Located at 5601 Folsom Blvd., Talini’s has built a longtime reputation for providing its customers with such nursery items as perennials, annuals, shrubs, seeds, ground covers, natural weed killers, all-natural insecticides and pesticides, gardening equipment, concrete statuary, potteries and various gift items.

Although the name of this nursery would perhaps cause one who has knowledge of Italian names to blurt out, “Now, that’s Italian,” the business has a much deeper Italian connection than its name alone.

Named for Italian immigrant

Like many businesses that include the name of their founders in their names, Pietro Talini’s Nursery is no different – as the business was established by Italian immigrant Pietro Talini in 1976.

The road to Pietro’s founding of this popular East Sacramento nursery began with his arrival in America in the 1940s.

Departing from his former home in the town of Segromigno in Monte, near Lucca, Italy, Pietro came to the United States to reunite with his wife, Evole, and his son, Lou, who had made their way to America about six months earlier.

The family, which later included Pietro and Evole’s second son, Alfred, initially lived in the Monterey area before making their way to Stockton, where they resided until about 1952, at which time they began their longtime residency in East Sacramento.

The first of the Talinis’ East Sacramento homes was located at 925 52nd St., where the family lived until moving to 1116 49th St. by about 1957.

In about 1961, Pietro purchased the last of his East Sacramento homes, which resulted in a very simple move for the family, since this third house is located only about a block away from the 49th Street house.

Site of Stefani’s Nursery

Pietro, who was a landscape gardener with experience operating his own nursery in a small building on 51st Street in East Sacramento for a short period of time during the 1950s, purchased the former Stefani’s Nursery building, which was constructed in about 1952.

Following the early 1970s closure of Stefani’s, the building sat vacant for about three years.

Lou, 64, said that although the structure had been purchased by the Marie Callender’s pie shop and restaurant chain, there was “a problem with the zoning.”

“I don’t know what the problem was (with the zoning), but (the site) was later placed on the market and we bought it from them,” Lou said. “I remember (the property) had weeds on it that were two feet tall.”

 

Started as landscaping business

 

 

Pietro, who had a degree in horticulture from a university in Florence, Italy and obtained his contractor’s license in California, acquired the site in 1976 as a place where he could store his landscaping equipment.

Pietro’s Folsom Boulevard building, which was originally a place where customers could purchase leftover materials from construction jobs, eventually evolved into the popular nursery that it is today.

This evolution is evident through telephone book listings during the business’s earliest years. These books list the business as Talini Landscaping Co., while later books listed the landscape company, as well as the name Talini’s Nursery and Garden Supplies, a name that was later slightly altered to its present name, Talini’s Nursery and Garden Center.

The nursery has continued its growth through Lou Talini, who took over the ownership of the business following his father’s death in 1984.

Lou, a 1964 graduate of Bishop Armstrong High School, takes pride in the success of his nursery, which has been assisted through its line of managers, Steve Zien, Sandy Cappelletti, Jackson McCarty and Jill Franklin.

Family values

In complimenting his father’s character and knowledge in the nursery business, Lou said that Pietro was very intelligent, “honest and he would give his shirt off his back to somebody who needed help.”

“He was always willing to help somebody and he was a good businessman and he taught me everything I know,” Lou said. “I don’t think I’ll ever learn as much as he did though. He’s way ahead of me.”

Although Lou, who resides in East Sacramento and Walnut Creek, is not an everyday presence in the store, he is far from a silent owner. Instead, he splits his time between working at the nursery and working on commercial landscape construction jobs from the East Bay to Sacramento.

In addition to Lou’s knowledge and business experience at the nursery, the business is aided through the knowledge and professional service of Franklin, who manages the store and a staff of about seven employees.

Inner charm

Franklin, who grew up in Elk Grove and resides in midtown Sacramento, was studying horticulture at American River College when she was hired to work at Talini’s in 1997. She became the nursery’s manager four years later.

Talini’s, Franklin explained, is a great place to work, not only due to her love of horticulture, but because “it’s a great store.”

