Great music, happy revelers, and fantastic Italian food helped make the fourth annual Festa Coloniale Italiana a rousing success. The last local Italian street festival in San Francisco kicked off Saturday morning under sunny skies; perfect weather brought out the crowds as Washington Square Park filled with people from all over the Bay Area.
Entertainment was provided by a variety of dancers and musicians, including Bella Ciao, fronted by Grammy-nominated Tom Torriglia; the mistress of ceremonies was none other than local comedienne and actress Tina Canepa.
Those attending the Festa appeared to be enjoying themselves immensely. “Where else can you have a meatball sandwich and a glass of wine, dance a tarantella in the middle of the street, and then top it all off with the best cannoli this side of Italy?” asked Tony Antonnini, a first-time visitor to the Festa. “Not only am I going to come back next year, I’m going to see about joining the club, too.” Membership chairman Guido Perego was glad to hear it. “Membership has begun to climb again in the past year or so,” said Perego. “An event like the Festa Coloniale is one of many reasons why.”
The Festa Coloniale Italiana was the brain child of Immediate Past President and San Francisco Police Inspector Gianrico Claudio Pierucci. Created to honor the original Italian Colony of San Francisco, the Festa is sponsored by the San Francisco Italian Athletic Club Foundation, the non-profit, charitable arm of the SFIAC. Proceeds benefit Italian language programs in the San Francisco Bay Area.
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