Organisers promise slice of Italy at city festival

The Italian Community Association, which has been running for 40 years, says it is expecting its biggest ever crowd

The organisers of a city's Italian festival have said they want people to come together and embrace one another's cultures.

The Italian Community Association (ICA) says the annual festival in Cathedral Square in Peterborough over the weekend is likely to be the biggest one yet.

Angelo Passero, from the ICA, said he wanted people to experience a "piece of Italy" and wanted to promote social cohesion.

The free event has been running since 2011.

Italian food counters, classic car displays, live music by traditional Italian singers and entertainment for children will be laid out over Saturday and Sunday.

'Keep heritage alive'

Mr Passero has lived in Peterborough since he was a child.

"It is not just for Italians but for everyone to come along and enjoy a bit of Italian culture," said the 66-year-old.

"People go for a holiday to Italy. We want to bring that vibe to the city this weekend and we are expecting a large crowd.

"In a world of polarised politics... I think we should learn to live with each other."

He continued: "Italians are so well integrated and we now have third or even fourth generations here so it is also important to keep the culture and heritage alive for the younger generations and events like these can help."