“(Talini’s) has always had a rustic, little charm about it,” Franklin said. “I’ve always tried to keep that feel going. It’s charming and there’s something to keep you interested around every corner.”

Talini’s is much more than a Folsom Boulevard storefront, as it also includes two-thirds of an acre of property with hundreds upon hundreds of perennials and annuals. The business consists of many corners.

As a bit of history, at the back of the property sits the former home of Carlo Stefani at the former address of 1421 56th St. At least one member of the Stefani family resided in the house from about 1919 to about the early 1980s.

Continuing this historic Folsom Boulevard property’s longtime tradition of presenting a successful Italian-owned nursery, Lou said that Talini’s will carry forth its efforts to expand and offer more products that are hard to find anywhere else, along with the common items that are expected to be available at a quality nursery.

Talini’s Nursery is open daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

For additional information regarding this business, call (916) 451-8150.

lance@valcomnews.com

For those who either grew up on or near Janey Way or for those familiar with Marty’s column, it should come as no surprise that many people have a very deep-rooted love for this local street.

This fact is even more understandable since the street was constructed more than 60 years ago.

But nonetheless, the great number of stories that derive from Janey Way can seem quite remarkable when considering that the street is a mere 909 feet long and never included more than its current total of 32 houses – three of which are actually duplexes.

Certainly, this article is not intended to replace Marty’s popular column. So, be sure to read his current “Janey Way Memories.”

Instead, this first and only edition of “More Janey Way Memories” is presented solely to tell the story of one more person who grew up on Janey Way and his lifelong love for this East Sacramento street and his current project to preserve a portion of its past.

This person is Tom Hart, who grew up on Janey Way.

Tom, 57, who follows Marty’s column, is familiar with many of the column’s related stories and people and can sometimes even read about himself, is working on a project that will bring him back to his old neighborhood.

Dust has been flying, machinery has been running off and on and hammers have been pounding at the old Hart house since last July.

This activity, said Tom, who is of Scottish, Irish and English ancestry, is part of a project that will fulfill his dream to move back into his childhood home, where he grew up with his mother Rose (Hawkins) Hart, his sister – the former Susan Hart, now Susan Chevassau – and for a shorter period of time, his father, Bernie, who passed away in 1961.

“When my mother (who passed away in the home on Dec. 19, 2001) was sick and I was staying with her, we would talk in the evenings and one of the things that I told her is I wanted to move back home,” Tom said. “That really warmed her heart and made her feel happy that her son was going to be moving back home and back into the neighborhood.”

The remodeling project includes the addition of about 400 square feet of livable space with the expansion of the living room and master bedroom, a new master bathroom, a new laundry room and the addition of more closet space and a covered porch area behind the house. Additionally, the old garage was demolished and replaced with a two and a half-car garage, the roof and windows were replaced and new insulation was installed throughout the home.

Tom, a 1971 graduate of Sacramento High School, said that although he had hoped to move into the house with his wife Diana by Christmastime, he is now setting a more realistic goal of once again becoming a Janey Way resident by April.

The upgrading of the old Hart house helps to preserve one of the street’s older homes.

Research for this article revealed the following history of Janey Way:

According to the 1949 city directory, the first houses to be built on Janey Way – those of the late 1940s – were the homes of Ross Relles, James Tomassetti, Dante Viani and Jose “Joe” Micheli.

During the time their homes were built, Relles operated his well-known Relles Florist at 2200 J St., Tomassetti was a painter for the Western Pacific Railroad, Viani worked for Koro Products Co. at 2116 19th St. and Micheli was a bartender at the Square Deal Café at 5723 Folsom Blvd., where the Espanol Restaurant is now located.

Carmen Tomassetti, who married James Tomassetti on Aug. 14, 1948 and raised five children in her Janey Way home, said that she moved into her then-new house on Dec. 10, 1948.

“My house was built in 1948,” said Carmen, who is a native of Monte Porzio, Italy. “The first houses (on Janey Way) were built in 1948, then little by little different companies built different houses.”

