From May 16 – 21, Myrtleford will come alive with Italian culture, celebrating all that epitomises the Belpaese through art, dance, film and - of course - food and wine.
Now in its ninth year, La Fiera is considered the region’s premier Italian festival and has become a major community event, with up to 5500 people expected to attend the six-day affair.
“La Fiera is proud to once again to develop a program of events that will delight everyone and each year our festival grows and becomes more exciting,” La Fiera spokesman John Reynolds-Smith said.
“We have a wonderful range of entertainment. La Fiera is becoming the one event in the Northeast not to be missed!”
The festivities will kick off in style with the official launch party at Michelini Wines, La Fiera’s major sponsor for five years now.
“As an Italian winery, privately owned and operated by the Michelini family, it was an ideal fit to become the festival’s sole major corporate sponsor,” Cellar Door and Winery Operations Manager Joanna McIntyre said.
“For Michelini Wines, the festival encompasses the passion, history and heritage of Italy that we can proudly call our own.”
Ms McIntyre explained that La Fiera was founded off the back of the community’s desire to honour the Italian population who call Myrtleford home, many of whom are of northern Italian heritage, but certainly not without their Sicilian and Calabrian counterparts.
“Now, some nine years later, La Fiera continues to draw people from far and wide due to its broad range of activities and events, and its connection to the townspeople of Myrtleford,” she added.
The climax will build in the lead up to the event’s main day, Saturday, as the Food & Wine Festa gets underway after an Italian-inspired procession in honour of St Anthony of Padua.
Hungry festivalgoers will flock to the town’s Piazza to devour their share of traditional Italian fare made with regional produce...and washed down with a local drop, of course.
With bellies full of goodness, courtesy of local Italian clubs, people will then be able to meander through the heart of the township, soaking up everything there is to see and do, from cooking demonstrations to the coveted barista race.
Italian music will resound across the main square, while the Melbourne School of Tarantella is sure to transport visitors to a southern Italian village through song and dance.
A major highlight of this year’s festival is a re-enactment of the Living Chess Match, first played in 1454 in the northern Italian town of Marostica.
Revived by the local theatre troupe and students, this age-old Italian tradition is set to make a comeback to Myrtleford after five years.
As the picturesque town of Myrtleford prepares to treat visitors to a week of la dolce vita set against the backdrop of towering mountains and rich autumn hues, Ms McIntyre looks forward to showcasing the region’s natural and cultural allure.
“I hope that all visitors to the festival, be it locals or tourists, take away the sense of fun, pride and heritage of the Italian community in Myrtleford,” she said.
“I hope they’ll have had a great experience and that they can tell others about La Fiera and return for another visit in years to come! Or sooner!”
