Overview

Heritage Day

Heritage Month

Support

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You are invited to help recognize and celebrate
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Italian Heritage & Culture

​Throughout the month of October in Rochester & Monroe County

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Background

October is nationally recognized as Italian Heritage Month.
​In Rochester the first Sunday in October is recognized as Italian Heritage Day.

This October we will provide numerous opportunities to recognize and celebrate the authentic cultural, historical, artistic and social influences that emanate from Italian roots and resonate in every corner of our community.
This is the second annual local celebration of Italian heritage produced by Cugini di ROC. Cugini di ROC is a broad-based, non-commercial community organization that was founded to develop and implement programs to celebrate and promote Italian Heritage.

Guiding Principles

All offerings will be rooted in authentic Italian and Italian-American sources and experiences. All offerings will encourage interaction and engagement.

Italian Heritage Day Festival

Where: Rochester Public Market
When: Sunday, October 1st - 11am to 4pm

The local community will gather at the Rochester Public Market for a large-scale event. The event will be open to all and include a sampling of authentic Italian and Italian-American influenced music, art, food, history and culture with opportunities for interactive engagement. This event promises to be different from other traditional cultural festivals of the past. Participants will have opportunities for hands-on engagement and a deeper appreciation of Italian culture. 
This event will kick-off a month-long celebration of Italian-American heritage.

Italian Heritage Month Celebration

When: The Entire Month of October
Where: Everywhere in Monroe County!

The month of October will be filled with activities all over Monroe County offered by our partners in what you might think of as a “festival without borders”. The concept is inspired by popular programs in Rochester like the JazzFest except, as mentioned, no borders! Here’s an idea of how it will work along with some examples:
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Participating venues will choose an aspect of Italian or Italian-American music, art, food, history and culture to highlight at their respective location and promote through their communications channels. Art galleries might feature works by Italian and Italian-American artists. Libraries might pick an Italian or Italian American author for a book review. Restaurants might feature menu offerings inspired by regional Italian dishes. In each instance information will be provided along with the offering to help develop a deeper appreciation of Italian and Italian-American culture.