Little Italy, the Forgotten
A radio documentary about a neighborhood in Los Angeles struggling to survive.
Not many people know Little Italy existed in Los Angeles, let alone could point it out on a map. Now you have to look hard around Chinatown to find its remnants. You can still get a sandwich from the deli at the Eastside Market, which has been around since 1929. Its owner Johnny Angiuli has seen the neighborhood atrophy since he immigrated here in 1956.
“Those days, they used to dance in the streets, have a parade. And this and that. That’s passé. That’s gone.
— Johnny Angiuli
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Another remnant of the old neighborhood is St. Peter’s Italian Catholic Church on Broadway. Services are still held in Italian there. It serves as an anchor to the old neighborhood for Italian Americans that have moved away. Mike Foschetti, a parishioner at St. Peter’s, believes its biggest feature is the Casa Italiana next door. The banquet hall that hosts events that bring people back to Little Italy.
“But as time goes on, we still try to keep our tradition. The church doesn't get many people like it used to to.
— Mike Foschetti
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The importance of Little Italy comes from its role as an ethnic enclave, or a place where immigrants could live when they came to the United States. The area served its purpose as Los Angeles’ Italian population spread out across Southern California.
Little Italy is surviving in Los Angeles today with the opening of the Italian American Museum of Los Angeles. It opened in August 2016 and contains more than 4,000 items from the neighborhood’s past. It’s located in the old Italian Hall built in 1908 and has been modernized with touch displays and projected exhibits.It’s a mix of past and present.
Listen above to hear the story of this neighborhood, of its past struggles and future place in Los Angeles.
“Our memory and kind of our identity as a community kind of transcends like a specific geographical place.
— Marianna Gatto
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The San Antonio Winery
“Los Angeles is the birthplace of not only California winemaking, but the American winemaking industry.
— Tom Sanchez
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One business still thriving from Little Italy’s past is the San Antonio Winery. It began 100 years ago when Los Angeles was full of winemakers. Today, it is the last remaining winery in the city.
