Sadly, so many wonderful annual summer events held in our area of Colorado will be missed this year, as they have been canceled due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. One festival we have been attending almost every year since we moved to the Denver area of Colorado seven years ago, was the free two-day "Festival Italiano" held in the streets in nearby Belmar shopping area of Lakewood, Colorado.
We enjoyed seeing all the fabulous vendors selling everything Italian at the festival--fresh pasta, gelato, pizza, cookies, wine, etc! There was bocce ball tournament, street chalk drawings, grape stomping for children, ceremonial flag throwers from Florence, Italy, musicians from Italy, and opera singers that performed on two stages! My husband and I were in heaven enjoying it all with our family.
Traditional Flag Throwers from Florence, Italy-- the "Sbandieratori Die Borchi E Sestieri Florentini"
They performed their colorful flag throwing multiple times a day. You can see videos of their performances on their web page here.
Traditional Tarantella Dancers
We enjoyed the wonderful array of Italian food and Italian food ingredients for sale by multiple vendors at the festival.
There was lots of shopping available...
...and cultural opportunities.
We have many fond memories of the events and entertainment we enjoyed over the years at the festival.
This event was always a highlight of the festival for us! If you read my last blog post about the Balistreri Vineyards--click here--you heard me mention we bought their "Little Feet Merlot" wine. It was a special vintage made the year before during the annual Balistreri Vineyards Children's Grape Stomp event at the festival!
This was the second grape stomp that our oldest granddaughter participated in, during the summer of 2018. Last summer, in 2019, we visited the vineyard to pick up a bottle of the wine that she and other children had helped to make by stomping on the merlot grapes in the large vats at the festival. Her parents are going to save the wine for her to enjoy when she is of drinking age. Our granddaughter had a lot of fun stomping the grapes the old fashioned way and it will be something we really miss seeing her do again this year.
Colorado is slowly allowing the re-opening of many activities during the summer waning of the pandemic, but continuing to stress social distancing and encouraging everyone to wear a mask when in public to prevent transmitting the virus. Festivals and other sources of large public gatherings are canceled for this year, with the hopes that they will be able to return in 2021. Since my husband and I are seniors we are remaining cautious and staying home as much as possible. We have made the decision to try to keep our risks as low as possible until we feel there is a successful treatment or vaccine for COVID-19. We feel everyone has to decide what is best for themselves going forward.
What are your plans for the summer? Please stay healthy!
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