October is Italian American History and Heritage Month, and we’re incredibly proud of the mark Italian immigrants and Italian Americans left on both Greenwich Village and the East Village. Did you know our neighborhoods are home to the oldest Italian church in the United States, some of the oldest Italian American institutions in the country, and not one but two Little Italies? Like so many other immigrants, Italians helped shape and define our communities, making profound contributions to their political, social, artistic, literary, musical, cultural, and of course culinary traditions and heritage.
 

We’ve got lots of ways for you to learn more about and celebrate our neighborhoods’ Italian American heritage:

Native Americans were the first residents of our neighborhoods, their paths and meeting places laying the foundations for some of our defining streets and intersections today. In the modern era, our neighborhoods were also home to a vital arts and cultural movement for Native Americans, as well as many organizations dedicated to bettering their lives and position in society. 
 

Village Preservation has worked to document and highlight this rich centuries-long history that shaped and continues to live on in our neighborhoods, with interviews, mapping tools, and programs and research.