Sounds of Italy

Another Italian festival in the city has some people saying there’s plenty of room for more.

Hundreds attended the Fort William Historical Park Rendezvous with Italy. The two-day festival, which started on Saturday, offered an Italian cultural experience with food, music and exhibits.

Josie Audino, 62, flew from Winnipeg to Thunder Bay with her husband, Mario yesterday. Audino left Italy when she was about four years old and eventually came to Canada. She said she enjoyed having an authentic Italian festival.

"I think the best part is the atmosphere and the music," Audino said. "Having all these Italian festivals during the summer is a great idea."

Colleen Ahola, 14, came with her friends to the festival. They wanted a place to hang out and listen to the music. She said she was glad to have festivals and events go to and hang out and there was always room for more.

Angelo Bottos attended the festival with his wife and cousin the day before and had such a good time they decided to come again on Sunday. He said the food drew him in but the entertainment kept him coming back.

While Bottos thought Thunder Bay didn’t need another Italian festival, he said Rendezvous with Italy wasn’t a bad idea.

"If they can get together and have a great big Italian festival it would be alright," Bottos said.

Communications officer, Marty Mascarin said the festival was going well with lots of enthusiasm for the Italian bands.

"Riccardo Fogli was a really big hit it was like the Beatles in 1963 the way some people were reacting," Mascarin said. "The one thing that we’re heartened by is the fact is that we has virtually all the Italian community in Thunder Bay involved in this. They’re buying into it and they think it’s a great idea."

Rendezvous with Italy has a cultural orientation to it that distinguishes it from other festivals such as Rock the Fort that focused more on music, he said.