The 1952 city directory shows the growth of the street by this time, as follows: Olin N. Boggs, Joseph C. Brady, Dominic J. Costamagna, Raymond Cullivan, Adelbert C. Jacobs, Richard Kinzel, Jr., Eugene E. McKnight, Jose Micheli, Gene C. O’Keefe, Virgil W. Petrocchi, Mateo Puccetti, Ralph Puccetti, Ross Relles, Joseph C. Romel, Loren E. Sizemore, Eugene R. Thomsen, James Tomassetti, Dante H. Viani, Louie E. Viani and three vacant homes. As an historical note, Janey Way no longer extended south of M Street to include its 1300s addresses by the late 1950s. This property is presently part of the site of St. Mary’s School.

Enzo Costa said that he moved into the neighborhood in 1972 and now lives in the last house that was built on Janey Way. He had the house constructed in 1976.

Tom, who with his wife, has three children, Angela, Rebecca and T.J., said that a prime example that his neighborhood is fairly old is the fact that Costa is considered one of Janey Way’s “new kids on the block.”

Costa may have had the last house built in the neighborhood, but as a resident of the street, he has much seniority over a family, for instance, who moved to a house on Janey Way about two years ago.

Fortunately, due to modern technology, most readers who are interested in seeing the old Hart house do not have to go further than their own computers to do so.

In order that Tom’s sister could observe various remodeling stages of the home, Tom has placed footage of these remodeling stages on the Web site www.youtube.com. The short videos, which currently present 13 remodeling stages, can be found using the search words: “Hart Janey Way remodel.”

Tom plans to load seven more videos onto the site to show a full-range summary of the project. He also plans to eventually take the main highlights of all his videos and combine them to create a 15-minute video that he will also post on the Web site.

Tom said that the simple fact that he desires to move back to his childhood house shows how special the home and its neighborhood and residents are in his heart.

“I just have so many fond memories of the place,” Tom said. “I’m coming full circle. My kids have grown and now I have a chance to come back home to be where still many of the neighbors live. Where, when I was smaller, these neighbors would take care of me, now I’m coming back home, so I can take care of them.”

lance@valcomnews.com

It is certainly not every day that families host get-togethers that involve the meeting of about 200 relatives using rented facilities. But such was the case last weekend as members of the DeFazio, Arcuri and Pane families – who are all descendants of immigrants from Castanga in the Calabria region of Italy – gathered together in East Sacramento for the 14th annual Calabrese Picnic.

On a picture perfect, sunny and mild weather day, these family members arrived at East Portal Park at 51st and M streets in East Sacramento to continue their tradition of enjoying each others’ company, sharing family memories and preserving their Italian heritage and culture.

For those familiar with the history of Italians in East Sacramento, the site of this event, which was held on Sunday, Oct. 10, made perfect sense.

After all, the park site had for many years served as the playground for those living in the now-historic “Little Italy” section of the city, which is roughly located from 48th to 58th streets between H Street and Folsom Boulevard.

For many people who unexpectedly passed by the park on this day, the gathering likely must have had the appearance of a community event, as opposed to a family affair.

But those attending the event knew better, as they were well aware of the many large, immediate, local families with the last names of DeFazio, Pane and Arcuri, as well as other families with last names directly linked to these three family surnames.

As opposed to plates mainly filled with traditional American picnic staples such as hamburgers, hotdogs and macaroni and potato salads, most plates at the event featured homemade foods such as chicken cacciatore, sausage and peppers, pastas, meatballs, risotto and Italian salads.

Although the event was very much an Italian gathering, there were various exceptions to this theme.

A prime example of how the DeFazio, Pane and Arcuri families have blended with other cultures can be seen through the potluck, which included some non-Italian food, including the most dominant of these offerings: pork and nopales (edible cactus), which is a Mexican dish.

Throughout the day, a friendly competition of bocce ball – an historic sport most closely related to lawn bowling and popularized in Italy many years ago – was played on the park’s bocce ball courts.

After about five hours, the tournament was completed, with the winners being Mark and Vickie DeFazio.

Bill DeFazio, one of the tournament’s coordinators, said that the tournament is a great way to bring the families together at the event.

Since the annual picnic is in its 14th year, Bill, a Sacramento native who graduated from Jesuit High School in 1967, said that it is important to recognize the people who founded the event.

