Photo: Matthew J. Conti/MattConti.com

As summer lets out its last gasp, the people of Boston’s own “Little Italy,” the North End, are usually sweeping up the last of the confetti from the frequent open-air religious festivals that take place annually in the neighborhood’s streets. Last year, however, the season was extended just one weekend longer with the addition of the San Gennaro Feast to the end of the schedule. Inspired by the one in New York City, where it has been a staple since 1926, the festival returns September 13–15, celebrating the patron saint of Naples, Italy with marching bands, live music, delicious food and an Italian-made, jewel-encrusted bronze bust of the saint blessed by the Pope himself that is proudly marched up and down the North End’s thoroughfares.