Traditions of Italian art, music and food will come alive Sunday as members of San Diego's Little Italy neighborhood welcome everyone to their 14th annual Festa.

Two stages will feature nonstop entertainment. Guitarist Daniele Spadavecchia melds jazz and Gypsy jazz with flamenco, with a repertoire of Italian favorites. Nova Menco, a regular at Humphreys Concerts by the Bay and Anthology, also play a style of modern flamenco, fused with jazz and pop with touches of other flavors from around the Mediterranean.

Pietro Rizzi will perform favorites from Italian operas, and Frank Sinatra impersonator Gilbert Gauthier offers up impressions of Ol' Blue Eyes. The Mar Dels will play classics from the 1960s.

DETAILS 14th annual Little Italy Festa When: Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; chalk painting event Saturday, 10 a.m. Where: Little Italy, downtown San Diego Tickets: Free Online: littleitalysd.com

The festival also features an exhibition of chalk painting – il madonnari – an art form that has its roots in the 16th century. Chalk painting began when itinerant artists traveled throughout Italy, timing their arrival in a city or village to coincide with a festival or holiday celebration. They used soft chalk pastels to create art of the Madonna and child on the stones of the streets and in the piazzas. The art form is experiencing a revival in Europe and America.

This year more than 50 teams and 150 artists are expected to participate. The chalk painting event will begin on Saturday, the day before the rest of the festivities. Artists are being asked to honor tradition by following an Italian theme in their work, limited to an 8-foot-by-8-foot square of Little Italy pavement.

More than 150 vendors who will be offering food, art and handcrafted items during the festa. Chef Nick Stellino, a cookbook author and the star of the PBS' series “Nick Stellino's Family Kitchen,” will give Italian cooking demos.

All Little Italy restaurants will be open and several will have special prix fixe menus for the occasion.

Getting to the festa by trolley is recommended as parking will be at a premium. The festa claims to be the largest single-day Italian-American festival outside New York City, and thousands of San Diegans are expected to go. If you choose to drive, you can park at 610 W. Ash St. or the County Administration south lot.