“(My first cousins) Mark and Steve (DeFazio) were the original organizers (of the tournament). No question about it,” said Bill, who is the oldest of the DeFazio grandchildren. “So, Mark and Steve really deserve the lion’s share of doing this thing.”

Bill added that the event, which is held on the Sunday closest to Columbus Day, stemmed from the DeFazio family’s occasional tradition of getting together “every so often.”

“(The event’s roots dates back to about) 40 years ago, but it was never an annual event,” Bill said. “Somebody would just say, ‘We’re all going to go out. Let’s just all try to get together.’”

During its initial years, the annual event was held at William Land Park and featured a golf tournament, followed by a picnic.

When asked to share his feelings about the importance of holding the annual picnic, Bill said, “It’s huge for our families – the DeFazios, the Panes and the Acuris – to keep the tradition going, because we’re old-time Italian families in Sacramento and we’ve lived basically in the same area for probably 100 years, for the most part.”

Margaret (DeFazio) Jacobs, Rose Marie Pane and Louise (Arcuri) Schultz, a trio of the matriarchs of the three families, shared portions of their family histories for this article.

Passionately relating her family history, Margaret (DeFazio) Jacobs said that her grandparents, Joe and Bernadina (Piccoli) DeFazio, were the first members of her family to immigrate to the United States.

After settling in New York, Joe and Bernadina moved to East Sacramento in 1914.

Joe and Bernadina’s son, Louis DeFazio, who was Jacob’s father, married Christine Talerico on Feb. 24, 1924 in Utica, N.Y.

After moving to East Sacramento, Louis DeFazio became well-known for his grocery stores in such places as East Sacramento, Florin, Sloughhouse and West Sacramento.

Early immigrants of the Pane family to arrive in America were Rose Marie Pane’s grandparents, Giuseppi and Rosa Maria (Arcuri) Pane, and her great uncle and great aunt, Antonio and Malana (Mancuso) Pane.

A unique trivia of these couples is the fact that Giuseppi and Rosa Maria had seven boys and one girl and Antonio and Malana had seven girls and one boy.

Rose Marie, who resides in her family home that was built in East Sacramento in about 1935, said that another interesting part of this family trivia is that one of Giuseppi and Rosa Maria’s sons and one of Antonio and Malana’s daughters passed away in their childhood within months of each other.

Additionally, Ronnie Pane, who is a first cousin to Rose Marie, said that these children were the youngest born to each family.

Today, Rosie “Doty” Taylor, who is in her mid-90s, is the only survivor of these 16 children.

Schultz said that her uncle Joe Arcuri and her aunt Elvira (Massoni) Arcuri first arrived in America in the early 1900s. The couple soon traveled from New York to Roseville, where they had three sons and three daughters.

Joe Arcuri supported his family through his employment as a railroad worker in Roseville.

Shortly after the arrivals of Joe and Elvira Arcuri, who emigrated from Italy at separate times, Schultz’s father, Louis Arcuri, immigrated to the United States with his sister, Rosina Arcuri.

After coming to Sacramento in 1916, Louis Arcuri married Margaret DeFazio.

And following the death of Margaret, Louis Arcuri married Ellen Margaret Harris in 1928 and moved to Elk Grove.

Altogether Louis Arcuri, who worked various jobs, including his work as a taxi cab driver, laundry and hotel worker and used car and tire garage owner and operator, had 12 children.

Schultz, a 1949 graduate of Elk Grove High School, said that she appreciates the picnic’s ability to maintain her family’s history and heritage.

“(The picnic) keeps our family together and keeps our heritage up for our children,” Schultz said. “It’s through us that they learn about their heritage. We talk to them and tell them about their family, so they won’t forget where they come from.”

Although some attendees of the picnic expressed their concerns regarding the future existence of the event, 12-year-old Marissa DeFazio, the daughter of Steve and Sheri DeFazio, is among those of the younger generation who are dedicated to continuing the annual gathering.

