THUNDER BAY - Although not empirically proven, the amount of people who have left an Italian household with an empty stomach is none, according to John Bonofiglio.
“That’s just the Italian way."
From August 5-6, the Italian community is putting that notion on the grand scale for the 28th annual Festa Italiana.
“Twenty hours of entertainment per day, each ending with fireworks,” said director John Bonofiglio
With beer gardens, face painting from the Thunder Bay Clown Club, local dancing group Le Stelle Alpine, and multilingual singer Paul London, there will be plenty to keep visitors enticed.
Of course, it’s the food that brings in bulk of the 20,000 people who are expected to attend the two-day event.
Bonofiglio said although the gnocchi is the main draw there are other Italian options that aren't available everyday.
“We have spezzatino, porchetta, elephant ears, cristales. All these are Italian delicacies.”
And where there’s food there’s plenty of it. The kitchen staff spends months preparing Festa food and expects to sell over 5,000 pounds of gnocchi, penne, and meatballs.
“The thing you have to remember is portions. Italians don’t do things in a small way, they feed you because they don’t want you to leave hungry,” he said.
All proceeds from the event will go back into the community and local charities.
“Our vision was to make everyone aware of Italian culture and share it with the community,” he continued. “So every year we open our door to everyone… and we do it with food, good wine, good friends and good times.”
The only factor that could get in the way of massive amounts of gnocchi being consumed is the rain.
Weather forecasts currently indicate a chance of strong thunderstorms. with a 40 per cent chance of rain on Sunday, and 70 per cent on Sunday.
Admission to the event is free.
