The cold and unannounced rain did not intimidate the nearly six thousand people who gathered at La Fiera Italian Festival in Myrtleford on May 20 and 21 to find out what the 2023 edition had to offer. And expectations were not disappointed, with plenty of guests and culinary offerings that captivated the crowd.
Saturday began with a Mass and procession for St. Anthony of Padua, led by Father Tony.
“But this was a day mostly about food, good wine and entertainment,” said Louise Benini, one of the organisers.
“The fair also has a policy of sustainability: we had to use compostable plates and cutlery to participate. We work with the local Landcare group and the waste then goes to our Community Garden where it is turned into compost.
“We’ve reduced landfill waste from the event by more than 80 per cent. It was a small project I started years ago that we are all really proud of.”
Also present were a number of Italian clubs including the Trentino, Calabrian, Treviso and Vicenza clubs, who cooked typical dishes from their regions like crespelle, polenta and mulled wine, as well as the famous Abruzzo Lab arrosticini and fiadoni abruzzesi, just to name a few of the traditional delicacies that were on offer.
A group of volunteers from the Trentino club holding up a Strauben, a typical dessert from their region. (Photo: George Photography)
There were also chestnuts, currently in season and cultivated locally. The Australian Chestnuts association was also present.
“About 80 per cent of all Australian production is grown in this area. Those who live in the surrounding countryside gather on festival days to clean and cut them and then of course roast them,” Benini explained of the chestnuts.
The entertainment was engaging with James Liotta who, besides serving as the MC, brought a breeze of lightness and laughter with his performances.
The audience was also charmed by the magic tricks of Anthony De Masi who impersonated the famous Luigi Zucchini character for the children and entertained the adults with another show, followed by a singing performance from the well-known Dean Canan.
Young Ambassadors organised a grape-pressing competition that was also a lot of fun.
“There were four couples who were given a barrel full of grapes harvested in the last season and who battled to see who could crush them in the shortest time,” Benini explained.
Sunday, on the other hand, was entirely dedicated to the market as people were free to buy typical products and walk along the village streets accompanied by the music of Dean Canan. Members of the Italian Made Social Motoring Club came from Sydney and displayed some wonderful collector cars.
Also open was the town museum, which was once a school but has been converted to an exhibition space.
“There are entire rooms dedicated exclusively to Italian emigration and, during this weekend, the entire museum remained open giving visitors the opportunity to learn more about the history of the Belpaese,” shared Benini.
“I am very satisfied with this edition [of the fair]. Of course, it’s always possible to improve, but we were very happy that people seemed extremely satisfied despite the weather.”
Finally, the highlight of Sunday’s event was the master classes by James Mele and chef Patrizia Simone. Mele, who runs The Meat Room in Kilmore, showed how to make sausages and salami and tie them to prepare them for curing.
Simone is a native of Perugia who has run his eponymous restaurant in Bright for more than 30 years and won more than 25 chef’s hats.
“We organised the masterclass in the church,” said Simone, “which was recently renovated and is one of the main places where we always organise our community events.”
“In this edition, I decided to teach a class on arancini and another on chestnuts because we thought of something not too difficult that people could easily replicate at home.
“It was a very rewarding experience as we saw several generations involved and a magical atmosphere was created, with a strong sense of community and closeness that is priceless to me.”
