Like many third and fourth generation Italian-Americans, Rocco Brienza has a burning passion to reconnect himself with his ancestral roots – and realized a lifelong dream when he hosted a true Italian dinner-dance on March 21st at the beautiful Perthshire Banquet Hall in Fulton County, a charming venue in rural Upstate New York.

Like all Feste Italiane, the recipe for success starts with two things – music and food – and Rocco made sure his guests had plenty of both during his first annual celebration, rightly named the Monteleone di Puglia Festival in honor of his grandparents who left the hilltop village – known for being the highest in the region of Puglia – a century ago. At the turn of the 20th century, Monteleone di Puglia (located in the province of Foggia) boasted a large population of immigrants in Montgomery, Fulton and Herkimer counties in Upstate New York, particularly in the city of Little Falls.

I had a blast – particularly after we finished our cena squisita and the dance floor opened up. Anyone who knows me knows I’m a slave to the rhythm of a nice ballroom or Latin dance, and I decided to warm up the crowd with a short tarantella – followed by a tango to Chittara Romana (Che bella canzone!).

The most memorable part of the evening for me was the drawing of the various prizes for the event’s raffle – I won over 10 times! The first time my name was called was exciting (I never win!); the third time was funny. By the eighth or ninth time I, along with my entire table, was in stitches! I had tears in my eyes from laughing so hard. I hope the other tables didn’t think I fixed the results!

Throughout the night I met a lot of people from around the area, and made some new friends. I’d like to thank Rocco – who runs the “The Italian-American Connection” at www.youbuylocal.com – for his hard work and dedication in making this event a great success. Grazie! I (and everyone who attended) will be looking forward to the “2nd Annual” next year.