Volunteers

Marcello Palazzi was born and raised in Italy. After meeting his wife Kate, a Hoosier, while she was in Rome during her study abroad, he moved to Naples, Florida in 2007 to get married and start a family. Marcello and Kate have 3 amazing kids: Luca, 11 years old; Adriano, 10 years old; and Clara, 8 years old.

In 2010, Marcello started as a wine service volunteer at the Naples Winter Wine Festival (NWWF) after being invited by Bruce Nichols, an Honorary Trustee. Bruce has influenced Marcello’s decision to continue to volunteer and take on more responsibility each year during the past 14 years. He looks up to Bruce as a mentor in the wine world and learns more from him year after year. Marcello continues to be a valued asset for NCEF and the NWWF.

Marcello’s favorite NCEF memory was during his first year volunteering at the Festival. He was overwhelmed by the hundreds of people truly happy to raise their paddles and donate money for so many kids in need in Collier County.

If Marcello could have one superpower, it would be the power to make every kid smile. They all deserve to have a wonderful childhood and happy memories. A fun fact about Marcello is that he can play the flute. The top 3 things on his bucket list are visiting Jerusalem, skydiving and running a marathon.

Marcello’s favorite quote is “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”