If you ask Gene Guglielmo, everyone’s got “a little Italian” 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’s true.
“Our involvement with the Festa goes back many years,” says Guglielmo, whose family winery in Morgan Hill has been a longtime sponsor of the San Jose tradition. “I don’t even remember how many at this point.”
Hosted for decades by the Italian American Heritage Foundation, the San Jose tradition will celebrate its 43rd year. This year’s iteration also marks a major milestone: the foundation’s 50th anniversary.
While the Festa has grown and evolved over the years, one thing that’s remained a crowd favorite is the grape stomp—a tradition the Guglielmo family helped pioneer. “We had a wine festival years before [Italian Family Festa], and at our Harvest Festival, we would do the grape stomp. It was a riot,” Guglielmo says with a laugh. “People would get into it.” Guglielmo Winery still carries on the tradition at its own Harvest Festival, coming up on Aug. 16.
And the same grape-stomping tradition continues at the annual Italian Family Festa, to be held on July 26–27, at History Park in San Jose.
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.
Never seen a grape stomp before? Here’s how it works, according to Guglielmo: “First, you’ve got your stomper that’s gonna get up in the barrel and stomp those grapes.” And there are the “pokers,” 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.
“It may not sound too long,” Gene laughs, “but when you’re stomping grapes, that’s a long time.”
Of course, not everyone wants to stomp the grapes—some prefer to sip them. And this year’s Wine Garden will feature pours from several regional wineries, including Morgan Hill neighbors Guglielmo and Fortino, Soquel’s Bargetto Winery, Rosa D’Oro from Kelseyville, D’Argenzio Winery from Santa Rosa, and Orzo from Healdsburg.
“Traditionally, wine is part of any Italian celebration,” Guglielmo says. “This is just another way to celebrate our culture and bring people together.”
And that’s the spirit of the Festa: two days of Italian food, music, games and community, gathering in il parco to celebrate culture.
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.
Kids can get into plenty of hands-on fun with crafts, face painting and swordplay at the dedicated Kids Zone. “The Festa has something for everyone,” says Guglielmo. “It’s very kid-friendly, and there’s plenty of shade, which is important for a festival that takes place in July.”
The event also includes bocce courts, a Roman Encampment (yes, costumes are encouraged), and appearances by the San Jose Sharks.
“There’s so much Italian history in this area,” Guglielmo says. “The 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.”
For Guglielmo, it’s also about passing those traditions on. “It’s a blend of the older and younger generations,” he says. “And it’s 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.”
Italian Family Festa takes place July 26, 11am-7pm, and July 27, 11am-5pm, at History Park, 1650 Senter Road, San Jose. italianfamilyfestasj.org
