A mother and daughter are keeping Italian culture alive across generations by bringing a little Italy to the Peninsula and building community together.

Chat Session 178 with Michelle and Tyra

🎧 Catch Up Link

Topic- La Dolce Vita: Celebrating Italian Food, Culture and the Sweet Life

Monday 26^th October 2026 1pm https://rppfm.com.au

MOTHER, DAUGHTER AND A FESTA MADE WITH LOVE

On the Mornington Peninsula, a mother and daughter are proving that culture is something you share, not something you keep to yourself. Michelle Loielo and her daughter Tyra Gourdouros are the team behind the Mornington Peninsula Italian Festa, a not-for-profit community celebration of all things Italian. On Sunday 1 November 2026, the Festa returns to the Village Green in Rosebud, with around 7,000 people expected to come together for food, music, family and plenty of joy.

For Michelle and Tyra, the Festa is far more than an event. It is the result of a lifetime spent around the family table, and a shared belief that the best things in life happen when people gather.

Michelle's story

Michelle is the founder and Event Director of the Festa, and the owner of Unica Cucina e Caffè in Rosebud. Her roots run deep in Riace, a small town in Calabria where both her parents were born. Her father made the long journey to Australia by ship in 1956, and her mother followed in 1978.

Michelle's childhood was split between two worlds. She spent six months of each year in Australia and the other six in Riace, going to school in her family's hometown. Italian culture was never something she read about. It was something she lived every day, through the food, the language, the music and the warmth of family and neighbours.

For the past ten years, Michelle has poured that same warmth into Unica. It is more than a restaurant. It is a place where locals and visitors are welcomed like family, and where good food is always served with a story.

The idea for the Festa came from Michelle's love and passion for her culture. She noticed that no one had ever put on an Italian festa on the Peninsula, and she wanted to change that. Her dream was simple: to bring the music, food and passion of Italy to her own community and share it with everyone. Organised under the Italian Australian Cultural Society, the Festa has grown into one of the most anticipated community events on the Peninsula, bringing together vendors, sponsors, volunteers, local clubs and families from every background.

Tyra's story

At just 19, Tyra already wears more hats than most. She is in her first year of a Law and Business double degree at Swinburne University of Technology, works as Events Manager at Unica, and is the Administration Manager for the Festa.

Tyra's interest in law started early. While still at secondary school, she completed a Certificate II in Legal Studies, and it was this experience that set her on the path to a Law and Business double degree. In 2025, she was recognised as one of Victoria's Top 8 Leaders, an honour she describes as both humbling and motivating.

Behind the scenes, Tyra looks after the Festa's administration from start to finish. She manages more than 40 vendors and their paperwork, handles permits and compliance, coordinates volunteers and supports the sponsors who make the day possible. She has also written the Festa's Child Safety Policy and its Emergency Management Plan, because to Tyra, a great event is one where every family feels safe and welcome.

Giving back is something Tyra learned at home, and it is a big part of who she is. Her long-term dream is to build a purpose-driven venture that creates real social impact, and she sees her law and business studies as the toolkit to get there.

Working side by side

Ask Tyra about her mum and she will tell you straight away that Michelle is her best friend and her role model. Working together on something as big as the Festa has its challenges, but it has also brought them closer.

Michelle brings the vision, the passion and the community connections built over many years. Tyra brings energy, organisation and a fresh way of seeing things. Together, they balance each other out. Much of the Festa has been planned in the most Italian way possible: around their own kitchen table, over many early mornings and late evenings, working side by side to make the day something truly special.

Their partnership also shows something important about culture. Traditions survive when each generation takes them, makes them their own and passes them on. For Michelle, watching Tyra step into a leadership role is proof that the Italian spirit of family and community is in safe hands. For Tyra, working alongside her mum is a daily lesson in leading with heart.

More than a celebration

The Festa has always been about community, and this year that includes giving back in a big way. On Friday 30 October, a charity dinner at the Rosebud Italian Club will raise funds for a CT scanner for Rosebud Hospital, in partnership with Bendigo Bank. The dinner is supported by generous local businesses and sponsors who share the Festa's love of the Peninsula.

Then on Sunday 1 November, the Village Green in Rosebud will feel like a little Italy by the bay. Curated vendors will serve everything from hand-rolled pasta and wood-fired pizza to cannoli and gelato, alongside Mornington Peninsula wine. The main stage will host live music from traditional Southern Italian folk to contemporary local acts, while a cooking demonstration stage shares recipes and stories, including Calabrese classics close to Michelle's heart. There is also an Italian vintage car display and a dedicated kids' zone, with free entry for children under four. Whether you have Italian heritage or simply love good food and good company, everyone is welcome. As the saying goes, a tavola non si invecchia: at the table, no one grows old.

Looking ahead

For Michelle, the dream is for the Festa to keep growing as a place where culture, community and generosity meet. For Tyra, the Festa is just the beginning. She hopes to keep using what she learns, in the classroom and on the ground, to create opportunities and lift others up.

Above all, both women hope people leave the Festa feeling the same thing they feel around their own family table: welcomed, well fed and part of something bigger than themselves.

The Mornington Peninsula Italian Festa is on Sunday 1 November 2026

Location- Village Green, 92 Point Nepean Road, Rosebud.

Tickets are available at MP ITALIAN FESTA or can be purchased on the day.

But, we highly recommend booking ahead to skip the queues.

Follow along on

Facebook MP Italian Festa 

Instagram at @mpitalianfesta

My hope is that when you’re looking at yourself in the

‘The Daily Mirror’

YOU SMILE

EMBRACE BEING YOU

AND FIND 10 MINUTES IN YOUR DAY TO NOURISH YOUR SOUL!

To get in touch with Cathy email smileinthedailymirror@gmail.com 

'The Daily Mirror' acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as the Traditional Custodians of the land and acknowledges and pays respect to their Elders, past and present.