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Porchetta, Birra and Tarantella: Norton Street Italian Festa 2010 – Crave Sydney

There are many reasons to love the city of Sydney. One of them is its ability to reveal itself under a different light; another is the way it can gently lead you by the hand and take you down memory lane. Last week’s Blessing of the Fleet took me back to Sicily and today’s Norton Street Italian Festa 2010 in Leichhardt allowed me to reminisce about the last trip to Italy through food, drink and culture.

Norton Street Italian Festa

With the main street closed to traffic, it was through the Barilla arch and onto La Festa!

Norton Street Italian Festa

There were Zippoli and Briscoli that caught the eye,

Norton Street Italian Festa

and Italian gingerbread in various shapes.

Norton Street Italian Festa

Soft almond nougat was plentiful,

Norton Street Italian Festa

while Lupini beans made me think of the mezze I ate in Lebanon.

Norton Street Italian Festa

This was a serious looking barbecue.

Norton Street Italian Festa

Would you like an Italian sausage?

Norton Street Italian Festa

Or a Gorgeous Hot Italian that Can Cook? Personally… I’d want both!

Norton Street Italian Festa

Doughnuts with Nutella Fondue and Nutella Ravioli with Baileys Foam from Aperitivo sounded very tempting.

Norton Street Italian Festa

The Piadina stall from Mondo di Piadina was busy dishing out these flat bread sandwiches. Last time we ate a piadina, we were on the Venetian island of Murano.

Norton Street Italian Festa

“Patate…” I heard someone explain this Potato on a Stick; a popular snack with the young ones.

Norton Street Italian Festa

There were Nutella pizzas. A Nutella jar? Pass me the spoon!

Norton Street Italian Festa

The Porchetta stall was very popular. The suckling pig was succulent and cooked overnight.

Norton Street Italian Festa

They worked fast to serve the queue of hungry people.

Norton Street Italian Festa

A smiling little Piggy…

Norton Street Italian Festa

The last time we ate porchetta was under the moonlight, in a forest outside of Rome in Ariccia.

Norton Street Italian Festa

We paused in the heat to sink a couple of Birra Moretti. Last time we cin-cin’ed, we were with family in Mogliano Veneto.

Norton Street Italian Festa

It wouldn’t be an Italian event without cars such as Alfa Romeo, Fiat and Lancia,

Norton Street Italian Festa

or this vintage Fiat.

Norton Street Italian Festa

Italian memorabilia added a splash of patriotic colour.

Norton Street Italian Festa

You can be CSI (Certified Sexy Italian) or just Take the Cannoli. Last time we saw these T shirts, we were in the beautiful town of Erice in Sicily.

Norton Street Italian Festa

And the last time we saw Pinocchio, he was at a souvenir stand in Venice near the Rialto.

Norton Street Italian Festa

Folkloric dancers performed on stage.

Norton Street Italian Festa

That is why it is called La Festa!

Norton Street Italian Festa

And it wouldn’t be an Italian Food Festa without finishing the day with a ricotta Cannoli.

Norton Street Italian Festa

The Norton Street Italian Festa was part of the Crave Sydney Food Festival and took place on Sunday 31 October 2010.

Other Crave Sydney 2010 events on Gourmantic:
Australian Cheese Showcase 2010: The Rocks Market
Cocktail of the Month at La Scala on Jersey
Night Noodle Markets
Summer Hill Grand Food Bazaar
Cocktail of the Month at Monkey Magic
Monkey Magic Sugar Hit: Black Sesame Crème Caramel
Slideshow/Photographs of the Night Noodle Markets
Blessing of the Fleet at the Sydney Fish Markets

Crave Sydney Food Festival Website
http://www.cravesydneyfoodfestival.com.au/

Italian Festa Website

http://www.festa.net.au/

About the author

Corinne Mossati

Corinne Mossati is a drinks writer, author of GROW YOUR OWN COCKTAIL GARDEN, SHRUBS & BOTANICAL SODAS and founder/editor of Gourmantic, Cocktails & Bars and The Gourmantic Garden. She has been writing extensively about spirits, cocktails, bars and cocktail gardening in more recent years. She is a spirits and cocktail competition judge, Icons of Whisky Australia nominee, contributor to Diageo Bar Academy, cocktail developer and is named in Australian Bartender Magazine's Top 100 Most Influential List. Her cocktail garden was featured on ABC TV’s Gardening Australia and has won several awards. She is a contributor to Real World Gardener radio program and is featured in several publications including Pip Magazine, Organic Gardener, Australian Bartender and Breathe (UK). Read the full bio here.

19 Comments

  • This looks like so much fun! We have continental markets here but not with all the cars, singing and dancing. In answer to your questions, yes I want a sausage (and now please, quickly smartly!) and a serious barbecue or really just the products from it. The pig is smiling in anticipation of the happiness he will bring me, I like to think!

    • This was by far the most fun of the recent outdoor festivals. And oh yes, piggy is saying ‘eat me’. It tasted so good…

      One sausage coming right up. I’ll throw in an Italian that can cook as well, preferably a good porchetta!

