| Come visit Little Italy in New York City, where you'll | | | | capers alla Venezia. |
| walk along narrow, cobble-stoned streets underneath | | | | If you happen to be visiting New York City in the last |
| fire escapes belonging to turn-of-the-century | | | | two weeks of September, you can catch the Feast |
| tenements. The sights, sounds and smells of Italian | | | | of San Gennaro Festival, New York City's biggest, |
| cuisine emanating from the restaurants will tempt you | | | | oldest and best religious street festival that starts on a |
| at every step. This little neighborhood of New York | | | | Thursday and ends on a Sunday. There are usually |
| City was once sprawling with an Italian population and | | | | two parades, each one features the Statue of San |
| has now become more of a tourist destination rather | | | | Gennaro. The central focus of the celebration takes |
| than a residential neighborhood. Back in the 1900's, Little | | | | place every September 19th, the official Saint Day |
| Italy spread from Canal Street north to Houston, but | | | | when a celebratory Mass is held in Most Precious |
| now its borders have been reduced to about four city | | | | Blood Church, followed immediately by a religious |
| blocks. However, Little Italy is worth a visit, if not for the | | | | procession where the Statue of San Gennaro is |
| best Italian restaurants that were made famous by | | | | carried from its permanent home in the church through |
| gangsters and members of the Rat Pack and | | | | the streets that comprise Little Italy. The parades begin |
| imported Italian grocery stores, but for Old St. Patrick's | | | | on Mulberry Street between Canal and Bayard |
| Cathedral, and the famous San Gennaro Festival held | | | | Streets, which is one block south of Canal Street, and |
| in September. | | | | proceed north along Mulberry Street all the way to |
| One of the restaurants, 'Angelo's,' serves very | | | | East Houston Street, east along Houston for one block |
| impressive Italian cuisine. Angelo's pan-Italian food is | | | | to Mott Street, south on Mott to Grand Street, west on |
| attentively cooked, lightly seasoned, simple and taste | | | | Grand to Mulberry and south on Mulberry to Canal. |
| fresh. Manhattanites can be seen tucked into Angelo's | | | | The parades are usually scheduled on the last |
| private booths eating al dente house-made pastas that | | | | Saturday in September and the last Sunday in |
| have a thick, garlic and Neapolita sauce made from | | | | September. This year's Feast is expected, once again, |
| off-the-vine tomato chunks; well-cut flavorful steaks | | | | to attract more than one-million people from around |
| served with portobellos that were simmered all day in | | | | the world to participate in the annual Salute to the |
| a sweet red wine, or a grilled, lemon swordfish with | | | | Patron Saint of Naples. |