'We make good food:' Italian cuisine a big draw at Festa Italiana at Maier Festival Park

MILWAUKEE -- Despite the rainy weekend, thousands of people still showed up for the final day of Festa Italiana Sunday, July 22.

Final day of Festa Italiana 2018

"We want to share that experience with the rest of the city," said Christine Conley, exhibit manager.

"We make good food, and we serve the people pretty well," said Salvatore Purpora with Papa Luigi's Pizza.

Papa Luigi's Pizza

Papa Luigi's Pizza

Papa Luigi's Pizza

The big draw on the rainy Sunday morning was Mass, attended by hundreds of people from all over the world.

Mass at Festa Italiana

"Just brings back a lot of memories of when I was a kid," an attendee said.

And the other big draw was, of course, the food.

"The Italians, they love the spiedini. They love the eggplant. They always know that Sunday is one of the bigger days, so we always prepare ahead of time for that," said Purpora.

Throughout the duration of the festival, food and culture was at the forefront.

Final day of Festa Italiana 2018

"Our story is the same as many groups. It's not just an Italian story," said Conley.

The next festival set to take place at Maier Festival Park is GermanFest, scheduled for July 27-29.

CLICK HERE for a complete schedule.