Festa Italia is back for its two-weekend residency at Howard Smith Wharves. Some of the city’s best Italian diners – as well as chefs from interstate – are setting up shop along the riverbanks to celebrate all things Italian.

The feast is led by Naples-born, Sydney-based chef Orazio D’Elia. “There’s something magic about the Brisbane sunshine, energy and people that reminds me of home. This year, I’m diving deeper into the bold, punchy flavours of Naples to create something truly unforgettable,” he said in a statement.

The chef behind Bondi’s Da Orazio will be serving four dishes from the main lawn. It’s a carb-forward celebration, so naturally there are things between bread – pollo al mattone (a roast chicken roll) and crisp porchetta in fluffy focaccia – plus two saucy pastas: a classic rigatoni alla vodka and a twisty strozzapreti pasta served with prawn, zucchini and cherry tomatoes.

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Joining D’Elia will be fellow Neapolitan Carmine Guarino, who’s serving Roman pizza by the slice. “There’s nothing quite like a hot slice of Roman pizza, fresh from the oven and eaten with your hands. It’s simple, but it captures everything Italian food is about: quality ingredients, tradition and heart,” said Guarino in a statement.

The team from Ciao Papi is serving a special set menu for the occasion, including creamy stracciatella with grilled leeks, crunchy hazelnut and truffle, as well as a rigatoni alla amatriciana.

A salumeria will be set up on-site to carve and serve hunks of fresh cheeses and sheets of cured meats.

Gelato Messina will also be on deck serving scoops of a flavour designed for and dedicated to Festa Italia.

In a true pursuit of la dolce vita there will be several bars on-site. A spritz bar will serve lambrusco spritzes and a range of Aperols, including a traditional spritz and a white peach Aperol slushie. There will also be natural wines available and a special Italian lager developed by Howard Smith Wharves’ own Felons Brewing Co.

There will be a kids’ zone for the bambinos and Italian disco tunes for merry adults.

Festa Italia runs from Thursday May 29 to Sunday June 1, and from Thursday June 5 to Sunday June 8, at Howard Smith Wharves.

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