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The history of Italians in Baltimore dates back to the mid-19th century. The city's
Italian-American Italian Americans ( it, italoamericani or ''italo-americani'', ) are Americans who have full or partial Italian ancestry. The largest concentrations of Italian Americans are in the urban Northeast and industrial Midwestern metropolitan areas, ...
community is centered in the neighborhood of
Little Italy Little Italy is a general name for an ethnic enclave populated primarily by Italians or people of Italian ancestry, usually in an urban neighborhood. The concept of "Little Italy" holds many different aspects of the Italian culture. There are ...
.


Demographics

In 1920, 7,930 foreign-born
white people White is a racialized classification of people and a skin color specifier, generally used for people of European origin, although the definition can vary depending on context, nationality, and point of view. Description of populations as ...
in Baltimore spoke the
Italian language Italian (''italiano'' or ) is a Romance language of the Indo-European language family that evolved from the Vulgar Latin of the Roman Empire. Together with Sardinian, Italian is the least divergent language from Latin. Spoken by about 8 ...
. In 1940, 8,063 immigrants from
Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
lived in Baltimore. These immigrants comprised 13.2% of the city's foreign-born white population. In total, 18,179 people of Italian birth or descent lived in the city, comprising 13% of the foreign-stock white population. In the 1960 United States Census, Italian-Americans comprised 71% of the foreign-stock white population in Little Italy, Baltimore's tract 3–2. The Italian community in the
Baltimore metropolitan area The Baltimore–Columbia–Towson Metropolitan Statistical Area, also known as Central Maryland, is a Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) in Maryland as defined by the United States Office of Management and Budget (OMB). As of the 2010 Census, t ...
numbered 157,498 as of 2000, making up 6.2% of the area's population. In the same year Baltimore city's Italian population was 18,492, 2.8% of the city's population. In 2013, an estimated 16,581 Italian-Americans resided in Baltimore city, 2.7% of the population. In September 2014, immigrants from
Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
were the thirty-sixth largest foreign-born population in Baltimore.


History

Italians began to settle in Baltimore during the late 1800s. Some Italians immigrants came to the
Port of Baltimore Helen Delich Bentley Port of Baltimore is a shipping port along the tidal basins of the three branches of the Patapsco River in Baltimore, Maryland on the upper northwest shore of the Chesapeake Bay. It is the nation's largest port facilities fo ...
by boat. The earliest Italian settlers in Baltimore were sailors from
Genoa Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian census, the Province of ...
, the capital city of the Italian region of
Liguria Liguria (; lij, Ligûria ; french: Ligurie) is a Regions of Italy, region of north-western Italy; its Capital city, capital is Genoa. Its territory is crossed by the Alps and the Apennine Mountains, Apennines Mountain chain, mountain range and is ...
, who arrived during the 1840s and 1850s. Later immigrants came from
Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adm ...
,
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,
Cefalù Cefalù (), classically known as Cephaloedium (), is a city and comune in the Italian Metropolitan City of Palermo, located on the Tyrrhenian coast of Sicily about east of the provincial capital and west of Messina. The town, with its populat ...
, and
Palermo Palermo ( , ; scn, Palermu , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital of both the autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan province. The city is noted for its ...
. These immigrants created the monument to
Christopher Columbus Christopher Columbus * lij, Cristoffa C(or)ombo * es, link=no, Cristóbal Colón * pt, Cristóvão Colombo * ca, Cristòfor (or ) * la, Christophorus Columbus. (; born between 25 August and 31 October 1451, died 20 May 1506) was a ...
in
Druid Hill Park Druid Hill Park is a urban park in northwest Baltimore, Maryland. Its boundaries are marked by Druid Park Drive (north), Swann Drive and Reisterstown Road (west and south), and the Jones Falls Expressway / Interstate 83 (east).New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
's
Ellis Island Ellis Island is a federally owned island in New York Harbor, situated within the U.S. states of New York and New Jersey, that was the busiest immigrant inspection and processing station in the United States. From 1892 to 1954, nearly 12 mil ...
. Italian immigrants who arrived by train would enter the city through the President Street Station. Because of this, Italians largely settled in a nearby neighborhood that is now known as
Little Italy Little Italy is a general name for an ethnic enclave populated primarily by Italians or people of Italian ancestry, usually in an urban neighborhood. The concept of "Little Italy" holds many different aspects of the Italian culture. There are ...
. Little Italy comprises 6 blocks bounded by Pratt Street to the North, the
Inner Harbor The Inner Harbor is a historic seaport, tourist attraction, and landmark of the city of Baltimore, Maryland. It was described by the Urban Land Institute in 2009 as "the model for post-industrial waterfront redevelopment around the world". Th ...
to the South, Eden Street to the East, and President Street to the West. Other neighborhoods where large numbers of Italians settled include
Lexington Lexington may refer to: Places England * Laxton, Nottinghamshire, formerly Lexington Canada * Lexington, a district in Waterloo, Ontario United States * Lexington, Kentucky, the largest city with this name * Lexington, Massachusetts, the oldes ...
, Belair-Edison, and Cross Street. Many settled along Lombard Street, which was named after the Italian town of
Guardia Lombardi Guardia Lombardi (), known as ''La Uàrdia'' () in the Irpinian dialect, is a small town and '' comune'' in the Province of Avellino in Campania, Italy. At an elevation of , it is located in Irpinia in the Apennine Mountains of Southern Italy. I ...
. The Italian community, overwhelmingly
Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: * Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...
, established a number of Italian-American parishes such as St. Leo's Church and Our Lady of Pompeii Church. The Our Lady of Pompeii Church holds the annual Highlandtown Wine Festival, which celebrates Italian-American culture and benefits the Highlandtown community association. The August 2016 Central Italy earthquake affected Baltimore's Italian community, as many Baltimore Italian-Americans have friends or relatives living in
Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
. Most Italians in Baltimore are of
Southern Southern may refer to: Businesses * China Southern Airlines, airline based in Guangzhou, China * Southern Airways, defunct US airline * Southern Air, air cargo transportation company based in Norwalk, Connecticut, US * Southern Airways Express, M ...
or
Central Italian Central Italian ( Italian: ''dialetti mediani'') refers to Italo-Romance varieties spoken in the so-called ''Area Mediana'', which covers a swathe of the central Italian peninsula. ''Area Mediana'' is also used in a narrower sense to describe t ...
descent, especially from
Abruzzo , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1 ...
, a region of Southern Italy close to the epicenter of the earthquake. St. Leo the Great Catholic Church in Little Italy held a vigil and sent prayers to the victims and survivors of the earthquake.