“(The event) is really important to me and I learn a lot about my family history (at the picnic),” Marisa said. “It’s really fun. I would want to keep (the event) going (in the future).”

lance@valcomnews.com

When displaced New Yorkers walk through the door of Giovanni’s Old World New York Pizzeria in East Sacramento for the first time, it is not uncommon for them to stop dead in their tracks, inhale deeply and then reach in their pockets for their cell phones.

“Mom, I’ve found pizza.”

This reaction does not surprise John Ruffaine, co-owner of Giovanni’s, in the least. It is something he has come to expect, and to reflect upon with pride as a native of Bedside, Brooklyn himself.

“I’ve had people literally cry at my counter because they were so happy,” he said. “They walk in the door, and they know they’ve found a taste of home. They can tell just from the smell.”

The sign on the building says “New York” pizza, and that is what John prepares for his customers every day. He is committed to providing Sacramento’s pizza lovers with the “real deal.”

“This is real Italian pepperoni,” he said as he prepared a pizza pie. “And this is real mozzarella from New York. We don’t throw dough here – we stretch it. Those guys who throw dough around aren’t authentic. Nobody in New York or Italy does that.”

John so enjoys making pizzas that customers sometimes laughingly accuse him of not wanting to hand it over to them. He seems to work with a perpetual smile on his face as he crafts each pizza. He is passionate about producing a pizza that is as New York as possible. He was taught by those in the know, in the Italian neighborhoods of New York. The recipes are Old World Italian.

“I made my first pizza when I was eight years old,” he said. “I was helping my mom in the kitchen. Old time Italians taught me, if you made a mistake you got more than just a payment – if you know what I mean.”

John with his wife, Jenny, and Carlo and Allison Grifone founded Giovanni’s in 2001.

“We’re two Italian American families, and our families are from Salerno, Sicily and Calabra,” he said. “A lot of what’s on our menu is inspired from Southern Italy – it’s actually what they use in their pizza. We don’t use any enhancers. What you are getting is genuine flavor and texture. We use only the finest ingredients. If it’s not made from scratch, it’s imported from Italy or New York.”

Sizes are larger than what most Sacramento residents are used to seeing. A large at Giovanni’s is a generous 16 inches across – a good value for a hungry family.

A standard Pizza Pie is made with Giovanni’s tomato sauce, mozzarella, extra virgin olive oil and spices (Large, $17.95). The Little Italy is generously topped with meatballs, ricotta, garlic and spices ($11.95 for small, up to $24.75 for large).

Specialty pizzas are featured every three weeks.

“The specials focus on different regions of Italy,” John said. “Those are true Neapolitan pizzas.”

Customers can’t get enough – they are tremendously loyal.

“My mother is from New York and I’ve been out there lots of times. This is the closest thing around here to a real New York pizza,” said Tony Brown, Sacramento resident and loyal customer. “Not to mention, I like the customer service. John treats you real well.”

The pizzeria is large and spacious – intended for families and community gatherings.

“This is where baseball teams come after the game,” John said. “It’s where families gather. It’s where a kid can get his first job and bring his first date. And I’ve seen that happen a lot in the last nine years.”

“Giovanni” is Italian for John. His name, quite literally, is on the building. He is also known for his support of local schools and charities. Many a Giovanni’s pizza has raised funds for a worthy cause.

“There’s a lot of action behind what I do,” John said. “My name is on the building. I care about this business and the community. We help everyone in the community. Those kids are the future.”

Giovanni’s Old World New York Pizzeria is located at 6200 Folsom Boulevard in Sacramento. A second location is at 5924 South Land Park Drive in Sacramento. Visit www.giosnypizza.com and their page on Facebook.

susan@valcomnews.com

One of the restaurant gems in Land Park is a little “hole in the wall” place – a Neapolitan pizzeria called Masullo. Located on Riverside Boulevard, just across from the historic Masonic cemetery, this local restaurant is building a reputation for quality food, served quickly and with fresh, local ingredients.

Owner/chef Robert Masullo opened the restaurant in June of 2008. The building is from the late 1940s, and Robert chose to go with a “mid-century modern” design palate of concrete, steel and wood “to jive with the era of the building.” All the wood on the one-of-a-kind tables is from one tree in Sacramento.

