“Abbondanza” is a good word to describe the next few weeks in San Jose’s Little Italy, which is going to be home to several events as we head into the fall.
For starters, the latest downtown block party organized by the Urban Vibrancy Institute on Thursday should bring some crowds to Little Italy, a wedge of businesses and plazas on St. John Street next to the Guadalupe River Park.
Festivities get going at 5 p.m., with music from the Italica band — not an Italian Metallica cover band, as I’d hoped — and high-flying pizza-tossing demonstrations. If you prefer your food on a plate instead of flying through the air, though, you can grab a bite at any of the block’s eateries including Henry’s Hi-Life, Poor House Bistro, Torino Panino, Bibo’s and Paesano Ristorante.
The block party also will be the first chance to check out the new Italian Museum, opening in a beautifully restored house next to Poor House Bistro (and already the home of the Italian cellar bar). The grand opening will take place Oct. 4, with a dinner and concert by Vanessa Racci and Cory Pesatauro. Tickets are available for that event at www.littleitalysj.com/events.
Of course, that leads up to the seventh annual Little Italy Festival on Oct. 6, with tons of food, live music and street performers starting at 11 a.m. Eataly, the upscale Italian food emporium at Valley Fair, will have a booth at the festival (and will also contribute appetizers to the museum dinner). Parking for both the block party and festival will be available for $6 at SAP Center.
Car lovers will want to check it out, too, as there will be more than 150 Italian cars and motorcycles on display, making this one of the largest Italian car shows in the United States. This includes “Supercars” like Lamborghinis and Ferraris, as well as five examples of the ultra rare Ferrari Enzo, of which only 126 were ever imported to the U.S.
Little Italy San Jose Executive Director Joshua DeVincenzi Melander says he’s encouraged by seeing more groups, like the Guadalupe River Park Conservancy and Beautify San Jose, playing a part in Little Italy’s development. He pointed to District 6 council candidate Michael Mulcahy recruiting Bellarmine College Prep football players to pitch in on a Sept. 15 cleanup event as an example.
“It’s all really starting to come together, now,” he said. “We’re starting to get other people to assist.”
CHECK OUT THE WARRIORS: The San Jose Public Library newest library card design is a collaboration with the Golden State Warriors, and City Librarian Jill Bourne hopes it encourages more hoops fans to check out the library and its materials.
“We hope to get Warriors fans to use the San Jose Public Library and get new fans to sign up for the system,” Bourne said Tuesday during an event at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Main Library. She agreed with the idea that partnering with sports teams is a good way to get younger fans excited about getting a library card.
This is the San Jose Public Library’s third sports-themed library card, following a San Jose Sharks card in 2019 and a San Francisco 49ers card in 2023, and the Santa Clara County Library District recently partnered with the Bay FC women’s soccer team on a card.
NIGHT AT THE OPERA: Mozart’s “The Magic Flute” had a delightful opening night Saturday at the California Theatre, with the audience providing an unexpected reaction to a line that seems particularly timely these days.
The line, “If only all liars had locks on their mouths! Instead of hate, defamation, and slander, love and brotherhood would endure,” drew laughter and then sustained applause from the crowd. Ari Bocian, who runs the supertitles (in both Spanish and English) for Opera San Jose, said he thought it demonstrated that even after 233 years, an opera like “The Magic Flute” can still deliver messages that resonate with today’s audiences.
“That response was perhaps the highlight of the evening for me,” Bocian said.
Of course, there were other highlights from the show, which included neon palm trees, pyramids and dragons, especially the work of 19-year-old conductor Alma Deutscher, who was the composer behind Opera San Jose’s production of “Cinderella.” There are four more performances of the opera over the next two weeks, and tickets are available at www.operasj.org.