Notable Italian-Americans from Baltimore

*
Rafael Alvarez Rafael Alvarez (born May 24, 1958) is an American author based in Baltimore and Los Angeles. Alvarez went to work for the ''Sunpapers'' of Baltimore as a teenager—first in the circulation department and then the horse racing desk in sports—be ...
, an author based in Baltimore and Los Angeles. *
Frank Battaglia Frank Battaglia is a former Baltimore Police Department officer who was commissioner of the Department between 1981 and 1984. Biography Battaglia was the only Italian-American police commissioner of Baltimore, controlling a police department pre ...
, a former Baltimore Police Department officer who was Commissioner of the Department. *
Steve Bisciotti Stephen J. Bisciotti (; born April 10, 1960) is an American business executive and the current majority owner of the Baltimore Ravens of the NFL. He founded Aerotek, the largest privately owned staffing and recruiting company in the U.S. based ...
, the majority owner of the Baltimore Ravens. * Charles Bonaparte, a lawyer and political activist for progressive and liberal causes. * Gary D'Addario, a retired police commander, television technical advisor and actor. *
Thomas D'Alesandro, Jr. Thomas Ludwig John D'Alesandro Jr. (August 1, 1903 – August 23, 1987) was an American politician who served as the 39th mayor of Baltimore from 1947 to 1959. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously represented in the United States Ho ...
, a politician who was a U.S. Representative from Maryland's 3rd congressional district and subsequently the mayor of Baltimore, Maryland. He was the father of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and former Baltimore Mayor Thomas L. J. D'Alesandro III. * Thomas L. J. D'Alesandro III, an attorney and former politician who served as Mayor of Baltimore. He is the brother of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and son of former Baltimore Mayor Thomas D'Alesandro, Jr. *
Joe Dundee Salvatore Lazzara (August 6, 1903 – March 31, 1982), better known by his boxing alias Joe Dundee, was an American boxer. ...
, a boxer, World Welterweight Champion, and brother of Middleweight Champion Vince Dundee. * Vince Dundee, the former New York State middleweight champion of the world. * Cipriano Ferrandini, an immigrant from Corsica and long-time barber/hairdresser at Barnum's Hotel in Baltimore. *
Victor Galeone Victor Benito Galeone (born 1935) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of St. Augustine in Florida from 2001 to 2011. Biography Early life Victor Galeone was born in Philadelphia, Pennsy ...
, the Bishop Emeritus of St. Augustine, Florida. *
Harry Jeffra Harry Jeffra (born Ignacius Pasquale Guiffi on November 30, 1914 – September 1988) was an American boxer. Born in Baltimore, Maryland, he became a World Bantamweight and NYSAC World Featherweight boxing champion. Jeffra's career spanned from 193 ...
, a former world bantamweight and NYSAC featherweight boxing champion. *
Kevin Levrone Kevin Mark Levrone (born July 16, 1964) is an American IFBB professional bodybuilder, IFBB Hall of Famer, and musician. During his professional career, Levrone competed in 68 IFBB Professional contests. Considered one of the best bodybuilders ...
, a former IFBB professional bodybuilder, IFBB Hall of Famer, blogger, musician and actor. *
Joey Maggs Joseph Magliano (1968/1969 – October 2006), better known by the ring name "Jumping" Joey Maggs, was an American professional wrestler. He was best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) from 1991 to 1998. Professiona ...
, a professional wrestler better known by the ring name "Jumping" Joey Maggs. * Samuel J. Palmisano, the former president and chief executive officer of IBM. *
Vincent Luke Palmisano Vincent Luke Palmisano (August 5, 1882 – after January 12, 1953) was an American politician from Maryland. Born as Vincenzo Palmisano in Termini Imerese, Palermo in the Kingdom of Italy, to Cosimo Palmisano and Anna Maria Sansone Chiariano. ...
, a politician who served as a member of the Maryland House of Delegates and as a member of the Baltimore City Council. *
Nancy Pelosi Nancy Patricia Pelosi (; ; born March 26, 1940) is an American politician who has served as Speaker of the United States House of Representatives since 2019 and previously from 2007 to 2011. She has represented in the United States House of ...
, the 60th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives. *
Santino Quaranta Santino Quaranta (born October 14, 1984) is an American former soccer player. Career Youth Quaranta partially attended Baltimore's Archbishop Curley High School for his freshman and sophomore years, where he started both years, and was recogni ...
, a former soccer player. *
Frank Zappa Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) was an American musician, composer, and bandleader. His work is characterized by nonconformity, free-form improvisation, sound experiments, musical virtuosity and satire of ...
, a musician, bandleader, songwriter, composer, recording engineer, record producer, and film director.


