The Vanni family had a big bash planned to celebrate the 100th birthday of their matriarch. But the pandemic had other ideas.
Fortunately, so did the Vannis.
Family and friends of Anita Vanni Zanardi decorated their vehicles and invited the Gilroy police and fire departments to give the centenarian a unique party that no one would have thought of earlier this year: a drive-by birthday parade.
The Aug. 15 procession passed by Zanardi’s west Gilroy home, with the law enforcement officials blaring their sirens, family members singing “Happy Birthday” in English and Italian, and many throwing birthday cards out their windows. Some even drove by multiple times as Zanardi waved at them while sitting in front of her garage and in the shade as the weather approached triple digits.
Zanardi said the parade was a surprise to her, having only found out about it a few days prior.
“I appreciate it very much,” she said. “Thank you everybody.
“I love my family, I love them all.”
Zanardi was born on Aug. 18, 1920 in the small town of Serre, Italy, and came to the North Beach area of San Francisco at the age of 2. She married Vincenzo Vanni at the age of 19 and had three children, Alice, David and Donald.
The family moved to Mountain View in 1948 where Vincenzo and family grew flowers on their 10 acres with Anita being an integral part of the family enterprise. She was married to Vincenzo for 33 years before he passed away.
She later met Andy Zanardi and they were married for 44 years before his passing. They spent much of their time in the Lucca area of Italy.
Zanardi moved to Gilroy in 1997 and continues to live in her home with the help of a caregiver, said David Vanni, adding that his mother remains active.
She has three children, 14 grandchildren, 30 great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren.
She said she enjoys spending time with friends and family, and attributes her longevity to keeping busy and drinking good wine.
Earlier in the morning on Aug. 15, family and friends gathered at Luigi Aprea Elementary School to decorate their vehicles and hash out last-minute details of the parade.
Zanardi’s granddaughter Maria Bautista was joined by her children Henry and Annie Specker in adorning their vehicle with flowers and other bright decor.
Bautista said her grandmother would have loved to have a traditional party, adding that the parade was a fun way to celebrate the milestone.
“She’s amazing, she’s absolutely amazing,” Bautista said. “She’s had a phenomenal life.”
