made by Franca Scardenza), tri-tip steak (prepared by Amedeo Rocca), broiled sausage, insalata, mushrooms and veggies and we even managed to squeeze in dessert, a sweet concoction of fragole and blueberries with a sweet-tasting liquor. But the final piece de resistance came in a slender glass bottle, filled with firewater, a satisfying digestivo, GRAPPA (which of course is produced abundantly in the Veneto area of Bassano del Grappa). Maria Varlotta, President of the Veneto Club astonishingly alert and vibrant welcomed the guests, along with their leader, Sergio Zazzeron.

She was jet-lagged, having just arrived -from of all places- the Veneto region! The Veneto Club’s Board of Directors is always ready to step in and do whatever it takes for a successful event - Francesca Rocca, besides working in the kitchen, was also a stand-up comedian, Bruno and Clara DiRezze were bustling bees in the dining room. Everyone who came has a soft spot in their heart for Maria Martinelli - she opened her villa and her heart to welcome the Veneti guests and the local Veneti members!

Although Maria did an excellent job of supervising all the food courses, she was also in the kitchen chopping, cutting, arranging and still found time to circulate, pouring wine, asking if anyone needed help with something. Maria Martinelli you are extraordinary, so caring, so unselfish in sharing your villa and most of all in sharing your love.

Adriana Vercelli