“I opened (the pizzeria) because it’s just something I like,” Robert said. “My family took a vacation to Italy in 1987. I was amazed at how something I thought I knew – pizza – could be so incredibly different.”

Vive la differenza

American pizza is often heavy, with thick sauces, heavy toppings and baked in a commercial oven. Authentic Neapolitan pizza is baked in a wood-fired oven, has a thin crust, light sauces and fresh toppings that can include goat cheese, prosciutto and more.

The authentic taste of Italy begins with the dough for each pizza pie, according to Robert.

“The dough is mixed two days in advance and is refrigerated,” he said. “The longer and slower the ferment of the yeast is, the more the naturally occurring enzymes have time to develop and that’s where the good flavors come from.”

Pizzas are made to serve one person, and come in two varieties: with tomato sauce and without. Whether you are a tomato sauce lover or not, there is something for everyone on the menu.

For the traditionalist, there is the “American” ($12) which features tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese and pepperoni.

For those who want to try something a bit more adventurous (and delicious), try the “Kathryn” ($13), which features tomato sauce, Fontina cheese, Noman Ranch ham, red Fresno chili peppers and Crimini mushrooms. The “Jacqueline” ($14) is served without tomato sauce, and features potatoes, Fontina cheese, Niman Ranch bacon and oregano.

Meat lovers should enjoy Masullo’s “3Meat” pizza ($15), which features tomato sauce, mozzarella, Bellwether Farms ricotta cheese, Fra’Mani Toscano salame, sausage and Mortadella mushrooms.

All of the pizzas and salads at Masullo use award-winning Frate Sole extra virgin olive oil. This olive oil is estate grown, hand-harvested and cold-pressed in Woodland. It is a delightful dipping accompaniment to the pizza for an extra $2.

Everything at Masullo is fresh, local and organic whenever possible. Pizzas bake quickly in the brick oven and are served promptly to hungry guests. A lunch menu has just been added to the regular dinner menu. It will feature soups, salads, sandwiches and a select group of pizzas.

“We strive to keep things straight-forward and simple, not complicated,” Robert said. “Our focus is on quality.”

Masullo is located at 2711 Riverside Boulevard in Sacramento. Limited parking is available, it is often best to park “around the corner.” Hours are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Friday; 5 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Saturday; and closed, Sunday. For more information, call (916) 443-8929.

The Viani family lived on the west side of Janey Way in the direction of the National Guard Armory: Lou Sr. (Big Lou), his wife Tina, Lou Jr. (Little Lou) and daughters Diana and Anna.

 

Big Lou served in World War II under General George Patton. He participated in the invasion of Italy where he survived tough fighting in Sicily and then the Italian peninsula. Then he returned home and settled on Janey Way with his wife. The Vianis had their first child, a boy they named Louis Jr., in 1947, the year I came into the world. When my family moved to Janey Way in 1952, Lou Jr. became my best friend.

 

We played sports, we played in the pit (the vacated sand and gravel site located behind the houses on the east side of Janey Way) and we also spent a lot of time at the Viani house. Big Lou was in the process of landscaping his backyard and Little Lou and I watched, helped sometimes, and mostly just played. We also spent a lot of time inside the Viani house. They had one of those collections of Time/Life books called the “History of World War II.” The books featured stark photos depicting the horrors of war. Pictures of war dead, demolished buildings and blank-faced looking soldiers festooned the pages.

 

When Big Lou saw us buried in these volumes, he told of his experiences in the war. “Never gulp water from a canteen,” said Big Lou, “you can choke that way,” or “General Patton was the greatest general because he used the tactics of the great warrior Hannibal.” Little Lou and I listened intently. Then, like all children, we went outside with our toy guns and pretended to be soldiers, not fully understanding the horrible reality of war.

 

In addition to these volumes about the war, Big Lou also had souvenirs from the war, including postcards showing the great sites in Italy such as St. Peter’s Cathedral, the Trevi Fountain and coliseum. He also had a postcard showing Michelangelo’s statue of Moses. It featured a dent just below the knee that supposedly resulted when the artist struck the sculpture and said, “Speak to me.” That made an impression on me, and I said to myself, “Someday I will see it and all the other sights in Italy.” Later in life, I did visit Italy and see these things.

