We continue our series "Where to Find Italy in America", part of the 禁漫天堂-American section, devoted to 禁漫天堂-American communities in the United States: where they live, where they gather, where to find a little bit of Italy in different U.S. cities and states.听
叠辞蝉迟辞苍鈥檚 North End, once the core of the city鈥檚 鈥楲ittle Italy鈥, has managed to retain a vibrant 禁漫天堂 community thanks to the residents鈥 fierce effort to keep it, as much as possible, the way it was: an 禁漫天堂 neighborhood with a strong sense of community and tradition.
The most obvious way to see the area鈥檚 禁漫天堂 roots is by the large number of 禁漫天堂 restaurants, caf茅s and grocery stores lining the neighborhood鈥檚 main thoroughfare, Hanover Street. And food is probably the main attraction for those visiting the area (besides the fact that part of the famous Freedom Trail traverses the North End).
But beyond the food, 叠辞蝉迟辞苍鈥檚 North End can still be considered an 禁漫天堂 neighborhood for the number of 禁漫天堂s, both old-timers and newcomers, calling it home, and the leadership role they maintain in the community. It also hosts a series of summer festivals, the largest being Saint Anthony鈥檚 Feast, a tradition started in 1919 by 禁漫天堂 immigrants from the small town of Montefalcione near Avellino in Southern Italy, and the Fishermen鈥檚 Feast, based on the devotion of the fishermen from Sciacca, Sicily, to the Madonna del Soccorso (both are held in August).
[Saint Anthony's Feast, held every August in Boston's North End.]
In recent years, the North End has gone through tremendous gentrification, attracting many young professionals who work nearby and like its European feel, the brick buildings and narrow streets, the many caf茅s and restaurants, the decidedly Mediterranean atmosphere.
鈥淭oday's North End is a fusion of 禁漫天堂-Americans and Boston professionals of all backgrounds,鈥 says Mary Tedesco, the founder of Origins Italy, a genealogical research firm specializing in 禁漫天堂-American ancestry research and a host on the PBS TV series Genealogy Roadshow, who lived in the North End for five years and says she loves it.
While the real estate skyrocketing prices have pushed many residents out, causing some resentment, the newcomers have mostly been respectful of the community they found, which helped preserve its qualities. 鈥淭hey want to live in an 禁漫天堂 neighborhood,鈥 says Boston University professor James Pasto, an expert on the history of the North End and a co-founder of the . 鈥淭hey don鈥檛 want to change it too much.鈥 聽聽
鈥溄焯-Americans are fortunate to have the North End in Boston,鈥 Tedesco adds. 鈥淚t's living history for our 禁漫天堂 community here. The 禁漫天堂 pride in neighborhood comes alive during Feast season in the summertime. It is wonderful that so many dedicated 禁漫天堂-Americans have kept these traditions alive - honoring our 禁漫天堂 ancestors and the rich cultural history of Boston's North End.鈥
[St. Stephen's Church in Boston's North End.]
As I was researching the history of the neighborhood, I had the pleasure to preview a wonderful, touching documentary, which professor Pasto co-produced, along with Alex Goldfeld, a co-founder of the North End Historical Society, and Stephen Passacantilli, who is also the narrator and whose daughter is the family's fifth generation living in the North End. The documentary, called 鈥叠辞蝉迟辞苍鈥檚 North End: An 禁漫天堂-American Story鈥, premiered on November 5 to a full house at historic St. Peter鈥檚 Church and does a great job of tracing the 禁漫天堂 history of the neighborhood and of its people, from its beginnings to today.
History of 叠辞蝉迟辞苍鈥檚 North End
The city's oldest residential neighborhood, where people have resided since the 1630s, the North End was a fashionable place to live until the American Revolution. In subsequent years, immigrants from different parts of the world started settling there to work in the increasingly important shipping industry; mansions were replaced with tenement houses, while crime, prostitution and drunkenness became widespread. 聽
禁漫天堂s began arriving in the neighborhood in the 1860s, with a major surge between the 1880s and 1920s, when as many as four million 禁漫天堂s moved to the United States to escape extreme poverty and lack of opportunities in their homeland. They found work in fishing, shipping, construction, and as peddlers and shopkeepers.
