If you ask Gene Guglielmo, everyone\u2019s got \u201ca little Italian\u201d in them, whether they know it or not. And those who happen to find themselves at the Italian Family Festa this weekend just might believe that\u2019s true.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOur involvement with the Festa goes back many years,\u201d says Guglielmo, whose family winery in Morgan Hill has been a longtime sponsor of the San Jose tradition. \u201cI don\u2019t even remember how many at this point.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hosted for decades by the Italian American Heritage Foundation, the San Jose tradition will celebrate its 43rd year. This year\u2019s iteration also marks a major milestone: the foundation\u2019s 50th anniversary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While the Festa has grown and evolved over the years, one thing that\u2019s remained a crowd favorite is the grape stomp\u2014a tradition the Guglielmo family helped pioneer. \u201cWe had a wine festival years before [Italian Family Festa], and at our Harvest Festival, we would do the grape stomp. It was a riot,\u201d Guglielmo says with a laugh. \u201cPeople would get into it.\u201d Guglielmo Winery still carries on the tradition at its own Harvest Festival, coming up on Aug.\u202f16.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And the same grape-stomping tradition continues at the annual Italian Family Festa, to be held on July 26\u201327, at History Park in San Jose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Six public stomps are scheduled across the two-day event, and the celebrity stomp, happening Sunday afternoon, will once again pit local mayors against each other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Never seen a grape stomp before? Here\u2019s how it works, according to Guglielmo: \u201cFirst, you\u2019ve got your stomper that\u2019s gonna get up in the barrel and stomp those grapes.\u201d And there are the \u201cpokers,\u201d who wield a stick to keep the pipe clear of grapes so juice can get into the jar. Whoever fills their jar the fastest, typically within 45 seconds to a minute, wins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt may not sound too long,\u201d Gene laughs, \u201cbut when you\u2019re stomping grapes, that\u2019s a long time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Of course, not everyone wants to stomp the grapes\u2014some prefer to sip them. And this year\u2019s Wine Garden will feature pours from several regional wineries, including Morgan Hill neighbors Guglielmo and Fortino, Soquel\u2019s Bargetto Winery, Rosa D\u2019Oro from Kelseyville, D’Argenzio Winery from Santa Rosa, and Orzo from Healdsburg.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cTraditionally, wine is part of any Italian celebration,\u201d Guglielmo says. \u201cThis is just another way to celebrate our culture and bring people together.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And that\u2019s the spirit of the Festa: two days of Italian food, music, games and community, gathering in il parco<\/em> to celebrate culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Roma Stage will feature live performances throughout each day, with genres ranging from opera to jazz. Over at the Culinary Pavilion, festivalgoers can catch pizza tossing and cooking demonstrations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kids can get into plenty of hands-on fun with crafts, face painting and swordplay at the dedicated Kids Zone. \u201cThe Festa has something for everyone,\u201d says Guglielmo. \u201cIt\u2019s very kid-friendly, and there\u2019s plenty of shade, which is important for a festival that takes place in July.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The event also includes bocce courts, a Roman Encampment (yes, costumes are encouraged), and appearances by the San Jose Sharks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThere\u2019s so much Italian history in this area,\u201d Guglielmo says. \u201cThe Festa is a way to get together and celebrate all of the contributions the Italians have made to not just Santa Clara Valley, but the country.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n For Guglielmo, it\u2019s also about passing those traditions on. \u201cIt\u2019s a blend of the older and younger generations,\u201d he says. \u201cAnd it\u2019s important because sometimes we forget about our heritage and where we came from. This is a way to celebrate that, and have a lot of fun too.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Italian Family Festa takes place July 26, 11am-7pm, and July 27, 11am-5pm, at History Park, 1650 Senter Road, San Jose. italianfamilyfestasj.org<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" If you ask Gene Guglielmo, everyone\u2019s \u201ca little Italian.\u201d And those who find themselves at the Italian Family Festa might believe it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14789,"featured_media":20183180,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_eb_attr":"","_expiration-date-status":"","_expiration-date":0,"_expiration-date-type":"","_expiration-date-categories":[],"_expiration-date-options":[]},"categories":[1691],"tags":[20224,20227,20225,3804,20223,14027,20226],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n