When in Rome, do as the Romans do.
When in Nelson on Sunday, 1 March, you can do as locals with Italian heritage do.
Nelson Italian Festival hosted by the 200-member Club Italia Nelson, will reach soprano for the fourth time, showcasing la bella vita (the beautiful life) of the acclaimed nation more than 18,400km away.
Rome-born festival organiser Flavia Spena says Italians—mostly from the coastal town of Massa Lubrense—first settled in this region in the late 1800s.
Today, up to 1000 local residents have Italian roots.
She says the free-entry event on lower Trafalgar St and Trafalgar Park rolls out a Little Italy for Nelsonians, with Italian cuisine from pizza, gelato and espresso, cooking demonstrations, traditional music and dance including opera, football, and swish Italian vehicles from Ducati motorcycles, Alfa Romeo and Fiat.
A raffle to win seven nights’ accommodation in the Italian capital is also on the table, and the introduction of an “Italians in Nelson” exhibition honours the local Italian community, and a kids’ area with games and face painting aims to entice more families.
More than 8000 people visited the 2025 event, and Flavia says even higher attendance this year would be molto buono (very good).
“It’s quite nice to share everything about Italy in the community with families for a fun day, because Italians have been in Nelson for more than 100 years,” she says.
The Nelson Italian Festival is supported by the Italian Embassy in Wellington, Nelson City Council, the Italian Chamber of Commerce in New Zealand, Comites Nuova Zelanda (which represents Aotearoa’s Italian community), and other community partners and sponsors.
The festivities will be held between 10am and 4pm.
