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Celebrate Ferragosto in Mexico

With the World’s Longest Pizza!

On Monday, August 15, 2005, the Riviera Maya region of Mexico will celebrate the Italian holiday of “Ferragosto” by creating what just may be the world’s longest pizza!

Beginning at 6 p.m., Ferragosto in the Riviera Maya will take place in Playa del Carmen’s on Quinta Avenida (5th Avenue) between 4th Street and 12th Street. The main feature will be a 152 foot long Sicilian pizza, stretching for over 8 blocks or the entire length of the Ferragosto festivities.  Locals and tourists alike are entitled to as many slices of the pizza as they can eat, completely free of charge, while the event is in progress.  This will be the Riviera Maya’s third annual Ferragosto celebration and is expected to draw an even greater number of festival-goers than last year.

“We are very excited to commemorate this holiday in the Riviera Maya, which has seen a significant growth in visitors from the Italian market in recent years,” said Dario Flota Ocampo, Director General of the Riviera Maya Tourism Board.  “Not only will the event be fun for everyone involved and boast our largest pizza to date, it will also help promote the various establishments that are working on this project with us from all around the Riviera Maya.”

Traditional Ferragosto in Italy is a Catholic festivity held annually and features music, food, wine and fireworks as well as a parade of the statue of the Virgin Mary throughout the streets.  It has its roots in Roman harvest festivals, with Assumption Day beginning the summer season on May 15 and August 15 then signifying the start of Ferragosto in the Virgin Mary’s honor.

According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the largest pizza ever was created in 1990 at the Norwood Supermarket in South Africa and was 122 feet long.  This year’s Ferragosto pizza in the Riviera Maya will be 152 feet long.

Easily accessible from many cities throughout the U.S., the eighty-one mile stretch, known as the Riviera Maya is situated in the Mexican Caribbean on the coastline of the Yucatan Peninsula in the state of Quintana Roo, Mexico. Beginning eleven miles south of the Cancun International Airport in Puerto Morelos, the Riviera Maya extends to Felipe Carrillo Puerto, a small town near the Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve. The region features the tranquility of uncrowded beaches, a vast network of underground rivers, over 100 cenotes, eco-adventure sports including kayaking, mountain biking, scuba diving, snorkeling, trekking, bird watching and deep sea fishing, proximity to many of Mexico's most significant Mayan archeological sites, the varied activities of the eco-archeological parks, plus golf courses, shopping, gourmet dining and a range of accommodations to suit every lifestyle and budget.

For more information about the Riviera Maya’s third annual Ferragosto event, please contact Ms. Coral Bosch by email at eventos@rivieramaya.com.

For more information on the Riviera Maya call 1-877-7GO-MAYA, or 011-52-984-85-92170, email at info@rivieramaya.com or visit www.rivieramaya.com .

Edited by Erika Wright

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