Festival Italiano 2020

Overview

If the words pizza, prosecco, gelato and spaghetti alla chitarra al gorgonzola are music to your ears, keep reading and get ready to abandon any reservations with gluten and dairy.

Every year, Auckland's Dante Alighieri Italian Society sets aside an entire month to showcase the rich culture of the motherland through film screenings, art exhibitions, Ferrari displays, and ample food and drink. It's called Italian Festival Season and it's the largest celebration of Italian culture in New Zealand.

Free community street party, Festival Italiano, is the main event and grand finale of the month-long partito. On Sunday, 8 November, the event will literally stop traffic in Newmarket as it transforms the streets into an Italian market with stalls and al fresco lunch offerings from leading Italian restaurants. If past events are anything to go by, you can expect delicious Italian fare from the likes of Pasta e Cuore, Baduzzi, Mediterranean Foods, Farina and more. As you sink into a food coma, sit back and enjoy some traditional live music with a glass of the good stuff from the festival bar.

This year Festival Italiano will be spread across Osborne Street, Kent Street, Osborne Lane, Rialto Centre and Lumsden Green in Newmarket.

Image: Gianni Flego, Festival Italiano.