Benvenuti / Welcome to the Sorrento Cheese Italian Heritage Festival of Buffalo, New York.  We are proud to be the second largest Italian “street festival” in the USA thanks to you and our fabulous vendors who keep the crowds growing every year. Our 2011 Festival is a tribute to the Unification of Italy celebrating its 150th year 1861-2011.  While Italian culture dates back thousands of years; a unified Italy as we know it today is actually younger than the United States!

This year we are proud to feature on the main stage - under the tent - the return of Italian singer and crowd favorite Franco Corso and the finest  Italian-American performers of our area.  The return of the Jazz stage (Hertel near Traymore) will feature great talent from opera to jazz great Bobby Militello and Coro Italia among many others.  Also, crowd favorites “Dancing Under the Stars” and the Jalana Palma Italian Idol contest will be back better than ever. The Russell Salvatore scholarships will be awarded to three outstanding young Italian-American college bound students and don’t forget the Bocce tournament sponsored by Lorigo’s Meating Place and our bilingual Italian Mass on Sunday morning.

In our Piazza DiPaolo Heritage area we will feature a 30 feet Leaning Tower replica, complete with Italian piazza décor to transport you back into the heart of Italy; an authentic  Venetian gondola where you could sit in for a fabulous photo shoot; computers for genealogical research to trace your family roots; a  “bambini” area where children can get their faces painted, make Italian crafts and meet famous Italians in costume!

Whether you are here for the amazing Italian food, culture, entertainment, or reuniting with family and friends, we are proud that you have made us a crown jewel of the Buffalo summer festival season.

Grazie,

Carmen Palma
President