The Il Pomodoro restaurant in San Pedro de Montes de Oca turned off its pizzas oven last year.As business dozens, he closed cornered by the shortage of diners in the pandemic.His purpose came after 33 years in which he won the heart of those who ate there.
Imán of academics, students, politicians, film actors and soccer players, served even the stage to shoot Hollywood television series.Even actress Julia Roberts and actor Woody Harrelson ate in that corner that smelled of fresh pasta and cheese.
This Saturday, only the facade of the premises was still standing.On an external wall, the drawing of the smiling open -eyed tomato is still characterized by the establishment between “rented” signs.Inside everything was razed.
Now the forecast is to build a parking lot in a few months, said the current owner of the property who preferred not to provide his name before consultations of this newspaper.
Il Pomodoro will now last in the memory of a story that began to weave in 1987 when an Italian immigrant rented at that point that would later become a gastronomic sanctuary and where he throbbed the social life of the Rodrigo Facio University City of the University of CostaRich (UCR).
The adventure began years before, in 1981, when the family came from Italy during a crisis that cooled the economy of that nation and motivated the clan to look for heat on the other side of the sea.
Romano Marchetti Bascherini was 42 years old when he arrived in Costa Rica in 1980.
He had left his wife and two children in his native Forte Dei Marmi in front of the sea of Liguria in the province of Lucca.His father and husband first crossed the Atlantic to prepare the opening of the Maybo restaurant in front of the former Higuerón in San Pedro, which he inaugurated in 1981 next to a partner.
“Maybo succeeded but my father wanted something of his own.Il Pomodoro lived several stages.He started with about six tables and a window to sell pizza portions and was then called the final exam.We always rent but he sought to buy from the beginning.He was afraid to run out of a place.That is why he built a second Il Pomodoro near the Roosevelt school, ”said his son from Stéfano Marchetti Bertolani who with his brother Andrea is still leading that other place.
His father did not cook.He was an investor and had studied administration.It was his wife Anna Bertolani Lupetti who assumed the culinary direction.Her dream was to create a place of real Italian food which was reflected in the menu, at first abundant in dishes based on sea products such as tradition in the hometown of this family.
The marriage imported the teams, anchovies, flour and how much Italian product could include traditional rack tomatoes in Florence whose cans, more than three decades ago, they were not achieved as now.They even brought chefs from their people Forte Dei Marmi.
“I came without knowing Spanish and faced everything with love because we were very happy.I would have followed my husband to the moon because he was a wonderful man.He was beautiful because the Ticos accepted us as Costa Ricans and the children settled well, ”said Doña Anna even with a marked Italian accent.She clarifies, in case someone doubts, that she now feels more ethical than Italian.
The restaurant had such welcome that, over time, the rented area to put more tables expanded three times.
"Media Costa Rica passed by," said the son who also cited former presidents Óscar Arias, Rafael Ángel Calderón and José María Figueres among the usual visitors.Also ministers, businessmen, teachers and administrative staff of the UCR and students when there was money from the week to glad.
Doña Anna said there were teachers with fixed tables and always asked them to never close because they loved the atmosphere between Bohemian and rustic.At the end of their day of lessons, some teachers had the routine of taking refuge there to devour a pizza whose portions went down with a glass of wine.
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"My dad knew half of the UCR and the vast majority of her friends were born from her life in the restaurant for which she lived and where she was always," said the son.
Marchetti attended Silvia Poll after winning the silver medal in the Seoul 1988 and players of the national team.With Hernán Médford, he even used to sit to talk about football when he was going.
So much popularity won Il Pomodoro that, in 1995, the actor of Italian origin Bud Spencer filmed there with actor Philip Michael Thomas (from the Television series Miami Vice) take his miniseries "We Are Angels".
It was a fighting scene and there were flying chairs and props to break, the son recalled.That series also included national talent as actress Thelma Darkins, César Meléndez and even Vica Andrade.
“I loved Romano very much, he was a kind, gentle person and soft and easy treatment.Many friends still come here to the other restaurant to greet me because I remember all that time, ”said Mrs. Anna.
[Friday’s restaurant will disappear from Oca Montes by over -standing works in Rotonda de la Flag]
In 2000, Romano and his family opened a second Ill Pomodoro 200 meters from the original near the Roosevelt school in San Pedro.Now the children of his Andrea and Stefano take care of the business.
However, the original restaurant did not support the pandemic.The family tried to endure at the beginning of 2020 and managed to resist some time but then the confinement of people lasted including the closure of face -to -face classes in the UCR.
“March, April and June 2020 was like walking through a ghost town in that area.For us it was terrible and very hard.In addition, we had our employees with suspended days and they needed to get ahead.We gave you food baskets to help each other but, unfortunately, we had to close, ”said Stefano.
Mother and son agree that her most endearing memories of that site were all the people who always greeted the husband and father.For both the affection that the businessman woke up is impressive.
Romano Marchetti Bascherini was 79 years old when he died in 2017 for a disease in the liver.
“We were very happy.When two people join and live together, they also work well.We were very supported by each other.It was such a big adventure for me because I didn't know Spanish and I didn't know anyone either.It was our great bet, ”recalls Doña Anna.
However, some discords or time erases them and still fly over the Marchetti clan as, for example, who put the name.
“I remember that we were in the car the four and my dad wondered how to name the restaurant.Someone said that Pomodoro but until today there is a dispute between us who was, ”said Stéfano.