{"id":7452,"date":"2013-09-16T21:17:30","date_gmt":"2013-09-17T01:17:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cf-staging.takewalks.com\/blog2\/?p=7452"},"modified":"2025-05-26T03:42:31","modified_gmt":"2025-05-26T07:42:31","slug":"italians-new-york-city","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.takewalks.com\/blog\/italians-new-york-city","title":{"rendered":"A History of Italians in New York City"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">New York has been called <strong>\u201cthe Italian American capital\u201d <\/strong>because it is home to the <strong>largest Italian American population in the U.S<\/strong>.\u00a0 There are <strong>Italian communities<\/strong> <strong>in all five boroughs <\/strong>of the city, most with deep roots in their area.\u00a0 Italians helped build the modern city and have made a profound impact on NYC\u2019s arts, politics, dialect, and, of course, cuisine. Italian food is a staple of the NYC diet\u2026I mean, what\u2019s more quintessential New York than its pizza? To celebrate the impact of Italians in New York City, let&#8217;s take a look at how this beloved culture has become so ingrained in the city.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_7488\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-7488\" style=\"width: 1014px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-7488 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/www.takewalks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/DSCN51521-1024x744.jpg\" alt=\"Little Italy's Feast of San Gennaro is a celebration of Italians in New York City. \" width=\"1024\" height=\"744\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-7488\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Little Italy&#8217;s Feast of San Gennaro Photo: Jeff Dobbins<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_63 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title \" >Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #443d47;color:#443d47\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #443d47;color:#443d47\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.takewalks.com\/blog\/italians-new-york-city\/#Italians_in_New_York_City_Immigration\" title=\"Italians in New York City: Immigration\">Italians in New York City: Immigration<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.takewalks.com\/blog\/italians-new-york-city\/#NYC_Historic_Italian_Neighborhoods\" title=\"NYC Historic Italian Neighborhoods\">NYC Historic Italian Neighborhoods<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.takewalks.com\/blog\/italians-new-york-city\/#Explore_NYCs_Italian_Culture\" title=\"Explore NYC&#8217;s Italian Culture\">Explore NYC&#8217;s Italian Culture<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.takewalks.com\/blog\/italians-new-york-city\/#NYC_Italian_Celebrations\" title=\"NYC Italian Celebrations\">NYC Italian Celebrations<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.takewalks.com\/blog\/italians-new-york-city\/#Annual_NYC_Italian_Festivals\" title=\"Annual NYC Italian Festivals\u00a0\">Annual NYC Italian Festivals\u00a0<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Italians_in_New_York_City_Immigration\"><\/span><b>Italians in New York City: Immigration<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>New York had relatively few Italian residents during its first two centuries.\u00a0 In 1860 only about 1400 New Yorkers were of Italian descent.\u00a0 Most of them eked out a living as dockworkers, fruit vendors, organ grinders, or rag pickers while living in the decaying Five Points slum.\u00a0 However in the 1860s a wave of immigration from Italy began that became a flood by the end of the century. <strong>Between 1900 and 1914, almost two million Italians emigrated to America<\/strong>, most arriving in New York.\u00a0 <strong>By 1930 NYC was home to over a million Italian Americans<\/strong> &#8211; a whopping 17 percent of the city\u2019s population.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_7494\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-7494\" style=\"width: 590px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"  wp-image-7494 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.takewalks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/Lewis-Hine-Italian-immigrants-at-Ellis-Island-New-York-1905-600x734.jpg\" alt=\"Italian Immigrants Ellis Island.\" width=\"600\" height=\"734\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-7494\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Italian Immigrants at Ellis Island, 1905 Photo: Lewis Hine<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Most Italian immigrants came from southern Italy<\/strong> and were <i>contadini<\/i> (landless farmers) fleeing severe poverty.\u00a0 Some of the earliest arrivals were men seeking work and intending to return home to their families with their earnings (which they often did).\u00a0 Men were sometimes recruited by <i>padroni<\/i> (labor brokers), who paid their passage, food, and lodging and hired them out as work gangs (pocketing most of the wages). Having little education, many Italian men found work as laborers, digging ditches, paving roads, and building projects like the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.takewalks.com\/blog\/about-the-brooklyn-bridge\/\">Brooklyn Bridge<\/a>, the subway, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.takewalks.com\/blog\/new-york-grand-central-terminal\/\">Grand Central Terminal<\/a>. Some created small businesses as street vendors, grocers, and barbers. \u00a0Italian women and girls often worked in the garment industry.