Italian American culture is all around us, and it's not just pizza and spaghetti.  While it's true that our nation’s 17 million Italian Americans have enriched our cuisine, their influence is far wider.  In education, Montessori schools have broadened American models of learning. Film directors Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola have enriched American cinema, writers Don DeLillo and Gay Talese loom large in literature, and singers from 50's heart-throb Frank Sinatra to today's Ariana Grande continue to delight.  In politics, a long line of leaders of Italian American heritage range from Fiorello LaGuardia (the colorful mid-century New York mayor) to Nancy Pelosi (the recent U.S. House Speaker).

 

Italian immigration peaked between the 1870's and 1920's, creating communities nationwide.  Many cities still retain their Little Italy communities, where visitors can experience a slice of Italian American life. Boston’s North End, for instance, is a vital neighborhood of restaurants and bakeries where the annual St. Anthony of Padua celebration draws thousands.  Vieni, mangia, balla (Come, eat, dance)!