Pizza, pasta, gelato and cannoli were washed down with Limonata amid a bellissimo sea of red, white and green as operatic performances transported festivalgoers to Italy’s famed cities and coastal villages.
An estimated 10,000 people amassed on lower Trafalgar St and at Trafalgar Park for a slice of Nelson’s Italian Festival, hosted by Club Italia Nelson, which thought outside the pizza box to showcase its heritage.
Club president Francis Miccio says it was a “wonderful occasion” and roaming the settings “100 per cent” felt like being in a Little Italy.
“In front of the stage, and then if you walk around the food stores and the smells, it feels like it even more… it’s amazing how many people in Nelson have an Italian affiliation,” he says.
“People just commented how wonderful it is… and the poignant remarks that stick with me is that it's just a great vibe.
“What I'm really proud of is the hard-working festival committee and all the volunteers, we've executed what we've set out to do to pull off something so grand.”
Jealousy was also in gear as festivalgoers admired the swish Italian machines including Ducati and Ferrari, while one lucky raffle winner walked away with seven nights’ accommodation in Rome.
