Lucia and Marta

Growing up in an Italian household where Italian was spoken as much as English, we spent our lives fully immersed in the Italian culture while growing up in America.  We have many treasured memories of incredible Italian cuisine that we were lucky enough to have as a part of our daily life.  We fondly remember the anisette fettine (biscotti) our mother used to make for us when we were children.  Lucia and Marta's Sweet Creations still makes them the same way -- the original authentic Italian way -- with multi-colored non-pareils sprinkled on top.

We were born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and raised in the suburbs of Philadelphia, where we still reside.  We are both graduates of Cardinal O'Hara High School in Springfield, PA.  Lucia graduated from Villanova University with a Bachelor's Degree in Accounting and a Masters Degree in Business Administration.  Marta graduated from Cabrini College in Radnor, PA with a Bachelor's Degree in Computer Information Science.  Marta created Lucia and Marta's Sweet Creations website.

People often ask... our names are pronounced: LEW-CHEE-AH and MAR-TAH with a hard T sound.

Carmela and Anna

Our mother and aunt, Carmela and Anna respectively, make up the other pair of sisters in this family team.  They have generously taken the time to teach us to make authentic Italian biscotti as our grandmothers taught them.  They contribute to the creation of new recipes.  They bake biscotti and make chocolate along side us and, with the rest of the family, provide immeasurable support and love -- for this we are very grateful.

Our Italian Roots

Both sides of our family emigrated from different parts of Abruzzo, Italy. (Abruzzo is shown in purple on the map.)

The paternal side came to America in 1949 from the town of Guardiagrele; the maternal side came to America in 1955 from the town of Alfedena.  Our parents, Joe and Carmela, met and married in America.  They met through the Sons of Italy.

We still have family in Italy and have had the pleasure of visiting with them on our trips to Italy.

La Societa' di Guardiagrele

We are members of "La Societa' di Guardiagrele."  This Italian-American organization, made up of direct descendants of persons born in Guardiagrele, was founded in 1912.  It is dedicated to celebrating the history and keeping alive the culture of Guardiagrele in America.  If you live in the Philadelphia area and are interested in joining the club, please contact us.