Beyond Little Italy

As ethnic neighborhoods in other cities assimilate to American life, the exuberant local flavor of San Diego's Little Italy remains both culturally and culinarily distinct. Tucked between Interstate 5 and San Diego Bay southeast of San Diego International Airport, the blocks surrounding the landmark Our Lady of the Rosary Roman Catholic Church contain many of the most notable eateries and gourmet cafes in "America's Finest City." Join Maria Desiderata Montana, a daughter of that Italian heritage and one of the city's most notable food writers, on this savory tour through the zesty Italian food traditions, businesses and recipes both in Little Italy and across San Diego.

Italian immigrants flocked to America beginning in the mid-1800s unaware of the hardships ahead, much like the harsh conditions they left behind in Italy. Despite discrimination, scarce employment, hunger, and drudgery, they courageously established trades, businesses, parishes, and solid family life in neighborhood enclaves nearly identical to their native villages. Close to two centuries later, Baltimore's thriving Italian community marvels at the grit and backbone of their families in their conquest of Americanization. Fortified by love of today's famiglia, food, traditions, faith, and close-knit community, Baltimore Italians celebrate their ethnicity while honoring those before them. These captivating photographs--cherished and generously shared by families of Baltimore's Italian immigrants--offer a brief yet fascinating insight into some of their rich history: who came from which village, how they paved the way, the jobs they worked, how they grew up, and the bravery displayed as they fought in wars for the United States. They did not sacrifice their birthright to become American; instead, they humbly added to it and called themselves Italian Americans.

For those of us not lucky enough to grow up in our Sicilian grandmother's kitchen in Little Italy, this lively book is the next best thing--a vibrant collection of authentic Italian family recipes and memories related with warmth and humor by Francesca Romina. Interspersed with more than 150 recipes are antique family photographs and charming tales about the adventures, trials, and exploits of Francesca's extended family and friends, as well as tales from the old country. Her grandmother's favorite pizza recipe recalls the origins of pizza parlors in Chicago, while her savory fava and pea soup takes us all the way back to her native village in Sicily. The dishes are often simple, but with the distinctive touches only generations of tradition can create. These are tried-and-true recipes for genuine comfort foods, accompanied by invaluable cooking advice passed down from one master cook to the next. Picturesque turn-of-the-century Little Italy comes boldly to life in this wonderful memoir-cookbook.

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.

"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." -- Publisher's description.

Life usually throws far too many curveballs to leave anyone without a wide array of fascinating anecdotes. Of all those thrown at me, I’m presenting the most significant, with this book. With my autobiographical memories I’m depicting my personal life, as a child, in my native country; Italy, as a young man and legal immigrant, in my adoptive country; the USA. Most important of all, a life about dreams I have pursued, of which many have come true and some in vain. Whereas, when people read about my experiences as an entrepreneur in the USA, it may seem to them that I have created, with my writing, a theater of dramas. It may seems that way, on the contrary, all of it it’s true. It was during that time that the ugliest of all curveballs were thrown at me, from all sides. This is the true story of my life, in two different parts of the worlds. Starting from re-enactments of family affections, of painful moments, and loving sentiments, to the most intriguing story of my life as legal immigrant and as a businessman in the USA. Particularly my involvement in the daily struggle that exists lately in the Apparel Industry in New York. An industry, which, like many others, according to my knowledge and to real facts, was destroyed and was given away to other countries, with the complicity of the corrupt politicians in Washington DC.

Leaving Little Italy explores the various forces that have shaped and continue to mold Italian American culture. Early chapters offer a historical survey of major developments in Italian American culture, from the early mass immigration period to the present day, situating these developments within the larger framework of American culture as a whole. Subsequent chapters examine particular works of Italian American literature and film from a variety of perspectives, including literary history, gender, social class, autobiography, and race. Paying particular attention to how the individual artist's personality has intersected with community in the shaping of Italian American culture, the book reveals how and why Italian America was invented and why Little Italys must ultimately disappear.

Several years ago, on a break between theatrical gigs in Alabama, Mark traveled to Italy and fell in love with the people, food and culture. Armed with just enough courage, minimal Italian language skills, and a certain proficiency in the kitchen, he enrolled in a full-immersion cooking and language program. He would travel to Viterbo, Italy and live with an Italian family. His teachers were beyond his wildest dreams-he learned to cook from the grandmother, or Nonna, of the family, who prepared every meal in a bustling, busy household, as women in her family have done for generations. Her daughter, Alessandra, taught him the language with patience and precision. Besides culinary secrets and prepositions, they opened their lives to him, and made him a real part of their extensive family. Though the book contains authentic, delicious family recipes Nonna shared with Mark, Beyond the Pasta delves into food memoir subject matter not found in a typical cookbook. It was the day-to-day shopping with Nonna, exploring the countryside and le gelaterie, where he truly developed his language skills, and a new, more joyful and uniquely Italian way of looking at the world.