On 28 September, the Italian community living in Honolulu, Hawaii, celebrates the Festa Italiana organised by the Friends of Italy Society of Hawaii. Although most Italians residing on the Hawaiian Islands are second generation, in recent years there has been an influx of “real” Italians leaving their home country to build a new life in “paradise”. Some are workers of Italian companies who are running projects on the Islands, others are young students who (very smartly, one might say) have decided to escape to this idyllic place in Paradise.
“I came to Hawaii as a university student many, many years ago and decided to stay”, says Festa Italian’s organiser Alessandro Bolla. “The festival wants to show the “real” image of Italians and not that shown in many American movies. The idea is to promote Italian art, culture, music, good food and technology such as the Ferrari and Maserati”.
Source: Courtesy of Alessandro Bolla
Festa Italian orginiser, Alessandro Bolla Source: Courtesy of Alessandro Bolla