Fictional Italian-Americans from Baltimore

*
Tommy Carcetti Thomas J. "Tommy" Carcetti ( ) is a fictional character on the HBO drama ''The Wire'', played by Aidan Gillen. Carcetti is an ambitious and venal Baltimore politician who begins the series with a seat on the city council. Biography Season 3 To ...
, a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire. *
Steve Crosetti Det. Steven "Steve" Crosetti is a fictional character on the television drama series '' Homicide: Life on the Street'' portrayed by actor Jon Polito for the show's first two seasons. He is believed to be based on Baltimore Police Department Det. T ...
, a fictional character on the television drama series Homicide: Life on the Street. *
Paul Falsone Paul Falsone is a fictional character in '' Homicide: Life on the Street'', portrayed by Jon Seda. He is a police detective of the Baltimore Police Department. Born on October 14, 1968, Falsone was introduced as a long-time member of the Auto Squad ...
, a fictional police detective of the Baltimore Police Department on Homicide: Life on the Street. * Al Giardello, a fictional character from the television drama Homicide: Life on the Street. *
Mike Giardello Alphonso Michael "Mike" Giardello Jr. is a fictional character from the television drama '' Homicide: Life on the Street''. The character was played by Giancarlo Esposito. Biography Mike Giardello is an FBI agent who is the estranged son of Balti ...
, a fictional character from the television drama Homicide: Life on the Street. *
Anthony DiNozzo Anthony D. "Tony" DiNozzo, Jr.Season 3, Episode 9 "Frame Up" is a fictional character from the CBS TV series '' NCIS'' portrayed by American actor Michael Weatherly. An original cast character created by producer Donald P. Bellisario, he is cr ...
, a fictional character and protagonist from the CBS TV series NCIS. *
Salvatore Romano This is a list of fictional characters in the television series ''Mad Men'', all of whom have appeared in multiple episodes. Overview ;Cast notes: * Maxwell Huckabee and Aaron Hart have split the role of Bobby Draper in the first season, whil ...
, a fictional character on the AMC drama Mad Men.


See also

*
Ethnic groups in Baltimore There have been a variety of ethnic groups in Baltimore, Maryland and its surrounding area for 12,000 years. Prior to European colonization, various Native American nations have lived in the Baltimore area for nearly 3 millennia, with the ear ...
*
History of Baltimore This article describes the history of the Baltimore and Baltimore Metropolitan Area, its surrounding area in central Maryland since the European colonization of the Americas, establishment of settlements by European colonists in 1661. Native Ame ...


References


Further reading

* Baucia, Camillo. "La colonia Italiana di Baltimore, Maryland", New York : Societa Tipografica Italiana, 1932. * Molino, Suzanna Rosa. "Baltimore's little italy : heritage and history of the neighborhood", History Pr Ltd, 2015. * Reilly, Sara Jean. "The Italian immigrants, 1920-1930 : a case Study in Baltimore", M.A. Johns Hopkins University, 1962. * Sandler, Gilbert. "The neighborhood; the story of Baltimore's Little Italy", Baltimore, Bodine, 1974. * Scarpaci, J. Vincenza. "Ambiento Italiano : origins and growth of Baltimore's Little Italy", Genève : Droz, 1981. * Shufelt, Gordon H. "Strangers in a middle land : Italian immigrants and race relations in Baltimore, 1890-1920", Ph. D. American University, 1998. * Torrieri, Nancy Karen. "Residential dispersal and the survival of the Italian community in metropolitan Baltimore, 1920-1980", Ph. D. University of Maryland, 1982. * Zehren, Maria A. ""The dangling scissors" : marriage, family and work among Italian women in the clothing industry in Baltimore, 1890-1920", Ph. D. Georgetown University, 1998.


External links


Little Italy in Baltimore
{{Italian Americans by location
Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...
Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was ...
Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was ...