WATERTOWN, New York (WWNY) – Rain or shine.. in this case rain, the Bravo Italiano festival was on. Italian-American club president Mike Lettiere says a little weather couldn’t slow him down.
“We have a big tent and the inside is dry,” said Lettiere. “If people get chilly, get cold, they can come on in and warm up.”
It’s Watertown’s celebration of all things Italian, from culture to cuisine.
“We have something for everybody,” said Lettiere. “Fried dough, cannolis. We have your dinner. We have it all covered.”
Outside, vendors set up shop, and under the cover of a tent, folks lined up for pizza. In the kitchen, volunteers were filling cannolis and whipping up hundreds of meatballs.
“I know we’ve made about 850 meatballs the other night,” said Lettiere. “It’s labor intensive. We had to stuff the peppers. There’s a lot of man hours to get ready for the food.”
In addition to Italian culture, it’s a celebration of community. Carol Worden has been stopping by the festival for a total of 10 years. It’s become a tradition for her and her friends to share the homemade cookies.
“I like to just mingle and see if I remember anybody,” said Worden. “Actually I have no Italian heritage that I know of, but it’s nice to see people and remember the Italian heritage that we have here in Watertown.”
This year marked the 40th Bravo Italiano festival. Four decades of celebrating how Italians, and Italian cuisine have made their mark on the community.
Copyright 2025 WWNY. All rights reserved.
Dining and Cooking