Just days after tragedy struck their beloved homeland, Italians in Edmonton gathered to celebrate their culture amid difficult times.

The Viva Italia Viva Edmonton Festival in Little Italy is remembering the nearly 300 Italians that lost their lives during the 6.2 magnitude earthquake in the Amatrice region Wednesday how they know best: with delicious food.

One local family in particular will support the region’s rebuild with the profits of a dish from the affected area.

“All of next week we're going to be selling pasta amatriciana, which is a dish that originated from the town that got hit by the earthquake,” Vanessa Fiorillo told CTV Edmonton. “All the proceeds from that special are going to go towards the Italian Red Cross.”

It was an easy decision for the Fiorillos, who own the Fantasia Gelateria and Caffe on Jasper Avenue, because this tragedy didn’t just affect their country – they come from the now devastated region.

“When you see it destroyed like, it’s just really sad,” Fiorillo said. “It kind of hits close to home for us anyway, because both my parents, or my grandparents, are from central Italy, which is kind of where the earthquake hit.”

That the festival came days after a tragedy could be seen as a blessing in disguise. It is the perfect opportunity for local Italians to get together and support each other when they most need it.

“Even though we're spread out across the world, there's Italians all over the place,” Fiorillo said, enthusiastically. “We kind of all come together when the need is there.”

With files from Jeremy Thompson