  • […] Other Crave Sydney 2010 events on Gourmantic: Australian Cheese Showcase 2010: The Rocks Market Cocktail of the Month at La Scala on Jersey Night Noodle Markets Summer Hill Grand Food Bazaar Monkey Magic Sugar Hit: Black Sesame Crème Caramel Slideshow/Photographs of the Night Noodle Markets Blessing of the Fleet at the Sydney Fish Markets Sydney Food and Wine Fair Porchetta, Birra and Tarantella: Norton Street Italian Festa […]

  • […] Other Crave Sydney 2010 events on Gourmantic: Cocktail of the Month at La Scala on Jersey Night Noodle Markets Summer Hill Grand Food Bazaar Cocktail of the Month at Monkey Magic Monkey Magic Sugar Hit: Black Sesame Crème Caramel Slideshow/Photographs of the Night Noodle Markets Blessing of the Fleet at the Sydney Fish Markets Sydney Food and Wine Fair Porchetta, Birra and Tarantella: Norton Street Italian Festa […]

  • […] Other Crave Sydney 2010 events on Gourmantic: Australian Cheese Showcase 2010: The Rocks Market Cocktail of the Month at La Scala on Jersey Night Noodle Markets Summer Hill Grand Food Bazaar Cocktail of the Month at Monkey Magic Slideshow/Photographs of the Night Noodle Markets Blessing of the Fleet at the Sydney Fish Markets Sydney Food and Wine Fair Porchetta, Birra and Tarantella: Norton Street Italian Festa […]

    • They’re so cute! It amazes me how much small cars have gotten larger of late when compared to these vintage beauties.

  • How fun! I remember learning when I was studying Italian that there was a huge community of Italians in Australia…this festival looks like it had tons of great Italian offerings & it simply looks like a really good time! Love the Fiat 500s – & you’re so right, wouldn’t be an Italian festa without them 🙂

    • You are correct. Italians make up a significant part of Australia’s culture and festivals such as this can attest to that! 🙂

    • You are correct. Italians make up a significant part of Australia’s culture and festivals such as this can attest to that! 🙂

  • Gorgeous hot Italian that can cook, ok you got me. I rushed to this post searching for one in the human form, humph! Although, a few of those vendors might qualify. I would really like some of that porchetta and a cannolo, please. Looks like the festa was both tasty and fun.

    • I thought you might, Kathy 😉 Actually, I thought of you on the day and how much you’d enjoy it. Could have eaten our way through a few cannoli and talked about Italy.

  • […] Other Crave Sydney 2010 events on Gourmantic: Australian Cheese Showcase 2010 Night Noodle Markets Summer Hill Grand Food Bazaar Cocktail of the Month at Monkey Magic Monkey Magic Sugar Hit: Black Sesame Crème Caramel Slideshow/Photographs of the Night Noodle Markets Blessing of the Fleet at the Sydney Fish Markets Sydney Food and Wine Fair Porchetta, Birra and Tarantella: Norton Street Italian Festa […]

  • […] Other Crave Sydney 2010 events on Gourmantic: Australian Cheese Showcase 2010: The Rocks Market Cocktail of the Month at La Scala on Jersey Night Noodle Markets Summer Hill Grand Food Bazaar Cocktail of the Month at Monkey Magic Monkey Magic Sugar Hit: Black Sesame Crème Caramel Slideshow/Photographs of the Night Noodle Markets Blessing of the Fleet at the Sydney Fish Markets Porchetta, Birra and Tarantella: Norton Street Italian Festa […]

  • […] Other Crave Sydney 2010 events on Gourmantic: Australian Cheese Showcase 2010: The Rocks Market Cocktail of the Month at La Scala on Jersey Night Noodle Markets Cocktail of the Month at Monkey Magic Monkey Magic Sugar Hit: Black Sesame Crème Caramel Slideshow/Photographs of the Night Noodle Markets Blessing of the Fleet at the Sydney Fish Markets Sydney Food and Wine Fair Porchetta, Birra and Tarantella: Norton Street Italian Festa […]

  • […] The Night Noodle Markets runs weeknights  October 11-15 and 18-22 from 5pm-9.30pm. Additional information here. Other Crave Sydney 2010 events on Gourmantic: Australian Cheese Showcase 2010 Cocktail of the Month at La Scala on Jersey Summer Hill Grand Food Bazaar Cocktail of the Month at Monkey Magic Monkey Magic Sugar Hit: Black Sesame Crème Caramel Slideshow/Photographs of the Night Noodle Markets Blessing of the Fleet at the Sydney Fish Markets Sydney Food and Wine Fair Porchetta, Birra and Tarantella: Norton Street Italian Festa […]

  • […] Other Crave Sydney 2010 events on Gourmantic: Australian Cheese Showcase 2010: The Rocks Market Cocktail of the Month at La Scala on Jersey Night Noodle Markets Summer Hill Grand Food Bazaar Cocktail of the Month at Monkey Magic Monkey Magic Sugar Hit: Black Sesame Crème Caramel Blessing of the Fleet at the Sydney Fish Markets Sydney Food and Wine Fair Porchetta, Birra and Tarantella: Norton Street Italian Festa […]