Italian National Day celebrations

Have you ever wished to celebrate Italian National Day all'Italiana but never quite made it to the VIP guest list? Well, this is your lucky year then, for the participation in the festivities to mark the day is not going to be by invitation; they are going to be held on the Granaries in Floriana and the good news is that they will be open to all free of charge.

The man behind it all is the Italian Ambassador to Malta, Paolo Andrea Trabalza, whose wish it is that the Maltese will respond in droves to this open invitation to the numerous entertaining events being held over this weekend and Monday - the actual National Day. He has roped in as many members of his staff as possible, as well as some generous sponsors necessary for an event of this magnitude and is keeping his fingers crossed that the weather will be fine.

Dott. Trabalza proudly affirmed that the event has had no precedent and does not necessarily guarantee a repeat.

Today and tomorrow between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. and from 4 p.m. to midnight the Granaries will be transformed into a fair-ground with no less than 40 kiosks exhibiting, sampling and selling Italian food products in a feast for the eye and the palate.

Of course, the grand climax will be the events scheduled for Monday evening which, after the exchange of toasts between the President of Malta and the Ambassador of Italy will include a performance of traditional Italian folksongs by the Italian choir Il Coro del Lunedì, an overflight by an Italian military helicopter, a spontaneous appearance by the popular Italian singer Amedeo Minghi, music by the Floriana Vilhena Band Club and a display of fireworks - a special celebration indeed to mark this year's highlight L'Italiano in Piazza.

Also this year a competition was held for the second consecutive year in Maltese schools, L'Italiano di Classe, which saw the participation of 16 schools. These will be represented by four schools on the day, when a choir from the Gżira Junior School Santa Clara will sing a selection of popular songs while students from the Maria Assumpta Grammar School will perform in a gymnastic display.

Although the focus of the festivities will be on the Granaries, other events will also play an important part in the celebrations. These include the presence of a delegation from Macerata which is twinned with Floriana, accompanied by Ing. Giorgio Meschini and Contessa Floriani, a direct descendant of the engineer who built Floriana and to whom it owes its name.

Il Coro del Lunedì will also sing in various localities including Mdina this morning, the 6 p.m. Mass at St John's Co-Cathedral this evening, the Basilica of St George in Victoria, Gozo tomorrow evening and a final performance on the Granaries at 6.30 p.m. on Monday evening.

A pleasant way indeed of celebrating not only the 62nd anniversary of the Italian Republic and the 60th anniversary of the Italian Constitution, but above all, the close ties that exist between Malta and Italy.