Little Italy, Big Festival

New York is a city where you don’t get bored, when you walk through its streets, in every corner, you will expect some surprise.

Located to the north of Chinatown and separated from it by Canal Street, Little Italy was the place where the first Italian immigrants began to settle, seeking to live the American dream.

It tells the story of this very special place that between the 1860s and 1870s the first Italian immigrants began to arrive. Some of them only came for a while to work and then returned to Europe.

As in Italy, the small neighborhood in Manhattan found itself divided on regional loyalties; the Genoese settled on Baxter Street, the Sicilians occupied Elizabeth Street, and the Northern Italians on Bleecker Street.

Both chefs and artisans opened food carts, restaurants and bakeries offering their traditional and exquisite dishes of Italian cuisine that have survived to this day.

But the mafia had also traveled with the Italians to America. The Gambino family and the Genovese family, among others, or criminal gangs like the Black Hand controlled many illegal activities in the neighborhood where the nerve center was located on Mulberry Street.

Currently according to the census, only 5% of the inhabitants of Little Italy are of Italian nationality, since the majority, although of Italian origin, are already born in the USA.

Delimiting to the north with Little Italy we can find the exclusive neighborhood of NoLIta. Its name derives from the abbreviation of “North of Little Italy”

Formerly Nolita belonged to Little Italy but over time famous people began to come to live on its streets, such as David Bowie where of course you can visit the building where he lived (285 Lafayette Street).

Little by little. The neighborhood became very attractive to young people who also went in search of signature restaurants with tables on the sidewalks, cobbled streets, large trees, exclusive luxury boutiques, and jewelry stores.

NoLIta is easily accessible via several subway stops. The Broadway-Lafayette St. Station on the B, D, and F lines and the Bowery Station on the J and Z lines are the closest alternatives.

Nolita stands out for its wide gastronomic offer: organic food, fusion, ramen, Thai, European, Israeli, and many more. It can be said that there are plans for all kinds of tastes and budgets.

For those who are lucky enough to be in New York for the next few days, they have the opportunity to attend an unmissable event: the San Gennaro Festival that will take place from September 14 to 24, 2023.

The fact that the San Gennaro festival lasts exactly 11 days is not a coincidence but was decided to organize it because Little Italy consists of 11 blocks.

The Feast of San Gennaro was first celebrated in New York City in September 1926, when immigrants from Naples gathered to stage a religious celebration honoring their patron saint. Saint Gennaro was a bishop in Italy who died as a martyr in AD 305. , is the saint of Naples and is still honored today, his feast day being Tuesday, September 19.

Currently, around 3 million people flood the streets of Little Italy to enjoy the processions, gastronomy, eating contests, musical performances, booths with darts and basketball games, parades and different shows that follow one another. San Gennaro begins at Mulberry Street and runs from Canal Street to East Houston Street, including Grand Street and Hester Street.

Mulberry Street, in addition to being the main street of Little Italy, is where a wide range of Italian-themed cafes and restaurants are located on each side, such as: Da Nico, Il Cortile, Benito I, Grotta Azzura, etc. It will be difficult to choose from the wide offer. The entrance to Mulberry Street is easily recognizable as one of the signs welcoming the neighborhood is located here.

The most important religious procession will take place on Saturday, September 23. It begins at 2:00 p.m. from the Most Precious Blood Church and the parishioners carry the saint that runs through all the streets of Little Italy.

No matter how many times you’ve visited New York City, this is the perfect opportunity to sample the well-known cannoli or a freshly baked pizza, among many other Italian dishes.

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