Party and tortelli. Five evenings for all tastes.

CHIEVE (Cremona) Tortelli take center stage in the Crema area. While Crema's "Chiacchiere e Tortelli" competition, which began Tuesday and ends today, concludes in Piazza Moro, " Chieve in Festa " began yesterday in the greenery of the Le Garzide farmhouse. It will last five days—until Wednesday—involving the entire community, from the oldest to the youngest, and drawing a huge crowd to the town. The celebration began yesterday, with a strong turnout.

Organized by a dedicated committee, " Chieve in Festa " is a must-attend event every evening with music and dancing. The location is the usual one: the oratory's sports field, with an entrance on Via Aldo Moro, where training sessions and matches give way to those who want to take to the field... and dance, and there are quite a few of them here.

And what about something to eat? Never: every evening there's a rich gourmet kitchen that opens its doors starting at 7:30 pm, run by a team of volunteers, including the local mothers and grandmothers with their recipes. Alongside the ever-popular traditional Cremaschi tortelli , there's also a grilled meat and salami platter.

Otherwise, you can enjoy excellent bruschetta or fried fish, and to round off the evening in style, a slice of homemade cake. And who has children to look after? The oratory's small field, a safe place, also has a play area for the little ones. For musical entertainment, last night there was the Raf Benzoni Orchestra, and this evening the Sonia Mori Orchestra will perform. Tomorrow it's the Cordani Orchestra's turn, on Tuesday the Santamonica Orchestra, and to close out the evening in style on Wednesday, the Filadelfia Orchestra will perform. The final evening of " Chieve in Festa " will also feature a prize draw. In short, Chieve guarantees five unmissable evenings of good food and live music this year too.

Pier Giorgio Ruggeri