LITTLE ITALY, Manhattan (PIX11) — It started back in 1926 as a one-day block party on the Lower East Side. Now, the San Gennaro Festival draws more than 1 million spectators over 11 days and spans an entire neighborhood.
And how about the food?
It is considered the feast of all feasts. Little Italy’s feast of San Gennaro Festival is back in its 97th year.
This year’s grand marshal was Italian-American actress Cathrine Narducci of “The Sopranos,” fame.
“It’s amazing,” Narducci gushed to PIX11 News.
The festival celebrates San Gennaro, the martyred saint of Naples. During the early 20th century most of the Italian immigrants who moved to the Lower East Side were Neapolitan.
The Monsignor Farrell marching band and Italian club from Staten Island were so happy to be included.
“Being Italian means the world to me,” Victoria Maniscalco, the head of Farrell’s Italian club, said. “My grandparents came from Sicily, and I appreciate the sacrifices they made, and I honor their homeland.”
And so many people come back year after year to sample the food, from funnel cakes and shish kebab to fried Oreos and oysters, cannoli, sausage and peppers — and then there is this latest item.
“It’s a twisted potato,” Christian Arizzi told PIX11 News. “And it’s delicious.”
The San Gennaro Festival runs until Sept. 24.
