Little Italy, Baltimore
Encyclopedia
Little Italy is a neighborhood located in Baltimore
, Maryland
, United States
.
Situated just east of the Inner Harbor
, it has one of the city's busiest restaurant
districts. It is so named because of the large number of Italian
immigrant families that moved into the area during the 20th century. The neighborhood is still home to a large and active Italian
ethnic community. Located near newly desirable neighborhoods like Fells Point, Upper Fells Point
and Harbor East
, Little Italy's housing market is very hot, not least because turnover is low in the tight-knit community. Little Italy is also notable as one of the safest neighborhoods in the city of Baltimore, as the neighborhood's reputation is such to not allow crimes against the residents caused by outside agitators.
Little Italy is only a few blocks from the Shot Tower
/Market Place station on the Baltimore Metro Subway
and the southern terminus of the Jones Falls Expressway (I-83
).
Each summer, the Little Italy community hosts an outdoor film festival
. Free outdoor movies
are projected onto a wall at the intersection of High and Stiles Streets. People bring chairs and blankets and watch the movie from a parking lot located at the intersection. Open Air Movie Schedule.
Former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi
grew up in Baltimore's Little Italy. Her father, Thomas D'Alesandro Jr., was mayor of the city.
According to Homicide: Life on the Street
, fictional detective Al Giardello
was raised in Little Italy, as it was the neighborhood inhabited by his father's side of the family. Giardello's mother's side of the family was from a neighboring African American
housing project called the Perkins Homes
.
Nora Roberts
book Blue Smoke was set in Baltimore's Little Italy.
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Inner Harbor
The Inner Harbor is a historic seaport, tourist attraction, and iconic landmark of the City of Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Described by the Urban Land Institute in 2009 as “the model for post-industrial waterfront redevelopment around the World.” The Inner Harbor is actually the end of the...
, it has one of the city's busiest restaurant
Restaurant
A restaurant is an establishment which prepares and serves food and drink to customers in return for money. Meals are generally served and eaten on premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services...
districts. It is so named because of the large number of Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
immigrant families that moved into the area during the 20th century. The neighborhood is still home to a large and active Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
ethnic community. Located near newly desirable neighborhoods like Fells Point, Upper Fells Point
Upper Fells Point
Upper Fells Point is a neighborhood of Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Located north of Historic Fells Point, originally the neighborhood was home to Baltimore's dock workers. By the 1880s canneries and factories provided employment to new immigrants, including Irish, Italians and Poles. In...
and Harbor East
Harbor East, Baltimore
Inner Harbor East, sometimes referred to simply as Harbor East, is a relatively new mixed-use development project in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Major tenants of Harbor East include Marriott International and Legg Mason....
, Little Italy's housing market is very hot, not least because turnover is low in the tight-knit community. Little Italy is also notable as one of the safest neighborhoods in the city of Baltimore, as the neighborhood's reputation is such to not allow crimes against the residents caused by outside agitators.
Little Italy is only a few blocks from the Shot Tower
Phoenix Shot Tower
The Phoenix Shot Tower, also known as the Old Baltimore Shot Tower, is a red brick shot tower, tall, located near the downtown and Little Italy areas of Baltimore, Maryland. When it was completed in 1828 it was the tallest structure in the United States...
/Market Place station on the Baltimore Metro Subway
Baltimore Metro Subway
The Baltimore Metro Subway, known locally as the Metro Subway, The Subway, or Baltimore Metro is a rapid transit line serving the greater Baltimore, Maryland, United States area and operated by the Maryland Transit Administration...
and the southern terminus of the Jones Falls Expressway (I-83
Interstate 83
Interstate 83 is an Interstate Highway in the eastern United States. Its southern terminus is in Baltimore, Maryland at the Fayette Street exit; its northern terminus is in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania at Interstate 81....
).
Each summer, the Little Italy community hosts an outdoor film festival
Film festival
A film festival is an organised, extended presentation of films in one or more movie theaters or screening venues, usually in a single locality. More and more often film festivals show part of their films to the public by adding outdoor movie screenings...
. Free outdoor movies
Outdoor cinema
An outdoor cinema consists of a digital or analog movie projector, scaffolded construction or inflatable projection screen, and sound system....
are projected onto a wall at the intersection of High and Stiles Streets. People bring chairs and blankets and watch the movie from a parking lot located at the intersection. Open Air Movie Schedule.
Former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi
Nancy Pelosi
Nancy Patricia D'Alesandro Pelosi is the Minority Leader of the United States House of Representatives and served as the 60th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 2007 to 2011...
grew up in Baltimore's Little Italy. Her father, Thomas D'Alesandro Jr., was mayor of the city.
According to Homicide: Life on the Street
Homicide: Life on the Street
Homicide: Life on the Street is an American police procedural television series chronicling the work of a fictional version of the Baltimore Homicide Unit. It ran for seven seasons on NBC from 1993 to 1999, and was succeeded by a TV movie, which also acted as the de-facto series finale...
, fictional detective Al Giardello
Al Giardello
Alphonse Michael Giardello, Sr. is a fictional character from the television drama Homicide: Life on the Street. The character was played by Yaphet Kotto...
was raised in Little Italy, as it was the neighborhood inhabited by his father's side of the family. Giardello's mother's side of the family was from a neighboring African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
housing project called the Perkins Homes
Perkins Homes, Baltimore
The Perkins Homes are a public housing development in Southeast Baltimore located in between Fells Point and Little Italy bounded by Pratt Street on the North, Eden Street on the West, Dallas Street on the East, and Bank Street to the South...
.
Nora Roberts
Nora Roberts
Nora Roberts is a bestselling American author of more than 209 romance novels. She writes as J.D. Robb for the "In Death" series, and has also written under the pseudonym Jill March...
book Blue Smoke was set in Baltimore's Little Italy.