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Like most immigrants facing language and cultural barriers, the <strong>Italians created ethnic enclaves<\/strong>.\u00a0 The first communities were centered on Mulberry Street north of the Five Points, in Greenwich Village, and East Harlem.\u00a0 Though New Yorkers labeled the newcomers \u201cItalians,\u201d the immigrants identified primarily with their home region or village and organized their neighborhoods accordingly. \u00a0Thus, Mulberry Street was distinctly Neapolitan, Mott Street held the Calabresi, Hester Street the Apulians, etc. \u00a0Elizabeth Street was strictly Sicilian, and each block (even tenement) was inhabited by a specific Sicilian town. \u00a0Martin Scorsese, who grew up in Little Italy, remembered that an engagement to a person from another block was considered a \u201cmixed marriage.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_7496\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-7496\" style=\"width: 1014px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-7496 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/www.takewalks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/Mulberry-close-up-1024x625.jpg\" alt=\"Italians in New York City on Mulberry Street, Little Italy, NYC.\" width=\"1024\" height=\"625\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-7496\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mulberry Street, the epicenter of Little Italy<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The tight-knit Italian American communities (given the confined housing and crowded streets, they <i>had to be close<\/i>) focused on fundamental <strong>traditions of family, food, and faith<\/strong>. Cultural conflicts sometimes arose with other immigrants, specifically when they were forced to share churches with Irish Catholics.\u00a0 Italians chose to worship in church basements rather than attend a \u201cforeign\u201d Irish mass.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_7501\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-7501\" style=\"width: 827px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-7501\" src=\"https:\/\/www.takewalks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/italy-1943.jpg\" alt=\"A celebration of Italians in New York City in Little Italy 1943.\" width=\"837\" height=\"659\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.takewalks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/italy-1943.jpg 635w, https:\/\/www.takewalks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/italy-1943-600x472.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 837px) 100vw, 837px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-7501\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Celebration in Little Italy, 1943<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Faced with considerable discrimination and poverty, Italian communities formed mutual aid societies, as well as clubs focused on culture (particularly music and opera), and organizations to stage religious festivals. \u00a0Less benevolent organizations were the crime syndicates of La Cosa Nostra, which were based on Sicilian secret societies. During Prohibition the \u201cfamilies\u201d developed into the American Mafia.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Italian immigrants dreamed of escaping the decrepit tenements and teeming streets of their neighborhoods, and throughout the 20th century their descendants did just that. Today large Italian districts are found in Brooklyn\u2019s Bensonhurst and Bay Ridge (settings of the film <i>Saturday Night Fever<\/i>), Howard Beach and Ozone Park in Queens, Belmont in the Bronx, and Staten Island (where 55% of residents are of Italian heritage).<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_7490\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-7490\" style=\"width: 1014px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-7490 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/www.takewalks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/IMG_4511-1024x647.jpg\" alt=\"Little Italy is known for its large population of Italians in New York City.\" width=\"1024\" height=\"647\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-7490\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">NYC&#8217;s Little Italy today Photo: Jeff Dobbins<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"NYC_Historic_Italian_Neighborhoods\"><\/span>NYC Historic Italian Neighborhoods<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Though few Italians reside in the old neighborhoods of Little Italy, Greenwich Village, and Italian Harlem, vestiges of Italian immigrant culture can be found.\u00a0 Specifically, a smattering of family-fun ristorantes, food shops, and cafes have survived that are well worth a visit.\u00a0 The neighborhoods also host traditional Italian festivals. See our guide to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.takewalks.com\/blog\/nyc-italian-neighborhoods\/\"><strong>NYC&#8217;s<\/strong> <strong>Classic Italian Neighborhoods<\/strong><\/a> and the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.takewalks.com\/blog\/restaurants-little-italy-new-york\/\"><strong>Best Restaurants in Little Italy<\/strong><\/a> for more information.