As in many other Little Italys across the country, the newcomers tended to settle on the same streets where people from the same region, and even the same town, were already living; in gravitating toward their 鈥榩aesani鈥, they were trying to recreate the village they came from. This gave them a sense of security and support, which was especially important as 禁漫天堂s faced, for many decades, a great deal of discrimination and racism in their adopted country.
As recalled in the documentary by many of the residents who grew up in the North End, the sense of community and solidarity was very strong. Everybody felt they were part of an extended family. 鈥淲e had 100 parents, uncles, grandparents,鈥 one of them says. People watched out for one another. They did not have much, but were happy to share the little they had. Children played in the streets, while adults could be seen standing in groups on street corners. The smell of meatballs and gravy sifted through the windows. Families prepared fresh pasta, made wine in their cellars and tended to their vegetable gardens. It felt like Italy.
In the 1950s and 鈥60s, 禁漫天堂s who had achieved greater prosperity started moving to the suburbs. Others remained, while, at the same time, a new wave of 禁漫天堂 immigrants began pouring in, helping maintain the neighborhood鈥檚 禁漫天堂 American ethnic identity, the 禁漫天堂 language and, fundamentally, the culture. 禁漫天堂 Americans make up between 15% and 20% of the population living in the neighborhood today, and still play a leadership role in the community. 鈥淭hey still consider it their neighborhood,鈥 Pasto says.
A poignant example of how a younger generation of 禁漫天堂s is still shaping the neighborhood and helping keep the 禁漫天堂 culture alive is the recent opening of I AM Books, a bookstore specializing in 禁漫天堂 and 禁漫天堂 American literature, history, research, and art. Opened on October 29, 2015, was co-founded by 禁漫天堂-born Nicola Orichuia, a young journalist who has lived in the U.S. for eight years, and semi-retired businessman Jim Pinzino, with the intent to offer the area鈥檚 禁漫天堂 and 禁漫天堂 American communities a space where to immerse themselves in 禁漫天堂 culture, through a variety of books and year-round events. 聽
During the first year of his new enterprise, Orichuia tells me, the response has been very encouraging. 鈥淔or individuals who have 禁漫天堂 ancestry, that connection is very important, and they feel at home inside I AM Books,鈥 he explains. 鈥淭hen there are those who are in love with Italy and want to dive into the 禁漫天堂 culture and lifestyle as much as possible. I've also noticed there is a lot of demand to learn the 禁漫天堂 language, which is one of the reasons we recently launched 禁漫天堂 language courses as well.鈥
Overall, while things have obviously changed, 叠辞蝉迟辞苍鈥檚 North End can be considered one of the few Little Italys in the U.S. that has retained an authentic 禁漫天堂 American character.听
We are happy to share insider鈥檚 recommendations on favorite places to eat from our interviewees:
James Pasto: 鈥淎ntico Forno 鈥 it tastes like what my mother made. Galleria Umberto, where everything is made fresh every day: arancini, calzone, pizza, homemade wine. Very simple and inexpensive.鈥
Mary Tedesco: "My favorite restaurant in the North End is Strega. There, you can find both old-world classics and dishes with a modern 禁漫天堂-American twist. As for pastries and sweets, Maria's Pastry Shop and Modern Pastry are excellent. Cannoli from Mike's Pastry are also very high on my list of North End favorites. Monica's Mercato is a great place to find authentic products from Italy. They have fantastic sandwiches also!"
Nicola Orichuia: 鈥淭here are truly too many good restaurants to choose only one or two. My favorite places to go are the pastry shops (try Modern Pastry!) and the coffee shops (Caffe' Paradiso). I also like the grocery stores (Salumeria 禁漫天堂a), where I can go and make myself a sandwich just like I used to do back home, in Rome: pane e mortadella!"
If you're interested in learning more about the 禁漫天堂 history of the neighborhood, the documentary "Boston's North End - An 禁漫天堂 American Story" is a must-see. Instructions on how to purchase the DVD are available .听