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Festa Italiana Attracts 18,000 Guests to UST
12/3/2010
 What began as a small, humble Italian festival has now become one of the largest ethnic festivals in Houston. The sights, sounds and mouth-watering aromas of Italy beckoned 18,000 people to the University of St. Thomas campus from Oct. 15-17. Last year, the festival drew 15,000 visitors. A portion of the festival admission proceeds will be applied toward scholarships at UST.
“The University of St. Thomas and the Italian Cultural & Community Center have formed a wonderful partnership which provides a convenient and beautiful setting for the annual Festa Italiana,” said UST President Dr. Robert Ivany. “We were thrilled to show off our campus and students to an ever-growing number of Houstonians by hosting this popular event.”
In an effort to reduce the festival’s carbon footprint, recycling bins located around the campus yielded 560 pounds, nearly half a ton, of recyclable materials including aluminum, glass and plastic.
Watch a video of the festival produced by UST communication majors, Jennifer Elmas, James Dillon, Max Faidi and Crew Ginn.
The grounds were lined with booths of authentic homemade Italian foods, many made from recipes handed down from generation to generation and made by members of the sponsoring organization, the Italian Cultural & Community Center. Foods included Rigatoni al Forno (baked rigatoni), handmade meatball sandwiches, fresh Italian sausage with grilled onions and peppers or on a stick, stuffed artichoke hearts, Italian green beans, and hand tossed pizza. Favorites among the sweet-tooth crowd were sfingi (Italian donuts), cucciadate (fig cookies), cannoli, gelato (Italian ice cream) and biscotti which guests will be able to enjoy with a cup of fresh brewed espresso. Guests also browsed through more than 30 booths of art, jewelry, gifts and more.
The festival featured:
• The Taste of Italy Pavilion with food demonstrations and wine tastings
• The Italian folk dancers, the Tarantella Dancers
• Live performances from the charismatic Italian singer, Aaron Caruso
• Marionette puppets, rides and crafts for children
• The bocce tournament
• Grape stomps for both adults and children
• The annual pasta-eating contest
• I Madonnari Sidewalk Chalk Art competition by high school students
• Radio Station KRBE 104.1 FM will the 3rd annual Italian-American Idol competition sponsored by radio station 104.1 KRBE.
Stay tuned at www.houstonitalianfestival.com for details on next year’s festival.
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