Festa Italiana

Festa Italiana must have struck a deal with the god of weather as they had yet another sun-kissed event, held at the end of August. This laid-back weekend-long Italian festival went swimmingly, full of excellent street food vendors, live music and family-friendly activities.

Another sun-kissed event, full of excellent street food

The food options were endless, including Café Azul, Café Cannoli, Destination Doughnut, I Knead Pizza, Lucky Mama’s, Proove and more. We couldn’t resist the arancini from T’Arricrii, which never disappoints, plus a glorious Diavola pizza from Proove – covered with delicate slices of fennel salami and chilli which combined to deliver a powerful hit of flavour.

A pasta dish is a must, and a truffle and mushroom dish from The Pasta Factory was the perfect dish to eat in the warm weather, kicking back and listening to the live music from Napoli’s Compagnia Sole Luna, The Manchester Tenor and a series of excellent DJs.

As a showcase for Italian culture in Manchester, it’s a pitch-perfect celebration of all things Italiano, and a perfect entry point for exploring the best of the city. Local legends, Salvi’s, played a huge role, and rightly so, as they’ve done much for Mediterranean culture over the past few years, with their other-worldly food options (now also available at Deansgate Square).

But overall, the atmosphere is what made it. Everyone was on top form, especially the food and drink vendors, chatty, friendly and delightfully keen to show off their skills and knowledge to everyone from little kids to seasoned Italian cuisine-lovers.

If this year’s event is anything to go by, next year’s will be bigger, better and an absolute must-visit for any Mancunian who loves open-air food, drink and Italian-tinged fun.