It doesn’t matter why you have a passion for Italy. All that counts now is that you’re not there now. What can you do? Head for Baltimore where you can indulge your Italian fancies by visiting one of its most popular ethnic communities: Little Italy, or, as you might hear in Baltimore, “L’il It-ly.”
Just a few blocks east on Pratt Street from the world famous Inner Harbor, you’ll find yourself surrounded, not by sleek, modern architecture, but by brick and brownstone row houses. Many of them have been in the same family for generations. Instead of the up-scale shops with avant-garde displays, you’ll find only one small corner grocery store that caters to residents more than tourists.
Baltimore’s Little Italy is definitely a residential community. As you wander down streets such as Albermarle, Fawn, High, President and Exeter, you’ll be able to get a close up view of what it’s like to lead a quiet life in the midst of a thriving city. When the weather permits, residents frequently sit in the doorways of their houses on their immaculately clean marble front steps and watch the rest of the world go by.
Wander around Little Italy during the day, and you might get the impression that everyone knows everyone else. More than likely, they do. If residents of Little Italy are not related through family ties, they probably know each other through St. Leo’s Church. This massive structure, which towers over the intersections of Exeter and High Streets, was built in 1881, combines several architectural styles, and is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Festivals are a major event at St. Leo’s. During the great Baltimore fire, the story is told, the Italian community vowed that if Little Italy was spared, they would hold a festival in honor of St. Anthony each June. Today, the community continues to keep its promise and together stages a festive celebration. In August, it’s St. Gabriel who receives the honors because an Italian immigrant contractor vowed to pay tribute if he and his fellow Italians were successful in America.
To really capture the flavor of Baltimore’s Little Italy, you have to use your taste buds. It’s the food that will make your visit a memorable one.
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