Everyone's Italian at Ferragosto!

On Sunday, September 8th, thousands of people crowded the streets of Arthur Avenue to attend its annual feast, Ferragosto. As a proud, full Italian, I was of course very eager to check it out!

Every year, the restaurants, bakeries, and grocery stores that line Arthur Avenue pull out all the stops to make their customers happy, and this year was no different. From noon until 8 pm, the streets were lined with many different food, clothing, cigar, wine, and even iced tea vendors. If you looked closely enough at the tables, you could even receive some free samples! For instance, one table hosted a free wine tasting for consumers 21 and over, another gave free cups of iced tea, and another had pieces of mozzarella for everyone to taste. In addition, consumers could purchase dishes of pasta, rice balls, personal pizzas, cannoli, zeppoles, and the famous sausage and peppers and roasted suckling pig sandwiches. My personal favorites were the fried zucchini flowers--I got three of them for only $4! The delicious food and great prices kept me (and my appetite) feeling very satisfied.

Ferragosto also featured the grand opening of a brand new restaurant on Arthur Avenue called John's Pizzeria. Many people, including myself, recognized this restaurant right away, as there is a branch in the Theatre District in Manhattan. John's sells its pizzas only by the pie, making it a great place for students to bring their families and friends. At Ferragosto, chefs from John's were cooking pizzas in an outdoor oven for everyone to taste.

Overall, Ferragosto is a great event to attend if you would like to learn all about what Arthur Avenue has to offer. Definitely check out all the restaurants and bakeries--you simply can't go wrong!