Around Town … with Robert Airoldi: Family matriarch celebrates 100th birthday, credits good wine

Anita was born in the small town of Sere, near Genova, Italy

Photo courtesy Vanni family
Anita Vanni Zanardi celebrated her 100th birthday

By Robert Airoldi

Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2020 was a major milestone for the Vanni family and matriarch Anita Vanni Zanardi as she reached that signpost of 100 years young. Her special party celebration had to be postponed due to the coronavirus social distancing orders, so family and friends put together a drive-by birthday visit surprising her in front of her Gilroy home. More than 60 people paid their respects, including police officers and firefighters.

Anita was born in the small town of Sere, near Genova, Italy. She came to the North Beach area of San Francisco at the age of 2. After graduating high school, she attended beauty college and became a beautician. She married Vincenzo Vanni at the age of 19 and had three children, Alice, David and Donald.

“Living in the Daily City area where the weather was cold and foggy, the family moved to Mountain View in 1948 where Vincenzo and family grew cut flowers on their 10 acres with Anita an integral part of the family enterprise,” said her son, Dave Vanni.

She was married to Vincenzo for 33 years before his passing. She later met Andy Zanardi and they were married for 44 years before his passing. They spent a lot of time in the Lucca area of Italy, traveling and exploring.

Anita moved to Gilroy in 1997 and continues to live in her home with the help of a wonderful caregiver, Cynthia. In addition to her three children, Anita has 14 grandchildren, 30 great-grandchildren and two great-great grandchildren.

“One of the highlights of her life is spending time with friends and family,” Dave said. “She attributes her longevity to keeping busy and drinking good wine.”

Happy centennial birthday, Anita.

With the COVID-19 pandemic, the popular Friends of the Gilroy Library book sales are no longer allowed. But the volunteers came up with a wonderful idea to raise funds for the library — grab bags.

The grab bags of books for $5 cash have proved to be a big hit with locals. These surprise packages of books or DVDs are available during the Gilroy Library curbside pickup hours between 1 and  5 p.m., Mondays through Saturdays. And they also have a special offer for anyone who becomes a member. Your membership will be good through New Year’s Eve 2021.

“Once you are a member, you can preorder a bag of a special genre or author, and pick it up during library curbside pickup hours,” said Chrissy Robertson, president of the Friends board of directors. Follow this link to join: www.friendsofgilroylibrary.org/membership.

Amazon is moving into Gilroy. The e-commerce behemoth recently purchased 66 acres of Gilroy farmland just south of the Gilroy Premium Outlets and east of U.S. 101 for its cloud and data services unit. In the recent transaction, Amazon Data Services paid $31.3 million for the properties, which are adjacent to 8001 Camino Arroyo between Leavesley and Gilman roads.

The most recently available value of the parcels that Amazon bought from local developers John Filice and Eli Reinhard was $7.3 million, so the purchase price was four times greater than the assessed value. Not that Amazon doesn’t have to pinch pennies. The company’s revenue last year was $280 billion and founder Jeff Bezos’ wealth, most currently estimated, is $196 billion, making him the richest man in the world.

The land is ripe for development. Even though the parcels are agricultural, they border business parks, industrial centers, and medical facilities.

One of the most popular South Valley venues for family fun will, alas, keep its gates locked for public safety during the coronavirus crisis.

Due to the uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic and related health and safety restrictions, Gilroy Gardens announced it will remain closed for the remainder of 2020.

“We are incredibly sad and disappointed that we are unable to welcome our guests back to the park this season,” said Barb Granter, vice president and general manager of Gilroy Gardens.