Viva Italia!

     We continued our annual tradition of attending the Festa Italia on Saturday.  It’s a celebration of all things Italian and always a chance to get in touch with your inner Tony Manero as well as indulge in all of the delights Italian culture has to offer.  This year, the festivities were held on the freshly Obama-fied grounds of Macomb Community College, as opposed to the larger Freedom Hill venue from last year.  Nowhere was the pesky recession more evident than at this beloved gathering of my people.  Where vendors had once peddled their sparkly jewels and baubles, they now were noticeably absent, replaced by, well, nothing.  Where the bleacher-style seating allowed for all in attendance to pop a squat and enjoy the premier entertainment last year, we now had to contend with “chair-savers” and 70 year old devotees of the event none too willing to part with their folding chairs.  When the rain finally hit, as the ominous skies had been threatening for hours, we all forced our way beneath the undersized pavilions like oil-packed sardines much to the chagrin of the aforementioned chair savers.  To all of our relief, the clouds parted after 7 or 8 minutes and now the hunt was on for food.  After what I affectionately call my “welcome Chianti”, my palette was craving another, so off we went to one of the four booths offering libations that evening.  At only $4 per 4 0z. glass of wine and only $3 for beer, our wallets were in full cooperation.  “One Chianti, one Perino”, we ordered.  “Sorry, out of Chianti”, was the reply.  Out of Chianti?!  That’s like  McDonald’s without the nuggets, Letterman without Palin jokes, and…uh, an Italian Festival without the Chianti!  Luckily, another vendor offered up my favorite vino just a step or two away.  As far as the food goes, the choice was a bit limited but I HIGHLY recommend the sausage sandwich!  There it was in all of it’s fennel-y, grilled pepper-y, marinara soaked splendor.  We enjoyed our sammies standing up as we happened to snag a table next to the stage obviously intended for band use…no harm.  The rousing performance by the always perfect Gaylord’s made them go down much easier!  Top off the evening with the absolute best cannoli I’ve ever had (ricotta filling is the way to go!), and the night was just as magical as ever.  Yes, we missed the Lamborghini display and local jewelry vendors, but the sense of family and belonging and…coolness was more than enough to keep hope alive for next year’s festivities!