The Festa's aim is "to bring forward to the community the aspects of our culture and heritage that are important to us as Italian-Americans," Sal Caruso, Italian American Heritage Foundation president and an Almaden resident, says.

"It's more than having wonderful food and entertainment, it's about our value system, our love of family, our countries and our concept that friends are part of our extended family," Caruso says.

Moving the Festa to Santana Row came about at Caruso's instigation.

"I saw Santana Row as very much the type of environment we traditionally see in an Italian city. From the standpoint of environment, it's perfect," Caruso says.

The first Festa was held in 1977, in conjunction with San Jose's Bicentennial. Over the years it grew into both the largest and oldest Italian festival on the West Coast, drawing up to 100,000 attendees at times.

The event moved from downtown to the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds, and in 1996 it was held at Town & Country Village Shopping Center, now the site of Santana Row.

The lure of Italian pastas, pizzas, biscotti and those delectable deep-fried sphingi, along with wines made by local Italian-American vintners, is expected to draw thousands.

"You'll be able to smell the garlic a mile away," promises Judy Verona Joseph, past vice president of the sponsoring Italian American Heritage Foundation.

Live entertainment includes Pasquale Esposito, Dick Contino and Gilbert Gauthrier's "A Tribute to Frank Sinatra."

For those who want to get in on the action, there are grape stomping and tarantella dances, in which people form a large circle and move clockwise, until the music in the set changes, becomes faster, then they quickly change the direction to counterclockwise.

A popular display from the first festival is the donkey cart.

Used for centuries in Sicily, the gaily-painted carts there evolved into folk art, and many are now in museum collections.

John De Vincenzi, former art professor at San José State University and the long-time chair for the festival, designed and created a cart for San Jose. He painted historical scenes of San Jose on the sides.

The Festa draws people from all over the county. Helen Marchese Owen of Cupertino is a longtime attendee. "You see many second- and third-generation families together and it emphasizes the closeness of Italian-Americans," she says.

Owen says she's pleased to see that attendance at the Festa has diversified over the last three decades.

Saratogan Dolorez Battaglia, who is of German descent, married an Italian and learned how to cook Italian food from her mother-in-law. She recalls attending many past Festas with her late husband Dr. Salvatore Battaglia and their seven children.

Sal Scrivano of Campbell, who has been a full-time volunteer with the IAHF since retiring in 1987, says his favorite memories are of the Saturday night tarantella dance.

The 25th Italian Family Festa at Santana Row, Stevens Creek and Winchester boulevards, San Jose is free. Hours are noon to 10 p.m. Sept. 30, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Oct. 1 and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 2. There will be food booths, arts and crafts, a beer and wine garden and entertainment. For additional information visit www.iahfsj.org or call 408.293.7122.