ENIT – Italian Government Tourist Board
12400 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 550
Los Angeles, CA 90025
Tel: (310) 820-2977
Fax: (310) 820-6357
Enzo Colombo, Travel Commissioner, Western USA …
By far the most frequently used sites by Italians in Los Angeles for social and cultural events are Casa Italiana (in Chinatown) and the Istituto Italiano di Cultura (the Italian Cultural Institute, Westwood). While the first tends to host banquets, Italian associations’ monthly meetings, St. Joseph’s Day Tables (See: CELEBRATION, Folk Festival), patron feast days, and Opera productions, the Westwood institute, the IIC (the Cultural office of the Italian Government abroad) promotes Italian (rather than Italian American) cultural activity and caters to a Westside crowd. The first is generally associated with the established Italian Americans community while the later with a more contemporary Italy-centric cultural milieu.
A Bit of History: The Scalabrini Order and the Italian Community. The Missionaries of St. Charles (Carlo Borromeo, 1538-1584; Giovanni Battista Scalabrini, 1839-1905), known as the Scalabrini Fathers or Scalabrinians (an order, founded in 1887 to serve the needs of immigrants, and today continues to serve migrants and refugees), have provided leadership on many fronts within the Italian community, besides the strictly religious. Since 1972, they have administered St. Peter’s Italian Church, focusing on social and cultural programs, as well as the pastoral. They managed l’Italo-Americano for decades
(See: MEDIA, Publications, Newspapers), organized Italian classes, encouraged traditional patron saint day observances and other traditions. Under the energetic leadership of Father Donanzan, they were, in the 1970s and 1980s, one of the major unifying forces in the local Italian community. The Scalabrinians undertook the rebuilding of Casa Italiana, increased attendance at St. Peter’s Italian Church (the only national parish in the diocese), and built Villa Scalabrini (the retirement center for Italian seniors in Sun Valley; cf. monument to the Italian immigrant). The fundraising campaigns for these projects are remembered as rare occasions of Italians rallying behind a common cause.
(see: INSTITUTIONS, Italian Government Offices)
Churches, St. Peter’s Italian Catholic Church in downtown Los Angeles, and Mary Star of the Sea Church, San Pedro, are primary sites for religiously-related events (See: RELIGION; CLUBS & ASSOCIATIONS, Religious Associations). But Casa Italiana also hosts Opera productions, meetings, dinner dances of the various organizations, from the Sons of Italy and the Italian Lawyers Association, to the Federated Italo-Americans of Southern California.
St. Peter’s Italian Catholic Church:
Detail of altar, St. Peter (a “fisher of
men”) in a boat
St. Peter’s Church (& Casa Italiana)
1051 N. Broadway
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Tel: 323-225-8119
Fax: 323-225-0085
Donna Angiuli, Administrator
(See: RELIGION: St. Peter’s Italian Catholic Church)
Mary Star of the Sea Church
870 8th St.
San Pedro, CA 90731
Tel: (310) 833-3541
Fax: (310) 833-9254
email: office@marystar.org
Recently other centers of social and cultural activity have been gaining prominence. The Historic Italian Hall Foundation (El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument), has recently restored the Italian Hall (historically, the social center of the early Italian community), and continues to work on the project of creating an Italian American Museum in the heart of Los Angeles.
A bequest by George L. Graziadio, with funds from other local organizations, (e.g., Frank De Santis, former OSIA president, see: CLUBS AND ORGANIZATIONS), made possible the endowment of a Chair in Italian Studies at California State University, Long Beach. The Graziadio Center for Italian Studies organizes community events at the University—a rare meeting of town and gown among Italians!
A few Italian organizations have their own meeting places which serve a variety of social and program needs: Orange County American Italian Renaissance Foundation, the Italian American Club of San Pedro, the Garibaldina Society.
