Norton Street Italian Festa: Sydney, Australia

On our first day in Sydney, we thought we'd get out of the CBD (central business district) to get a taste of suburban life since our visit just so happened to coincide with the Norton Street Italian Festa! This is an annual street fair (held on the last Sunday in October) celebrating Italian culture and food so of course we had to check it out. We started with a walk from our hotel to Central Station where we grabbed our Opal passes (which gave us a week of public transport) and hopped onto the tram to Leichhardt.

It was incredibly busy and the atmosphere was so exciting - everyone having a good time, delicious food being cooked and even Italian music being played by various stands. Looking at these photos now, it's incredible to think we were all so close together without masks!

We started by walking the length of the street and checking out all the stalls before deciding on our lunch options. This stall stood out with all the intensive gnocchi creation so we had to jump in the queue for a taste. The line led you along the workspace so you could literally watch your gnocchi go from being rolled out and cut to taking a dip in boiling water.

There were two sauce options - a classic pesto or a tomato based version. We noticed that they had a half and half on the menu so thought that would be the best choice. And it really was! Even in the hot sun, the gnocchi really hit the spot - they were light and the sauces were a perfect match. Delicious!

Since we were pretty full from the gnocchi, we decided to head straight to dessert as we had passed several cannoli stands and just couldn't resist any longer. All of the stalls looked so good, it was nearly impossible to choose!

In the end, Matt went for a classic cannoli while I couldn't resist this vibrant popsicle with raspberry, kiwi and mango. Perfection. We sat on the grass to enjoy our dessert and just watch the world go by... such a nice way to spend our first day in the city!

On the way back to the station, we marvelled at what a lovely street fair this was and how lucky the locals were to have it every year. If you're in Sydney at the end of October, this is not to be missed!

Full Details:

Website: Norton Street Italian Festa

Address: Norton Street, Sydney, NSW 2040

Cost: Free!