Festa D'Italia succeeds despite rain

By Shelby Boyle

Music, food, music, dancing and gelato! The Festa D’Italia was really something that just couldn’t go wrong. Plagued by a last-minute venue change, a large crowd and rain, the Italian festival was still considered a great success by many.

The Festa D’Italia was held under the big white tent beside the Finnegan Fieldhouse on Saturday, Sept. 11. The event was supposed to occur in the piazza between St. Thomas More Hall, St. Elizabeth Hall, and Sts. Kolbe and Clare Halls, but the venue was changed a short time before the event was held. Many students and faculty were pleased with this last-minute change, as it rained for a large percentage of the event.

The venue change did not hinder the fun and elaborate decorating. The entire white tent was decked out with little green, white, and red flags. The decorations mixed with the overall mood and tone of the event had the entire tent pretty much dripping with Italian patriotism.

Although the event officially began at 7 p.m., many students arrived long before then. Some showed up early in order to be first in line for the great selection of food, including Italian favorites such as pasta, pizza, a variety of cheeses and breads, and fresh fruits. Though some believed the line leading into the event too long of a wait, most saw it as well worth it once entering into the tent and enjoying all it had to offer. The line, which stretched onto the sidewalk was filled with anxious students waiting for their turn to make their way around the food selection and to grace the dance floor.

One student, freshman Kathleen Garcia, said, “the food was fantastic, 100% worth the forty-five minute line we had to wait in to get it!”
It just would not be an Italian festival if there wasn’t an energetic, and somewhat eccentric, band playing and singing loudly and to everyone’s delight. The band played with energy and gusto the entire event, up until the very end. The band and its skillfully selected music brought many of those in attendance to their feet, dancing across the makeshift dance floor.

Freshman Amy Babiarz said of the band, “It was cute. The little old man who was singing was absolutely adorable!”

Of course, it would not have been a decent Italian festival had there not been a choice selection of desserts. In place of Italian Ice, there was a snow cone machine. There was also a choice of gelato, which was the only food that had to be paid for. Since it was only a single dollar, many students partook of the traditional Italian desert.

In the end, the Festa D’Italia was a great success. Students made their way through a longer walk, a long line and a rainy night in order to reach the fun this festival had to offer. And, overall, once people got a taste of the delicious food, great music and good company, no one regretted their decision.