<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Explore_NYCs_Italian_Culture\"><\/span><strong>Explore NYC&#8217;s Italian Culture<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The tiny <b>Italian American Museum <\/b>is housed in a former Little Italy community bank. \u00a0The intimate space displays belongings of neighborhood families, offering a glimpse of daily immigrant life and important local occasions.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.newyorkitalians.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">New York Italians<\/a><\/strong> is an organization dedicated to preserving and celebrating Italian culture with events, culinary programs, language classes, and educational lectures.\u00a0 Their <strong>Meet-up group<\/strong> is active and a great way to join the fun.<\/p>\n<p>The <strong>Italian Cultural Institute in New York<\/strong> presents events and exhibitions, as well as Italian language courses.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Scuola Italiana del Greenwich Village<\/strong> provides instruction in Italian language and presents a roster of events focused on Italian culture and history.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_7503\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-7503\" style=\"width: 766px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-7503\" src=\"https:\/\/www.takewalks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/San-Gennaro-2-1024x700.jpg\" alt=\"San Gennaro Festival is a street celebration of Italians in New York City.\" width=\"776\" height=\"531\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-7503\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Festive Feast of San Gennaro Photo: Jeff Dobbins<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"NYC_Italian_Celebrations\"><\/span><b>NYC Italian Celebrations<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Attending one of NYC\u2019s annual Italian Festivals is a great way to experience traditional Italian culture (and celebrate with Italian Americans). According to the Order Sons of Italy in America, the NYC region hosts <strong>35 Italian cultural festivals<\/strong> annually, more than anywhere else in the nation.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Most Italian festivals are held in honor a patron saint and usually include an outdoor religious procession, amateur bands, food stands, and entertainment.\u00a0 Larger celebrations may include carnival rides and games and firework displays. The festivals are organized by amateur organizations committed to keeping the culture of their immigrant forefathers alive.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Some of the great Italian events include\u2026<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_7504\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-7504\" style=\"width: 625px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-7504 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.takewalks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/Giglio01.jpg\" alt=\"Dance of the Giglio is a celebration of Italians in New York City.\" width=\"635\" height=\"846\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.takewalks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/Giglio01.jpg 635w, https:\/\/www.takewalks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/Giglio01-600x799.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 635px) 100vw, 635px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-7504\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Italian Harlem&#8217;s Dance of the Giglio.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Annual_NYC_Italian_Festivals\"><\/span><b>Annual NYC Italian Festivals\u00a0<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Feast of St. Anthony of Giovinazzo <\/strong>(May, Little Italy)\u00a0<b> &#8211; <\/b>A religious procession up Mulberry Street from Broome to Spring Streets, along with pageants, music and great Italian food.<\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Feast of St. Anthony of Padua <\/b>(June, Bronx) \u2013 Belmont\u2019s \u201cLittle Italy\u201d hosts this 5-day celebration which includes a procession on Arthur Ave., \u201cDancing of the Giglio\u201d (a 75 ft. devotional tower), musical entertainment, a carnival and, of course, plenty of excellent food.<\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Our Lady of Pompeii Bleecker Street Festival <\/strong>(June, Greenwich Village) \u2013 The Italian immigrant parish church hosts vendors on Sixth Avenue, once the heart of Italian Greenwich Village.<\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Feast of St. Anthony<\/b> (June, Greenwich Village) \u2013 Historic St. Anthony of Padua celebrates their patron saint with special masses, food and a procession of the statue of St. Anthony through south Greenwich Village.<\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel and San Paolino Di Nola<\/strong> (July, Williamsburg, Brooklyn) &#8211; two feasts combined in a 12-day festival that includes devotional processions, giglio lifts, and plenty of celebratory feasting.<\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Giglio di Sant Antonio <\/b>(August, East Harlem) Italian Harlem springs back to life for this three-day festival.