Quantcast

The DNAinfo archives brought to you by WNYC.
Read the press release here.

Italian Consulate Holds Treasure Hunt with Vespa as Top Prize

 Lucia Pasqualini, deputy consul general of Italy, poses with the top prize — a Vespa S150.
Lucia Pasqualini, deputy consul general of Italy, poses with the top prize — a Vespa S150.
View Full Caption
Consulate General of Italy in New York

UPPER EAST SIDE — It’s a festa complete with a Vespa.

The Italian Consulate of New York will celebrate Italian National Day, or Festa Della Repubblica, on Sunday with a treasure hunt that highlights Italian sights across Manhattan. The prize for the first place finisher is a red Vespa S150, while other top teams will receive prizes donated by Italian companies including Bulgari, Ferragamo and Max Mara.

The hunt will highlight Italian businesses, public places and cultural institutions in Manhattan.

“I have always loved participating in contests and thought, what better way to involve the whole community in a competition than through a treasure hunt,” said Natalia Quintavalle, consul general of Italy, in a statement. “I sincerely hope that participants in the treasure hunt learn about the outstanding contributions that Italians have made to New York.” 

Each team will be given a passport and an envelope with a clue. Teams can use any mode of transportation, but they must travel together and arrive at each secret location as a group. The first team to make it back to the consulate with a passport stamp from each location will win.  

The contest, which begins and ends at the Italian Consulate at 690 Park Ave., is open to teams of two to five people and costs $30 per team to enter. Teams can register by email until Friday at 6 p.m, and as of Thursday 20 teams had signed up to participate.

The Festa Della Repubblica, which is held on June 2 every year, commemorates the day in 1946 after the fall of Mussolini, when Italians voted on a new form of government and chose to be a republic.

After the treasure hunt, the Italian Consulate will continue the celebration with a week of cultural events including concerts, exhibits and wine tastings.