 

People called Big Lou the “Mayor of Janey Way” because he seemed intimately involved in every activity that took place in our neighborhood. When he passed you on the street, he always stopped to converse and share the latest gossip from the neighborhood. All the neighbors knew and liked Big Lou. He seemed larger than life and always donned a smile and a story to share. He worked every Wednesday night calling numbers for bingo at St. Mary’s church. He and my dad cooked at the church dinners, an all-day event. Every Christmas, Big Lou and Little Lou erected the nativity scene inside St. Mary’s Church. Weeks before Christmas, they began this task, and during that time, the scene remained covered with sheets. On Christmas Day, the sheets disappeared, revealing a memorable depiction of the birth of Christ. We looked forward to that moment with great anticipation every year.

 

Big Lou, the last remaining father on Janey Way, has fallen on ill health lately; his family has placed him in a care facility. Some day soon he will pass. When that happens, a shudder will be felt across Janey Way like on the day the last shovel of dirt filled the pit and ended our childhood.

 

 

E-mail Marty Relles at marty@valcomnews.com.

Among the premier historic landmarks of the East Sacramento area is East Portal Park and just about anyone who knows about this neighborhood park is familiar with its bocce ball courts.

As the centerpiece of the park, which has deep Italian roots, are the courts, which on just about any given afternoon or evening are occupied by groups of people engrossed in the game, which brings out heavy doses of both competitive spirit and camaraderie.

Originally connected to the rich Italian culture of East Sacramento’s historic Little Italy neighborhood, the game initially drew only men of Italian descent.

But despite continuing to draw about 45 percent Italian players to the courts, the sport is more closely a representation of the diversity of the community.

No longer is it a men-only sport and the East Portal Bocce Club, which is part of the United State Bocce Federation, consists of members with heritage from throughout the globe.

This decision to allow women and non-Italians to join the club was initiated in 1991 through the club’s then-president Vic Cima.

As a result of this decision, many new faces joined the club and became educated about bocce ball, which is believed to have been derived from a more primitive Egyptian version of the sport.

 

The first bocce clubs

Popularized in Italy, where the first bocce clubs in modern times were established, the game, which is generally played in groups of two or four and most closely related to lawn bowling, was brought to the United States by Italian immigrants who came to America in masses during the turn of the 20th century.

Originally played in Sacramento at Southside Park as early as the 1930s, the sport has been a staple of East Portal Park since its opening in about the early 1940s.

Although bocce has been played at East Portal Park since the park’s early years, it was not until the early 1970s that the club was founded under the direction of Tony Peretti.

As a proud Italian, American and war veteran, Peretti founded the East Portal Bocce Club Fourth of July Tournament, which continues to be held each year and begins with the Pledge of Allegiance and the playing of the “Star Spangled Banner.”

The club hit one of its lowest points during the beginning of its second decade, as membership dropped by about 50 percent.

This decline in membership was not indicative of the popularity of the sport, however, as is evident by a joke among members at the time that the club had “too many visitors at Nicoletti’s” – the funeral home at 5401 Folsom Blvd.

In response to the club’s membership woes, Cima recruited new members from the Piemonte Reale Benevolent Society, where he was serving as president.

Cima’s inclusion of women and people of other cultures proved to be the biggest turnaround for the club, which grew to more than 150 members by the late 1990s and now consists of about 260 members of which about 80 are female.

Additionally, membership of the club ranges from about 20 years old to 93 years old and the average age of its members is 65 years old.

 

Diversity and depth

East Portal Bocce Club President Bob Martinez is a prime example of the diversity of the club.

Martinez, who is an East Sacramento resident of Mexican heritage, was first introduced to the game while vacationing with his wife in Monterey.

“We were staying by the Presidio right there by the wharf and it just so happens that in the Presidio itself there are three bocce courts and so I was kind of watching these guys playing bocce,” Martinez said. “The Sicilians were coming off the fishing boats in the late afternoon and they were playing the Mexican restaurant workers from the (nearby) restaurants. They invited me to play and I just rolled a few balls and I just got really interested in (the sport).”

