Villa Rosa Italian Festival
Thousands of Italian Americans and friends flocked today to the Villa Rosa grounds in Mitchellville, Maryland, to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Festival. We were told that 350
pounds of flours were used just to make the pizza – and the line for the pizza was visibly the longest. Volunteers were making fresh polenta, 50 pounds, and others were grilling hundreds of pounds of chicken, sausage, while other volunteers were preparing pasta with meatballs.
Gianluigi of Dolci Gelati was there too, scooping raspberry gelato to the young and adults alike! A Fiat 500 was parked on the grounds!You could not have asked for a more pleasant afternoon! Darlene DiBattista who chairs this all-volunteer event with her husband Nick had a smile on her face.
The Monaldi Brothers kept the crowd entertained with the classical songs that became so popular among the Italian American community. Mary Catucci, who co-chaired the first Festival in 1951, was there again, this year as volunteer! Congratulations to Darlene, Nick, and all others who helped make the 50th Italian American Fall Festival a truly memorable event!
