Italian Heritage

Faith, family and food.

Between 1880 and 1924, more than four million Italians immigrated to the United States. Tens of thousands flocked to Newark and reshaped a city. Many settled in the Old First Ward, which once claimed the title of largest Little Italy in New Jersey. Clubs like the Spilingese Social Club sprang up to provide support and camaraderie and dishes like giambotta made their way into everyone’s kitchens. 

Author Andrea Lyn Cammarato-Van Benschoten traces the roots of Newark’s Italian communities.

To demonstrate the special place Italian immigrants hold in the city of New York to this day, readers will experience a visual tour of their traditions and landmarks.

New York City’s five boroughs have been home to more Italian immigrants than any other place in America. Over the last 140 years, scores of Italian neighborhoods have spanned Manhattan, Brooklyn, Staten Island, Queens, and the Bronx. These communities preserve their heritage by celebrating special events and feasts, such as Manhattan’s 130-year-old Feast of St. Rocco, the Dance of the Giglio in East Harlem and Williamsburg, and saint processions for Padre Pio and Maria Addolorata; maintaining famous Mulberry Street storefronts and the Arthur Avenue Market in Little Italy, as well as popular bakeries and restaurants in Greenwich Village and Queens; and supporting and worshipping at notable Italian churches, like Brooklyn’s Our Lady of Mount Carmel Shrine Church and Alba House, a religious bookstore on Staten Island.

The uplifting story of what pioneering Italian immigrants brought to Pittsburgh and how they laid a foundation for future generations to build on and preserve.

By 1930,  one out of every six Pittsburgh residents was an immigrant. More came from Italy than from any other country in the world. Drawn by chain migration and the prospect of work in coal mines, steel mills, railroads, and other local industries, Italian immigrants contributed greatly to the growth and development of western Pennsylvania and endowed the region with a rich and vibrant ethnic culture that has endured to the present day.

In this unprecedented volume, nearly 200 photographs collected from Italian-American families still living in the Pittsburgh region illustrate aspects of the Italian immigrant experience in western Pennsylvania, including work, community, leisure, religion, and family life.

Often separated from other immigrants because of their language, Italian immigrants to New York City in the 1880s formed thriving communities apart from their new neighbors.

They tended to think of themselves collectively as a small Italian colony, La Colonia, that made up part of the demographics of the city. In each of the five boroughs, Italians set up many colonies. Several of them dotted Manhattan in East Harlem, the West Village, what is now SoHo, and the downtown area of the Lower East Side, straddling Canal Street, which still identifies Manhattan's Little Italy, the best-known Italian neighborhood in America. Little Italy is made up of stunning photographs culled from numerous private and public collections. It begins with the first phase of immigrants to Lower Manhattan in the early 1800s, including political and religious refugees such as Lorenzo Da Ponte and Giuseppe Garibaldi. In the 1870s, more and more Italian immigrants settled in Little Italy. As the neighborhood grew up around the former Anthony and Orange Streets, New York's first ""Little Italy"" emerged. The tumultuous history of the Five Points area, the ""Bloody Ole Sixth Ward,"" and many faces and memories from the Italian newspapers L'Eco d'Italia and Il Progresso Italo-Americano are also included in this long-awaited pictorial history.

From forest and field to thriving neighborhood, explore the Italian influence in building, markets and maybe even a pizza pie, all in South Philly's Little Italy.

What is now referred to as Little Italy was priginally called Irishtown when the first Italian moved to the area near Catherine Street around 1798, mostly forest and field in the middle of colonial Pennsylvania. By 1852, an Italian church had been established for the community, and from the advent of mass migration beginning in 1876 grew into Philadelphia's Little Italy. Many of the early families - Baldi, Pinto, and Fiorella - established businesses in the area that continue today. Other beautiful buildings still left standing are remnants of the once thriving banking industry in this little neighborhood. As time progressed, the market expanded beyond its local neighbors, and Italians throughout Philadelphia developed their own Little Italy communities to the north, west, and farther south of the original boundaries.

Historic photographs convey the influence and lives of the Italian immigrants and their part in the development and culture of the city of Brotherly Love.

Italians from the north have been in Philadelphia since Colonial times, and was second only to New York City in the number of immigrants who settled in the city. It was not until mass immigration from the south of Italy during the 1870s and 1880s that Italians began to make their mark on the city. Leaving small towns in the Italian regions of Abruzzo, Basilicata, Calabria, Campania, Sicily, among others, they faced discrimination, language barriers, the separation of family by thousands of miles, and work in unfamiliar trades. Facing such drastic changes in their lives head on, they persevered, establishing Italian neighborhoods and churches while weaving their customs into their new American lifestyles. Through the use of historic photographs, Italians of Philadelphia conveys the influence Italian immigrants had on the development of Philly and how that spirit remains in the city today.

In the early 1900s, the Little Italy, Riverside, Stony Road, and Sandy Hill sections of Paterson, all within walking distance of booming factories and mills, became neighborhoods that offered Italian immigrants the opportunity to be near employment and to have a better life for themselves and their families.

