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Despite the undeniable tinge of sadness, last year's festival drew more than 2,000 attendees.
Giovanni's family filmed the festival, hoping to show him when he emerged from his coma.
Gennaro tied for the title of pasta-eating champ, downing 11 bowls of spaghetti with marinara sauce in six minutes.
At the time, Gennaro cooked in Rosa Rosa's kitchen. Now, at just 24, he has assumed his father's roles of restaurant owner, festival co-planner and family patriarch.
Italian-born Gennaro, who came to Lancaster at age 3 and made his first pizza at 10, has spent most of his life preparing for the challenge.
"I've got big shoes to fill, but I'm ready to fill them," he says.
But Gennaro, whose family also owns 20-year-old Harrisburg Avenue fixture My Place Pizza/Rosa Rosa Cafe & Bar, knows he still has plenty of lessons to learn.
Take last year's festival. When the event ran low on food, staff dashed into Rosa Rosa to raid the pantry.
The restaurant's cupboards were so bare that the Di Sommas had to close the next day.
Gennaro says he's ready for this year's festival, dedicated to the memory of his father, role model and best friend.
"We could do it (now) if we had to," he said last week.
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Sponsors pay for some of the approximately $30,000 in festival expenses, Allegretti says. Rosa Rosa covers the rest.
Half of the proceeds will fund next year's festival. The rest will go to St. Mary's Catholic Church, the site of Di Somma family celebrations, and Giovanni's funeral.
"What kind of Italian festival wouldn't have a church involved?" Gennaro laughs.
Rosa Rosa will offer authentic Italian food, including lasagna, pasta, pizza, salads, and sausage or meatball sandwiches.
Other food vendors will include Fiorentino's Italian Restaurant and Gelato di Babbo.
The festival will also feature vendors selling everything from cigars to crafts, along with face-painting, games and other children's activities.
Festival-goers can compete in pasta- and cannoli-eating contests, and a boccie tournament. An "Italian Idol" contest will feature Italian-American songs.
"It could be Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, along those lines," Allegretti says.
Gennaro hopes to book an Italian circus for next year's festival. Eventually he and Allegretti hope to stretch the festival to two or three days — and make it an event people mark on their calendar months in advance.
"That's the ultimate goal, to have everybody else get as excited about it as us," Allegretti says.
Sometimes, when financial roadblocks or raw grief seemed overwhelming, he and Gennaro considered canceling the festival.
But Giovanni would never stand for that.
He would somehow see to it that it rained every day, just so Gennaro couldn't play golf.