A friend of Martinez later invited him to the East Portal Park courts, where he became more acquainted with the game and soon afterward joined the club.

Although each member of the club is proud of their own particular heritage, Martinez said that those who become involved in the game of bocce ball join an intimate group of people who are like a big Italian family.

“Once you (get involved with bocce ball), everyone starts recognizing you and you feel a part of something much bigger,” Martinez said. “It’s like an extended family and everybody’s Italian when you start playing bocce.”

Martinez, who joined the club seven years ago, said that although bocce ball is a very simple game to learn, it is undeniably a very challenging sport.

“A lot of people know this and it’s like (one of the club’s members) Chito (Negri) said, ‘It takes about 20 minutes to learn bocce, but it takes a lifetime to learn the strategy.’ And it’s true. It’s a simple game that’s easy to learn, but it can be very complex to learn in terms of strategy and that strategy is what’s endearing and creates kind of this opportunity for exchange in banter. So, I would say that anyone who is interested in learning something that is not all that difficult to learn the rules of (would likely) enjoy this game. You can be as good as you want to be. All you have to do is stay with it and the more you’re with it, the more you realize all the nuances that are associated with this game and the people and the camaraderie. It’s great.”

 

Mr. Bocce Ball

Poggio, Italy native Dante Urbani, 77, who is known as “Mr. Bocce Ball,” said that he is very aware of the strategy of the game.

“There’s a lot of strategy,” said Urbani, who grew up with the sport and joined the local club 10 years ago. “You have to have a lot of finesse and you have to be convinced that you are better than everybody and that gives you more of an edge. You have to have a lot of confidence, but I think that people should just have that in general in life and feel secure about things.”

Another member of the club, 84-year-old Ottavio Luchini, said that his memories of bocce date back to about 1935 when he used to play the game in his native town of Massarosa, Italy, near Lucca, with his childhood friends, Basilio, Renio, Filippo, Sandrino and several others.

“When I was in Italy, we used to play with rocks on the dirt, because we didn’t have any balls or courts,” Luchini said.

Although he first arrived in Sacramento on Feb. 4, 1949, Luchini said that he has only been playing bocce in the capital city since about 2000, since he was a longtime card player at the Dante Club.

 

Known nationwide

The East Portal Bocce Club is far from just a community story as the organization has gained much recognition as a premier club throughout the nation.

And being a premier Northern California club is alone quite notable, considering that the majority of the nation’s bocce clubs are located in Northern California.

Hanging from the wooden rooftop that covers a pair of the East Portal Park’s four courts is a banner, which celebrates the 2004 USBF B-bracket national champions, which was won by a team consisting of Jim Fellos, David Zaffa, Jack Roupp and Jack Toige.

With efforts being made to add bocce to the sports of the Summer Olympics, the club hopes to have a few of its members become Olympians, including Vern Cooper, who is currently ranked No. 10 in the United States.

Cooper, who is working toward his goal of participating in the World Bocce Championships, is also a certified world bocce referee.

Martinez said that he enjoys being a part of the rich tradition of bocce ball at East Portal Park.

“It really is something that’s community affirming and I’m very much committed to the East Sacramento community and to me, bocce is very much a part of its lifeblood,” Martinez said. “It sustains and enhances the community and it brings that cultural vitality and to me, that’s what makes it so special. And also, I just love playing it, so anything I can do to encourage others to play, I want to do it.”

And encourage, he does, as Martinez said that he always advocates new membership in the club.

With league play occurring every Monday through Thursday from the spring through the fall, Martinez noted that generally the best time for newcomers to visit the courts is on the weekends.

“There is always somebody down here on the weekends who is willing to talk to people about the club,” Martinez said.

Those desiring to learn more about bocce ball, the club or are interested in becoming a member of the club can call Martinez at (916) 717-1947 or visit the Web site www.eastportalbocceclub.com.

 

E-mail Lance Armstrong at lance@valcomnews.com.