Barbara Kudzol, of North Attleboro, accents a march played by the Providence Brass Band during the annual Columbus Day Parade and Festival along Atwells Avenue in Providence.

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The Providence Journal / Bob Thayer

PROVIDENCE — Under a perfect sky, yesterday’s Columbus Day Parade on Federal Hill drew hefty crowds for the annual fete celebrating Italian pride and culture.

Guy and Joan Lombardi, married 34 years, have been coming to their neighborhood parade most years since their son was born, some three decades ago.

“Ever since he was a little boy,” said Guy Lombardi. “It’s been like a tradition.”

Mario and Anna Corse also have been coming to the parade for decades.

“It’s part of life to celebrate Columbus Day. He was supposed to be the guy that discovered America, but they try to throw him on the back burner,” said Mario Corse, 81.

Throngs of people flanked Atwells Avenue’s curbside and flowed into De Pasquale Square, many carrying folding chairs, to watch the annual parade and partake in the three-day festival of food and music, which ends today.

The parade, sponsored by the Federal Hill Chamber of Commerce, lasted about an hour. It included colorful marching bands, beauty queens in vintage cars and smiling elected officials strolling up the mile-long route, led by Mayor David N. Cicilline, the grand marshal.

The festival drew fans from points north and south.

Tracey and Michael Benvenuti, of Dudley, Mass., longtime connoisseurs of the Columbus Day Parade in Boston’s North End, stood with their young children Domenic and Marisa, waving red, white and green flags as they waited for the parade to commence.

“We heard about it and we were wondering,” Tracey Benvenuti said. “My husband’s family gets all their Italian food for Christmas here and so we decided to come. Everywhere you look, you feel like you are in Little Italy.”

Also at curbside were Sue and Salvatore Vitale and friends Jay and Jean Salzberg, all of Virginia Beach, Va., and the Vitales’ cousin Jean Vitale Davies, of Macon, Ga.

All were in town for a wedding — and they felt they hit the jackpot when they learned the festival was in progress.

“We came for the cannolis and the vino,” said Jay Salzberg.

“It’s wonderful. It’s all the Italians coming together,” said Sue Vitale, who confided that there are no Columbus Day parades in Virginia.

Davies chimed in, remarking about the Italian pastries available.

“We don’t have a Little Italy where I’m from,” said Davies, adding “We don’t get to have cannolis and sfogliatelle.”

Christopher Tarro, owner of Siena Restaurant, on Atwells Avenue, was celebrating both his Italian heritage and son Christopher’s third birthday. Young Christopher was born on Oct. 10, 2005 — the Monday on which Columbus Day was celebrated that year.

That alignment will occur again when his son turns 7, Tarro said.

Yesterday, the boy and some cronies sat on a blanket at the curb, behind velvet ropes, and dined on pizza and juice followed by birthday cake.

“We thought we should set him and his friends up with a viewing section of their own,” Tarro said.

lsparks@projo.com