On March 15, 2019, Bethpage hosted it famous Italian feast. Tables overflowed with different Italian foods like lasagna, penne alla vodka, spaghetti and meatballs, and ziti, along with fantastic desserts like cannolis, different kinds of cookies, pizzelles and delicious zeppoles.   

This Italian fest is the forty-seventh Italian festa at Bethpage. Mrs. Sagarese and Mrs. Calio have hosted the event for the last seven years. In the past, they have featured such Italian cultural items such as ferraris and  lamborghinis, but this year had no such automotive pleasures.

The festa is supposed to be a fun day in BHS for the students taking Italian, to experience the Italian culture. By having Italian decorations and Italian music flowing throughout the auxiliary gym, you feel like you’re experiencing the Italian culture.

Not much has changed since Mrs. Sagarese and Mrs. Calio have started, but they have added a photo booth for more entertainment, which Mrs. Sagarese says “is a big thing the kids tend to enjoy a lot.”

The big part of the festa is for the Italian students to enjoy and get to experience the Italian culture, even for just a day. In experiencing the music, the food, and the decorations, Mrs. Sagarese explains her favorite part of the feast is “seeing everyone hang out with [his/her] friends who didn’t know also take Italian, and enjoying the experience together.”

There is something special about the feast that keeps it going on for so long. Even if you’re not of Italian heritage you get to feel the passion that both Mrs. Sagarese and Mrs. Calio have for it. The Italian fest is supposed to be a day to enjoy yourself—not sit in class and learn the Italian language, but get a glimpse of the Italian culture.

The Italian festa this year went very well overall. Even if it was your first festa, it is a great way to enjoy the Italian culture and enjoy yourself. Even Mrs. Sagarese says “as always, it looks like everyone was having a good time, and it is something they want to see live on..”