Little Italy

Images of America: New York

by Emelie Aleandri

Often separated from other immigrants because of their language, Italian immigrants to New York City in the 1880s formed 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 colonie. 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.

Genres: New York

128 pages, Paperback

First published August 21, 2002

Reviews

[Michael Baggetta · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! The pictures of the Little Italy from the early 1880"s to day are fantastic! I grew up going to Little Italy with my family for many years. We always ate at The Luna resturant there. I have always felt a pull towards the lower East Side of New York and this great book depicts this area well!

[Joseph Bruno · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was a little disappointed in this book because, although it has numerous fine photos, it's a little short on information. In fact, I read the entire book in about an hour.

This might be good "coffee table" material, but a fountain of information on Manhattan's Little Italy, where I lived for 48 years, it is not.

Still. the pictures alone are worth three stars.