A little taste of Italy in heart of the city gives diners a flavour of festival

Jul 25 2008 by Ben Schofield, Liverpool Daily Post

A little taste of Italy in heart of the city gives diners a flavour of festival

DINERS at city centre restaurants were serenaded and entertained last night by Italian street performers.

La Paranza del Geco, a Northern Italian company that specialises in folk music and dance, wowed crowds at the Duke Street eateries.

The organisers of super-festival Brouhaha teamed up with Italian eatery Il Forno and Sapporo Teppanyaki to lay on the show.

Brouhaha’s executive director, Giles Agis, said: “This wasn’t like an audience watching a performance; it was very interactive.

“Although these types of things are done in Italy all the time, we believe this was the first time that this has happened in the city, so there is a lot of excite- ment around it. This was a unique experience.”

Musician Simone Campa founded the group in 1999 and today it has approximately 30 artists including musicians, singers, percussionists, actors and dancers.

La Paranza del Geco’s performances are known throughout Italy for creating an electric atmosphere at folk festivals.

Andrew Ewing, marketing manager for Il Forno and Sapporo, promised this would not be a one-off.

He added: “For us, bringing a part of Italy’s art and culture to Liverpool is just fantastic and we hope our customers thoroughly enjoy it.”

The Liverpool International Carnival – a jewel in the Brouhaha crown – will parade through the heart of Toxteth and into Princes Park on August 2.

FESTIVAL FUN – BOX OFFICE: P2-3