Paterson's Italians always helped each other during tough times and contributed to making Paterson a great city and a great place to live. Cooking Italian recipes for fun holidays; gardening in the backyard; and honoring heroes of the military, politics, sports, and the arts are valuable traditions and customs passed down through generations. The works of Gaetano Federici, a sculptor from Paterson, reflect the city's history, especially in front of Paterson City Hall and at St. Michael the Archangel Church. Floyd Vivino entertains audiences and almost always mentions Paterson in his shows, while actor Lou Costello proudly reminded his audience at the end of almost every show that he was from Paterson. De Franco's Lock and Safe, Peragallo's Organ Company, and Ordini Pools are just a few family-owned Italian businesses that began many decades ago and are still in operation today.

Brooklyn, or Bruculinu, as many Italians affectionately pronounced it, is where Italian values, culture, and dreams thrived.

In an era when over four million Italians found their way to America, the first significant influx came during the 1880s, primarily from rural peasant communities fleeing poverty and overpopulation. Although Italians in South Brooklyn have been traced back as far as the 1820s, the 1855 New York Census did not list any Italian natives in Brooklyn; however, by 1890, there were 9,563 Italians residing in the borough. By 1900, Brooklyn's Italian population was second only to Manhattan. Although the last notable wave of Italian immigration ended in the 1960s, Italian remains one of the six prevalent foreign languages in New York according to a 2007 census estimate. This work serves as a time capsule to remind us of the contributions and influences these immigrants have offered to the community.

“C.C.A. Baldi ruled Little Italy, and everyone who wished to deal with the Italians knew it.

Go back to turn of the century Philadelphia and discover the incredible immigrant success story of C.C.A. Baldi and his brothers as they build a business empire while pathing a path for the Italian community and becoming the King of Little Italy.

Every Labor Day weekend, hundreds of thousands of people flock to Courthouse Square in Scranton for the largest ethnic festival in northeastern Pennsylvania: La Festa Italiana.

The Italians of Pennsylvania have been proudly celebrating their heritage since their arrival in this country with traditional festivals, including La Corsa dei Ceri in Jessup and Dunmore's procession in honor of St. Rocco. Using vintage and contemporary photographs, Italians of Northeastern Pennsylvaniashows how the Italian immigrants to this area, some of whom arrived with little more than the clothes on their back, became well-respected community leaders. Through hard work and dedication, they have made northeastern Pennsylvania into an area fiercely loyal to Italian traditions.

Italians first settled in the Newark area in the 1880s.Italian-Americans of Newark, Nutley, and Bellevilleshows these immigrant families from 1900 to the 1950s.

The street peddler, the barber, the baker, the undertaker, the macaroni maker, the concert musician, and more are portrayed here in the grace and dignity of their work.

Outings to the shore or Branch Brook Parkbalanced hard work and long hours. Family gatherings, weddings, first communions, and processions for the feasts of St. Gerard, St. Rocco, and St. Bartholomewwere all a part of the life of the family and the vibrant Italian neighborhoods.

More than 200 vintage photographs from family albums tell these stories.

The migration of Italians to the area began in 1864 with Raffaele Bracaccini, who was attracted by the beauty of Lake Erie and the countryside.

By 1938, Erie's 18,000 Italians comprised the third largest ethnic group. Erie had its own Italian language newspaper from 1915 to 1940. St. Paul's Church was built with the contributions of Italian immigrants. Columbus School, Columbus Park, and Rose Memorial Hospital were established. Societies and businesses flourished. This book contains more than 200 photographs collected from local families representing the collective memory and history of Erie's Italian community from the 1860s to the 1950s.

Explore the summertime traditions and discover all the ways that Lackawanna County's Italian community seeks to preserve its heritage.

Boasting one of the nation's largest and most diverse Italian-American populations, Lackawanna County in Northeastern Pennsylvania joins old and new generations alike. With events such as La Corsa dei Ceri - commonly referred to as St. Ubaldo Day - in Jessup on Memorial Day Weekend and La Festa Italiana on downtown Scranton's Courthouse Square over Labor Day Weekend, every town in the county with an Italian population has its own story. Whether the people can trace their origins to Guardia or Gubbio, Felitto or Perugia, the Italians of Lackawanna County all share one thing in common: a strong sense of pride in their ethnic origins.

Before outdoor films, mouth watering cuisine and the spectacle of bocce brought thousands of visitors to its streets, Baltimore's Little Italy was a haven for generations of immigrants.

With Saint Leo's Church at its heart, The Neighborhood is a place where lifelong friendships are forged and nicknames are serious business. The community still celebrates the Feast of Saint Anthony Italian Festival in tribute to the saint who was credited with saving the neighborhood from the Great Baltimore Fire of 1904. As sons went to the front during both world wars, families pulled together during the hard times. With memories of beloved local figures like Marion Mugs Mugavero and artist Tony DeSales, interviews with lifelong locals and a few classic recipes, author Suzanna Rosa Molino creates a spirited history of this enduring Italian community.

For Italian immigrants and their descendants, moving from the city to Long Island was more than a change of address.

Even though the move wasn't far geographically, the societal move was large—it signaled that the family had achieved the American Dream, and in turn, elements of Italian values and culture are visible all over the island. Italians helped to build Long Island, whether as laborers or as contractors, such as the Castagnas. They brought their culinary traditions and opened markets, such as the still family-owned Iavarone Brothers Foods and restaurants, including New Hyde Park's Umberto's. Italians' industrialism helped them thrive in fields as diverse as medicine, politics, theater, and winemaking (including the nationally recognized Banfi label). Join author Salvatore J. LaGumina to discover the remarkable contributions and vibrant culture of Italians and Italian-Americans on Long Island.