L'Italo-Americano

16 www.italoamericano.com L'Italo-Americano THURSDAY, JANUARY 2, 2014 Great success of La Fameja Holiday magic for Families of Italian Lineage Veneta's Christmas party VENUS MAZZONI FRANCESCHI TONY GHEZZO On December 8, 2013 "La Fameja Veneta" held its Christmas party at the Portofino Restaurant in La Habra. As usual the president of the club, Maria Varlotta, expertly assisted by capable Bepi Sugar, did a great job in organizing the party. Since Maria's belief is that Christmas is mostly a holiday for youngsters, several members showed up with children and grandchildren: more than one hundred people crowded the large room that Nick D'Egidio, the owner of the restaurant, had selected for the special occasion. It was great to recognize at such a happy reunion many familiar faces as Piergiorgio and Lucita Luciani, Sal and Marie Di Vita, Franca and Chuck Ireland, Amedeo and Francesca Rocca, Olevrina Rastello, Maria Martinelli, and others. Toward the end of the party a joyous Santa Klaus suddenly appeared and distributed a number of wrapped gifts and toys to several vivacious children. Special thanks to Nick D'Egidio for opening the restaurant to La Fameja Veneta (usually the 'Portofino' is not opened for lunch on Sundays) and for preparing such a great selection of food. The meal ended with the traditional "tiramisù", a dessert that everybody enjoyed. Tony & Giovanna were pleased and honored to be seated at the same table with Maria and Armando Varlotta, with Sal and Marie Di Vita. Finally under the expert direction of PG Luciani and Fabio Peraro a group of members sang several Christmas carols and a few nostalgic songs in Venetian vernacular. Charming president Maria Varlotta wished everybody a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year in good health and love. Through the hustle and bustle of the preparation for the Holiday Season, JoAnn Waller and Mary Pizel found time to be quite busy planning the annual Christmas Party for Families of Italian Lineage. It was held at the beautiful Mission Viejo Country Club on December 15, 2013, when their labor of detailed preparations came to fruition. Upon entering the beautifully decorated Ballroom which enhanced the festive spirit, one could hear the quite loud chatter of guests mulling around the "antipasto table". JoAnn Waller had ordered a variety of cheeses, crackers and fruit which were elegantly presented. The women glowed in their festive gowns and dresses and the men displayed their formal attire. The annual Gala this year was truly a super event. From the clever invitations to the excellent Filet Mignon dinner to the inviting music of Tony Ciaramitaro that guided the spirited pack, it was an evening of unequaled fun. It was a real pleasure to be part of this grand social affair. All the invited guests were so impressed with the congeniality and spirit of friendship that they requested applications to become members understand and know the great contributions that Italians have made to the world. Many of the members have "made booklets" of these contributions to give to L-R-Front: Debbie Cifone (new member); JoAnn Wallace, Mary PizelChairladies; Venus Franceschi-Founder; Joseph Formichelli (new member). Back: Mrs. Kelly Formichelli, Rocky Cifone of this popular club. During the evening, Mrs. Venus Franceschi, who founded FIL in 1991, presented the purpose of this club, which is: for Families of Italian Lineage not only to have fun with the many events of this club BUT above all to send to all members a newsletter entitled Italian culture whereby they can their children and grandchildren so that they can be proud of their heritage. The dates of events for 2014 has not been established as of now, but by Jan. 4, 2014 the Board of Directors will have a full schedule. For information regarding membership, call (949) 3635348. Another successful Christmas party of the The Italian Women's Club Abruzzesi & Molisani Club Christmas celebration TONY GHEZZO LUCIA DI MASI RODRIGUEZ The Castaway Restaurant in Burbank, was the perfect setting for the Italian Woman's Club Christmas brunch. The event started at 11:30 a.m. with chances to win an assortment of prizes. Eva Masciota did a wonderful job with all the preparations. President Rosa Stevens and her board created a festive afternoon with all the trimmings. Each table was set with a beautiful poinsettia, and an individual panettone was given to each guest. The panettone were donated by Ada Iezza. Brunch was served with salad, pasta, roast beef or chicken and a delicious cheese cake dessert. A feast fit for kings and queens. On December 11, 2013 circa one hundred members of the Abruzzesi & Molisani di California got together at the Villa Scalabrini in Sunland to celebrate the greatest event of the year, il Natale, the birth of Jesus Christ. It's a well known fact that the Abruzzesi and Molisani do not need a pretext to get together, to enjoy one another's compa- ny. People native of Abruzzi and Molise need to meet, not necessarily as members of a club, but as friends. They feel like a large family, they are genuinely interested in each other. For their team spirit and their congeniality, they are admired by all the other Italian clubs and associations in California. Really, it is not the fact that they were born in a particular town or in a par- ticular region, they are proud to be Italian, they feel privileged to be born "nella bella Italia", in beautiful Italy, a country where love is the major reason in life. The blessings before eating were imparted by Fr. Antonio De Angelis, "um Padre Brasileiro" of Italian descent, the executive director and administrator of Villa Scalabrini. The food for the occasion was professionally prepared by the "Portofino", one of the finest eating places in the La HabraWhittier area; the restaurant's owner, Nick D'Egidio, proudly delivered the food personally. During the party, club president Saverio Ficocelli wished everybody a safe holiday season and took this opportunity to express special thanks to those members, as Adelio Di Gregorio, Sam Petrilli, Marylou and Joe Montagna and others, who so generously, year after year, continue to dedicate themselves to organize the various events scheduled by the club's program. Another like brothers and sisters while wishing to one another Buon Natale e Felice Anno Nuovo. The affection is truly sincere and when the party was over and everybody were getting ready to return home, you could see several eyes shine as tears were almost to the point of coming out. Best wishes and love to all.

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