On a chilly Saturday morning, over 50 NOIAW members and friends gathered under the arch at Washington Square Park for a fascinating look at the history of Italian Greenwich Village. Expert guide Joyce Gold of Joyce Gold History Tours of NY led the group.

She started the tour with a few interesting facts about the history of italian immigration in America.

Did you know that:

• 40% of Italian immigrants eventually returned to Italy
• The average Italian immigrant had a total life savings of $8.79 when entering the United States
• Most immigrants had to perform manual labor jobs when they first arrived

One immigrant quipped, “When we got to America, we found out that the streets weren’t paved with gold. In fact, they weren’t paved at all, and they expected us to pave them!”

We passed the Shrine Church of Saint Anthony of Padua on the corner of Sullivan Street and West Houston, and we went in to take a look. This church is the oldest existing ministry founded for Italian immigrants in the United States.

We saw the birthplace of Fiorello LaGuardia. The original building in which he was born no longer stands at this address. It was destroyed in a construction accident and the modern townhouse you see below was built in its place.

We ran into Larry Goldberg, President of Friends of LaGuardia Place, which commissioned the statue of LaGuardia you see below and created La Guardia Park. He gave us some background information on his organization and their involvement in the community.

The tour concluded in front of Our Lady of Pompeii church, just a block away from Pasticceria Rocco. Our Lady of Pompeii was founded in 1892 by the Saint Raphael Society for the Protection of Italian Immigrants. The goal of the society was to protect Italian immigrants from exploitation and help them find work.

Here’s a shot of the group before we headed to lunch at local Village restaurants Porto Bello, Villa Mosconi, and Monte’s Trattoria.

Thanks to all who joined us for this event!