It is that time of year again, Italian American Heritage Month! It is the perfect time to celebrate all the accomplishments of the Italian American community, not only today but in years past - and there are a lot! From the great traditions of food to the beautiful architecture that surrounds us, we have much to be proud of. I have been blessed to grow up in a time where it is “cool” to be Italian, but that was not the case for so many of our ancestors. My mom’s family told her they needed to speak English and become American to fit in. Plenty of the people I work for were not even allowed to join Country Clubs, which, today, are seeking Italians to join. Times have changed and it is important to never forget where you come from. Whether you are Sicilian or Calabrese, we are all Italians, and this is our month to shine.
I hope everyone takes the time to head down to the Columbus Day parade on Monday, Oct. 13 in Little Italy. This is a great representation to all Italians of what we can do when we put our minds to something. The parade kicks off at noon in Little Italy. You won’t want to miss it!
Please see the calendar of local events within this issue. There are many ways to celebrate your heritage this month.
If you have a passion for writing and are looking to help support our newspaper, please contact me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. We are especially looking for writers in the Akron, Youngstown, Columbus, and Pittsburgh areas. We know many of our readers would love to see more localized news, so please consider contributing your thoughts!
As always, we would love your input, so please reach out to us with your feedback. We are working on our plans for 2026 and we welcome your ideas. Please enjoy this article from October 2019 on Little Italy San Francisco.
North Beach is a neighborhood in northeast San Francisco that is known today as San Francisco’s Little Italy. Perhaps the first observation one would make when visiting North Beach is that it is not a beach. Nor is it along the waterfront. So why call it North Beach? The simple answer is – it used to be. In the 1800s, this area was the northernmost district in San Francisco and was right along the water dubbing it North Beach. Around the late 19th century, the area was filled in with landfill and subsequently, warehouses, fishing wharves and docks were built on the newly formed shoreline. But the name stuck.
After the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, remembered as one of the worst and deadliest earthquakes in the history of the U.S., many Italian immigrants settled in the neighborhood of North Beach creating the Italian character it still holds today. Baseball legend Joe DiMaggio grew up in the neighborhood and briefly returned to live there with his wife, Marilyn Monroe, during the 1950s. The 36th mayor of San Francisco, Joseph Alioto, also grew up in the North Beach area. His Sicilian immigrant father and Italian American mother met on a fishing boat while escaping the earthquake. The Alioto family quickly became a staple in San Francisco and United States politics. Many members of the prominent family were raised in North Beach and the Alioto’s still play a big role in California and U.S. politics.
Today, the vibrant and colorful streets of North Beach still have a high concentration of Italian residents and businesses. Enjoy an espresso and lunch al fresco at an Italian café, indulge in the local Italian bakeries and shops. Pay a visit to the Museo Italo Americano, the first museum in the U.S. devoted exclusively to Italian and Italian American art and culture. For the full Italian experience, get in on a special event at the Italian Cultural Institute. The IIC, founded in 1978, is an official branch of the Italian government, dedicated to the promotion of the Italian language and culture in the U.S. through the organization of cultural events.
In October, the city celebrates the annual San Francisco Italian Heritage Parade, the nation’s oldest Italian American parade. La Societa Italiana Mutua Beneficenza was founded by Nicola Larco in 1858 to help support the growing community of Italian immigrants in North Beach. Larco then founded the city’s first Columbus Day celebration. The festivities grew over the ensuing years and the parade was renamed the Italian Heritage Parade in 1994.
It is easy to see why the city of San Francisco was so attractive to our ancestors. It is also easy to see why the same city attracts visitors today to the area they inhabited so long ago. San Francisco’s Little Italy remains a stronghold for the history and culture of the Italian American community.