\u00a0 The culmination is the Dancing of the 80 ft. giglio through the streets of Harlem.<\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Ferragosto <\/b>(September, Bronx) \u2013 Arthur Avenue throws a street party in celebration of the Harvest Season. The local Italian food vendors line the avenue and there&#8217;s music, street performers and activities for kids.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<figure id=\"attachment_7519\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-7519\" style=\"width: 774px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-7519\" src=\"https:\/\/www.takewalks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/Europeworld.com_.jpg\" alt=\"Italians in New York City celebrating a Columbus Day Parade.\" width=\"784\" height=\"474\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-7519\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Columbus Day, celebrating Italians in New York City. Photo: europeworld.com<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<ul>\n<li><b>F<\/b><b>east of San Gennaro<\/b> (September, Little Italy) \u2013 every year a million people descend on Little Italy for this 11-day celebration of the patron Saint of Naples. In addition to the religious processions, there\u2019s lots of great Italian food &amp; music, as well as carnival attractions.<\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Columbus Day Parade<\/b> (October, midtown Manhattan) \u2013 the world&#8217;s largest celebration of Italian-American culture, the parade marches up Fifth Avenue (44th &#8211; 72nd Streets) with 35,000 marchers, bands, floats and nearly one million spectators.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Exploring the remarkable culture of Italians in New\u00a0 York City is a great way to get to know some of the city&#8217;s most vibrant neighborhoods. And if you&#8217;d like to explore more of local NYC best neighborhoods and cultures, why not sign up for a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.takewalks.com\/new-york-tours\/new-york-food-tours\/\">New York Food Tour? <\/a>From hidden pizza shops to Brazilian bakers, you&#8217;ll enjoy special insight into NYC\u2019s thriving culinary scene.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p> &#8230; <a title=\"A History of Italians in New York City\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.takewalks.com\/blog\/italians-new-york-city\" aria-label=\"More on A History of Italians in New York City\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":34,"featured_media":7488,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[614],"tags":[],"ppma_author":[719],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v22.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>A History of Italians in New York City<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A look at how Italians in New York City have left their mark on NYC&#039;s Italian American community, including its historic neighborhoods and vibrants festivals.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.takewalks.com\/blog\/italians-new-york-city\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A History of Italians in New York City\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A look at how Italians in New York City have left their mark on NYC&#039;s Italian American community, including its historic neighborhoods and vibrants festivals.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.takewalks.com\/blog\/italians-new-york-city\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Walks Tours Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/walkstours\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2013-09-17T01:17:30+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-05-26T07:42:31+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.takewalks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/DSCN51521-e1379858188500.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"650\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"472\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Fiona F.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@walks\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@walks\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Fiona F.\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"8 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.takewalks.com\/blog\/italians-new-york-city#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.takewalks.com\/blog\/italians-new-york-city\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Fiona F.\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.takewalks.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/901df6d37c52cc0058744c6f35725cd4\"},\"headline\":\"A History of Italians in New York City\",\"datePublished\":\"2013-09-17T01:17:30+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-05-26T07:42:31+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.takewalks.com\/blog\/italians-new-york-city\"},\"wordCount\":1417,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.takewalks.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.takewalks.com\/blog\/italians-new-york-city#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.takewalks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/DSCN51521-e1379858188500.jpg?wsr\",\"articleSection\":[\"New York Art &amp; 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