Nel Vecchio Vicinato

Father John Itzaina, pastor of Saints Peter and Paul Church, was the first of many to correctly respond that the statue in the center of Washington Square Park is not that of George Washington, but Benjamin Franklin. Father John lives …

Towering over San Francisco’s North Beach neighborhood, on what is arguably one of the most recognizable hills in the world, is one of San Francisco’s most iconic landmarks. Coit Tower can be seen atop Telegraph Hill from miles away, reminding …

Complimenti to Ron Derenzi of South San Francisco for almost correctly identifying the business that originally build and occupied the building on the south-east corner of Broadway and Columbus.  Dozens of you walked up to me during this past weekend’s …

It’s becoming increasingly common for people to approach me in public, shouting out the answer to the current week’s Nel Vecchio Vicinato question.  It is becoming my way of knowing that L’Italo-Americano’s latest edition has hit the streets.    While …

Every gardener knows that flowers don’t die; they just fade away and bloom again another day.  San Franciscans thought that the “America’s Oldest Italian Restaurant” was gone forever, but the Fior d’Italia surprised everybody when it reopened in the same …

Lillian LaPira almost correctly identified last week’s mystery photograph as Valente & Marini’s original 1926 mortuary on Mission Street in the Excelsior District of San Francisco.  It’s the word “original” that accounts for the “almost.” Valente, Marini, Perata & Company …

Once again, Cathy Burton correctly identified the location of last week’s photograph.  If she keeps this up, she’s going to be awarded a knighthood.  Oh, that’s right…she’s already been awarded a knighthood for her work promoting the Italian language.  Complimenti, …

  When gold was discovered in California in 1849, a fortune-hungry horde poured into Yerba Buena, which recently had been renamed San Francisco. Practically overnight, the bayside settlement with a scant 450 inhabitants burgeoned to thousands. Many of the newcomers …

Charles “Charlie” Farruggia isn’t just a resident of North Beach.  For many, he is the epitome of the old Italian neighborhood.  Known as the “Dean of North Beach Photographers,” an honorary title granted only once before to J.B. Monaco a …