New York, New York, it's a hellava town. Italian Harlem? You could say, it was also a hellava neighborhood. It was an uptown "Little Italy" located between 104th and 119th streets, from Third Avenue to the East River, no more than a couple of blocks long and wide, that once teemed with Italian immigrants, operating a large variety of stores and shops in a substantially self-sufficient way. There was always the familiar sight of Italian vendors displaying their wares from the push carts, along the crowded sidewalks of First avenue, drawing crowds from all over East Harlem searching for bargains. The delicious irresistible alluring aromas of espressos and Italian cuisine, from the many cafes and restaurants located along the Market Street would be carried by the summer breeze, enticing all to enter through their doors. A little city of its own within a big city, known previously as the "Little Italy" of East Harlem. It was very much a focus of New Yorkers' attentions during the early 1880s, when masses of Italian immigrants escaping the congestion of the notorious Mulberry bend area of lower Manhattan with its filthy overcrowded tenements, inadequate water and sanitation provisions moved to East Harlem. Italians from the regions of Basilicata, Calabria and Sicily bypassing the lower Manhattan area, established their communities here during the last quarter of the 19th century. A neighborhood, where an undaunted Italian community despite discrimination, hardships and suffering in adapting themselves to their new environment, has always worked diligently and consistently , preserving and promoting their cultural heritage. It was a neighborhood where life-long relationships never ceased to be formed. So powerful was this sense of neighborhood, that many families as well as their descendants till this day would spend their entire lives living within its confines. One of the most outstanding features of this neighborhood was and continues to be, the celebration of Catholic feasts, where the Italian worshippers would honor their saints. The Feast of Mt. Carmel, down on First Avenue, at one time in attendance there were 50,000 or more and the Giglio Feasts.

Now you ask me, why am I focusing so much on Italian Harlem? Because back then, during my time, the neighborhood was not “Spanish Harlem” it was “Italian Harlem” and this is where most of my memories and experiences are based upon with helpful information from my oldest brother Barney. East Harlem, this was where I was born , raised and lived until 1962, when I moved out because the neighborhood was not safe anymore. The building where I lived was located at 1791 Lexington Avenue, between 111th street and 112th street . It was a 6 story tenement building which had four railroad type apartments to each floor. Ours was a crowded two bedroom apartment, quite small for my family of nine--seven children , my parents and a German Sheppard dog. It was a neighborhood where two numerically dominant ethnic groups co-existed, the Italians and the Puerto Ricans and whose culture and language I became exposed to over the years  and absorbed.  In my memoir "Recollections of the Old Neighborhood," I describe the gang wars between the Italians and the Puerto Ricans, picnics on the roof, stick ball playing, Mr. Morris the bookie taking bets, Our Lady Queen of Angels where I made my communion and confirmation, my sister's husband's family, the Salernos who owned a parking lot on a 111th street across from the gas tanks, the Irish man singing for money in the backyard, the Feast of Mt. Carmel on First Avenue and much more. Although much has changed since then, it is my roots and they are strong, provoking nostalgic memories of those days in the old neighborhood, before it became Spanish Harlem and "El Barrio."

Even though East Harlem is now home to many recent diverse immigrants, there are still Italian Americans that continue to promote and celebrate their heritage and religious feasts; customs that were handed down through the generations by their immigrant ancestors who were once the cornerstone of civilization in this neighborhood. Today Italian Harlem has become a mere shadow of its former self, yet inexplicably there still seems to linger, ever so fresh, those unforgettable touching memories of an era that has long ceased to exist. So now let me take you, for a moment to my old neighborhood where I once lived in East Harlem, New York exposing you to the many aspects of its historic and  infamous past.