In pre Silicon Valley days, Santa Clara, then known as “The Valley of Hearts Delight,” had an abundance of “Italian Connections.” In a 1998 copy of “La Rivista,” Prof. John De Vincenzi, then president of the IAHF (Italian American Heritage Foundation) and historian, wrote about the contributions of Italian Americans in Santa Clara County, during the past 100 years, a few of which I will share with you.

Agriculture. In the three major areas of agriculture, business and professions, agriculture was the most outstanding as evidenced by the many Italians who labored in the fields and orchards, later to become landowners whose descendants became highly professional people in law, business, education, food processing, and real estate.