Carlino’s ‘Free Trip to Italy’ Contest Winners Chosen

Jean Lester of Roslyn has never visited Italy, even though all four of her grandparents grew up in the country.

The notion of seeing the country her ancestors hailed from changed on Saturday, as Lester and her husband Steven won the grand prize in “Free Trip to Italy” contest.

“I think I need a drink,” Lester said after winning the , which ran from June 3 to Sept. 30 and drew more than 1,500 entry forms. The Lesters will receive an eight-day vacation to Italy including airfare, hotel room, and tours of Rome, the Vatican and St. Peter’s.

Jean, whose grandparents were from Sicily, Naples and Venezia, said she is not sure if she has any more relatives still living in Italy, but said she would look into it. “You always have cousins around,” she said. “That would be nice.”

Mineola was given the honor of picking the winning entry along with former mayor now State .

Lester said she submitted several forms during the contest period, but still expressed disbelief at her prospects at winning the grand prize.

“No, who wins these things?” she said.

Her husband, Steven, who also has never been to Italy, said he usually is the lucky one when it comes to contests, particularly radio contests.

“I just won a WCBS 101.1 FM contest the other day,” he said. “We’re going to see the show ‘Rock of Ages’ next week.”

Carlino’s owner Carlo Corteo thought up the grand prize of a free trip to Italy because he wanted to share his love for his family’s ancestral home “with the people of Long Island.”

The contest was the first for the restaurant. Based on the increased business during the contest period, Corteo said he may want to hold another contest drawing.

“Yeah, why not,” he said. “It definitely brings in more customers, and I found out a lot of people from my hometown in Italy live around here.”

The Lesters are regular customers at Carlino’s, being so recognized that restaurant manager Wali Hussaini knows what the couple wants before they have to order – veal scaloppini for Steven and striped bass livornese, with no olives, for Jean; Unless it is Wednesday, and then it is Lobster.

“We eat here all the time, we’ve been coming here since it opened,” Jean Lester said.