America's Little Italys


Book Description

Looks at the history of Italian cooking and culture in the United States, providing profiles of restaurants and recipes for a variety of dishes.




San Diego Italian Food


Book Description

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.




Italy in Colorado


Book Description




Beyond Little Italy


Book Description




Beyond the Pasta


Book Description

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.




South Philadelphia's Little Italy and 9th Street Italian Market


Book Description

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.




Leaving Little Italy


Book Description

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.




Italians in Baltimore


Book Description

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.




Beyond Babylon


Book Description

"Describes Argentina's horrific dirty war, the chaotic final years of brutal dictatorship in Somalia, and the modern-day excesses of Italy's right-wing politics through the words of two half-sisters, their mothers, and the elusive father who ties their stories together"--




Little Italy


Book Description

In Little Italy: The Way It Was, Peter Corona, Ph.D. shares personal stories of the early days during the first half of the twentieth century when San Diego's Little Italy had more than 6,000 families living within its boundaries. Once known as the "Italian neighborhood" or the "Italian Colony," this thriving community was one of America's best kept secrets. In a pre-determined society that dictated life's direction from birth to death, residents followed a unique code of ethics, customs, and folkways, but most importantly, adhered to a code of silence. Through personal recollections, conversations with lifelong friends, and surveys of church and public records, Dr. Corona vividly describes the history of Little Italy's people and professions while detailing the conversations, activities, and events of life in the Italian Colony during the Depression, World War II, and the years immediately following. Others will enjoy the entertaining stories about Lou the Junk Man, Sparky's clubhouse with the secret door, Angel Garcia who smelled the fish at the Westgate Cannery, and the Washington Wharf Rats. As one of the original residents of Little Italy, Dr. Corona leaves a lasting record for future generations about a fascinating neighborhood with a unique history.