Festival of Santa Rosalia ~ A Sicilian-Brooklyn Tradition

Several times in my life, I have had the great opportunity to travel to Italy. From Bari to Venice and Milan to Naples, I’ve covered most of the gorgeous peninsula - except for Sicily. 

Sicily

Sicily has a beautiful landscape, Mount Etna, and a long and storied history. However, it also has had its share of misfortune. This unique region of Italy has all kinds of influences: Spanish, Greek, Moors, Arab, Norman and others. It once had a kingdom called the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. Throughout the years it has been conquered over and over again. Arguably, it was also conquered internally by Cosa Nostra, also known as the mafia. During World War II, there was the Allied Invasion of Sicily, which allowed the allies to move north and stop the Nazis from moving further south. This successful campaign also led to the fall of the Italian Fascist dictator, Benito Mussolini. 

Sicilians in Brooklyn

Ravaged and left impoverished for several reasons, many people from Sicily came to the shores of the United States for a better life. A group of them settled in various neighborhoods within Brooklyn, such as Bensonhurst, Borough Park and Dyker Heights. In 1904, they built a church dedicated to a 12th century saint from Palermo, Sicily who was of Norman descent named Rosalia. Saint Rosalia is the patron saint of Palermo and is invoked during times of plagues and pandemics. The Church of Saint Rosalia in Brooklyn was on 65th Street and 14th Avenue - interestingly, all the aforementioned neighborhoods claimed the church.

Tie to World War II

In May 1942, the pastor of Saint Rosalia, Rev. Angelo Cioffi, asked his congregants at a Sunday mass to build a shrine dedicated to Mary, Queen of Peace. His request was due to the many parishioners who were off fighting in World War II. His plea was for Mary, Queen of Peace to bring them home safely and for an everlasting peace. Father Cioffi’s request was realized when a group of parishioners built the Shrine of Regina Pacis (Queen of Peace in Latin). This shrine opened in 1950. 

Father Cioffi made another request to parishioners. In thanksgiving for the end to the war, he asked them to donate their personal jewelry to make a crown for the statue of Mary at the shrine. They answered his call again and a beautiful crown with the jewelry was made. This crown was blessed by then Pope Pius XII. The shrine was made a Minor Basilica by Pope Benedict XVI in 2012.

Unfortunately, Saint Rosalia Church closed in 2016 and the building was knocked down in 2018.

Santa Rosalita Festival

While the Church of Saint Rosalita no longer exists, the spirit of the Sicilian-Americans lives on in the feast dedicated to their patron saint. 

The Festival of Santa Rosalita started in 1974 and is relatively young compared to most New York City feasts. (In Palermo, the annual feast dates back to the 17th century.) It is run by the Society of Santa Rosalia and is located in the Bensonhurst section on 18th Avenue. The feast is 10 days and typically in the mid to late part of August. 

The festival consists of live bands and music throughout the 10 day festivities, a cannoli eating contest, and it finishes on August 30 with a procession of the statue of Saint Rosalia down 18th Avenue and to Our Lady of Guadalupe Church where mass will be celebrated.

I attended the Festival of Santa Rosalia on Monday evening. Knowing that the cannoli eating contest started at 6:30, I was confident that once I got to Bensonhurst at around 5:40, I had plenty of time. I was wrong. The parking situation was very difficult as it is pretty much all residential parking and no public parking. As a result, I drove around and around navigating the one-way streets, closed streets and many traffic lights. Now, time was running short. After driving around the neighborhood, I decided to go up a bit. I ended up finding a spot on 20th Ave. by 66th Street. Now, I had to high-tail it to 18th and 75th. Needless to say it was a brisk walk/jog. Luckily, I made it to the cannoli eating contest just in time.

Cannoli Eating Contest

As you may know, the cannoli is a quintessential Sicilian pastry. The local Sicilian pasticceria called Villabate Alba sponsored the event. First up were the women. There were four contestants and the object was to eat as many full-sized cannoli as possible in three minutes. The winner, Bianca of Gravesend, won by eating 12. 

Next up were four men. This contest was a little more controversial. After the three minutes were up, the judges counted how many cannoli were left. There was a problem. One of the contestants had a significant amount of broken up cannoli and the judges could not determine how many he ate. He was disqualified. The second contestant did not eat nearly as much as the last two. The last two contestants were tied. They had a runoff and tied again. There was a third runoff and this time Michael from Brooklyn won the contest. I spoke to Michael afterwards and he told me that he ate 25 cannoli! Wow!

Both winners got trophies and bragging rights. I got recorded interviews with both and you can view those on my social media sites.

Back to the Feast

After the cannoli eating contest, I walked around the festival, which stretches from 68th to 75th street along 18th Avenue. I stopped at Lucy’s Sausage (a famous NYC festival sausage provider) for a sausage and broccoli rabe sandwich. They also put some pickled peppers on top, which made the sandwich that much better. However, the roll did not meet the Hoboken standard. I saved the sandwich and continued to walk around taking pictures (you can view my picture reel of the feast on my social media sites).

I have to say that for a Monday evening, the feast was well attended. It was also a beautiful summer night. There were plenty of food stands. In addition to the sausage and peppers, there was braciole, pizza, zeppole, gelato, mozzarella, gnocchi, and Holy Ravioli! There were also other non-Italian ethnic foods, such as Mexican. I passed by many rides for the kids, including a Ferris Wheel and games. There was also a stage for the various bands and music. 

I went back to the site of the cannoli eating contest and stopped at the beautifully decorated Sicilian pasticceria - Villabate Alba. I would have loved to pick up some of the amazing pastries, but got a small stracciatella gelato. I walked back a few more blocks and sat at a table with a family of three. They were very nice and invited me to sit. We exchanged introductions and learned that they were Brooklyn natives and attend the feast every year. Yes, I ate dessert first and it was excellent. Then I had the sausage and broccoli rabe. We talked for a little while longer and another gentleman came by with his dog and the dog’s Mercedes (yes the dog was “driving”). You can check this out on my reel as well.

Anthony On The Ave Takeaway

The vendors are a mix of Italian and other ethnicities, but I was also excited to see some nuanced vendors, such as Gnocchi on the Go, Holy Ravioli and La Dolce Fresca Authentic Italian Ice Cream.

The passion and dedication of the Sicilian community are unmatched. Even though the Church of Saint Rosalia is gone and the neighborhood has shifted from its Italian-Sicilian roots to a predominantly Hispanic and Chinese population, they still keep the annual feast alive.

Again, the Festival of Santa Rosalia runs until Sunday, August 30 - culminating with the procession of the Saint. Go and bring the family - you will enjoy it. 

Keep the tradition alive and Buona Festa!

Anthony On The Ave