LITTLE Italy? No way. Manchester’s first bespoke Italian Festival was Italy Writ Large, Rome, Milan and Napoli rolled into one, as more than 20,000 visitors packed into Cathedral Gardens over the three days of Festa Italiana.
Indeed it felt like one big Italian street party celebrating the best food, drink and music that the nation has to offer. Such was Mancunian enthusiasm for the stalls, masterclasses and bars that many traders sold out. Proof – the Festa stats (somebody laid off the vino and Peroni to keep count):
- 4,500 pizzas pizza frittes munched
- 50 metres of pizza devoured
- 3,000 Aperol Spritzes sipped
- 2,200 Peronis enjoyed
- 3,500 cakes from Salvi’s scoffed
- 1,800 glasses of prosecco from Con Gusto quaffed
- 650 pasta pots from Pasta Project eaten
- 700 Nutella Crepes from Manchester Coffee Company guzzled
Visitors were treated to an Italian food market, featuring fine produce with some traders flown over from Italy especially for the occasion; an Italian street food piazza serving up everything from pizza to porchetta; a series of demos and workshops showcasing Italian cookery skills; kids’ activities and live Italian music throughout the weekend.
The Festa even cooked up 50 metres of pizza on Sunday and hungry Festival goers devoured the lot!
The event ran daily from 11am offering lots to do and enjoy all day and into the night with revellers enjoying the evening tempo of the Festival, as DJs took over right through till 11pm.
It was the first event of its kind for Greater Manchester and organiser Maurizio Cecco says it will be the first of many: “We were so happy this weekend’s Festa Italiana! We wanted to bring the Italian community together to celebrate everything that we are famous for, and what Mancunians love too – food, drink and enjoying a great party! We are already planning next year’s event – watch this space!”Festa Italiana ran from June 23-25 on Cathedral Gardens.