A Bit of History: Italian Hall in the Heart of the Pueblo.The official inauguration of the Italian Hall (est. 1907) as the first Italian American Museum in Los Angeles was held during the summer of 2004. Italian Hall, still undergoing repairs and restoration, is now part of the city-owned El Pueblo de Los Angeles in downtown Los Angeles near the art deco train station, Union Station, and next to Olvera Street, a prime tourist destination. See:
The George L. Graziadio Center for Italian Studies
California State University, Long Beach
1250 Bellflower Blvd.
Long Beach, CA 90840-2406
Tel: (562) 985-4111
Fax: 562-985-2406
Historic Italian Hall in El Pueblo
Italian Hall
C/o Historic Italian Hall Foundation
(El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument)
125 Paseo de la Plaza
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Tel: 323-257-9400
Fax: 323-256-1383
Nick Costantini President: ndcosta@aol.com
(DVD video of the dedication of Mille Grazie Wall and history of the Historic Italian Hall and Museum, Italian Hall, P.O., Box 92465, Pasadena, CA 91109)
Italian American Club
1903 S. Cabrillo Ave. (at 19th)
San Pedro, CA
Tel: (310) 831-3183
Garibaldina Society
4533 N. Figueroa
Los Angeles, CA
Orange County American Italian Renaissance Foundation
1950 Old Tustin Ave.
Santa Ana, CA 92705
Tel: (714) 836-4655
Fax: (714) 550-9234…
Italians and Italian Americans. Amid this diversity of Italians, a self-selection process naturally occurs. Indeed a genuine gulf exists between Italian Americans and contemporary Italians—little interested in “folk” or “ethnic” manifestations of tradition. Since the vast majority of the historic Italian American community has rural and small town roots, however, traditional forms of folklife are the patrimony, whether acknowledged, remembered, or not, of this group. The historic community of Italians (now of second or third generation) who do form into associations, tend to make the preservation of cultural heritage and the celebration of town and regional festivities, a priority (See: CLUBS & ASSOCIATIONS). Post-economic boom Italians (1960s-) instead have a markedly different experience of Italian history and culture and have more often arrived as middle class professionals. Increasing economic parity and various other factors (e.g., shared work and educational milieux, recent experiences of Italian travel among older immigrants) have however helped blur such boundaries in recent years. Further, various aspects of Italian folk culture (festivals, foods, customs—but those associated with Italy rather than with Italians in America) have acquired renewed interest for descendents of the older as well as newer Italians. For instance, Italian traditional music collected in the field from oral tradition (See: PERFORMING ARTS, Traditional Music)—although little known—is showing greater appeal for young descendants of immigrants rediscovering their cultural roots, than is the “folk music” typical of Italian American (e.g., staged red, white and green, tambourine-shaking, “generic” tarantella dancers) festivals and other heritage events. …
A Bit of History: The only Italian newspaper on the West Coast, since 1908: L’Italo-Americano was founded in 1908 by Gabriello Spini, a learned Florentine, who wanted to “Inform, Unite and Assist” the rising Italian American community of Los Angeles. In 1924 Cleto Baroni, Spini’s nephew, became Associate Editor, and in 1933 assumed sole ownership and editorial responsibility of L’Italo-Americano directing its destiny single-handedly for 38 years. In 1963 Gabriello Spini died at age 89.
Mr. Baroni, to ensure stability of service, sold L’Italo-Americano (1971) to The Fathers of St. Charles (Scalabrinians) and Fr. Mario Trecco became the new editor of the newspaper. [Ö] in 1980 L’Italo-Americano acquired L’Eco d’Italia of San Francisco and became the only Italian newspaper on the West Coast. Two years later, Cleto Baroni died at age 85, after 65 years of service to the newspaper.
In 1983 L’Italo-Americano celebrated its diamond jubilee and in1986 acquired a more modern look by going tabloid size. Trecco remained in charge of L’Italo-Americano until 1990 when Fr. Augusto Feccia became its new editor. [Ö] In 1998 Fr. Feccia relinquished the position of editor to Fr. Ermete Nazzani. [Ö] The Fathers of Saint Charles in 1999 sold L’Italo-Americano to Mr. Mario Trecco, who became its sole owner and director. As of July 1, 2004 L’Italo-Americano became the property of L’Italo American Foundation, under the direction of Head Publisher Robert Barbera. Mario Trecco remains the editor of the newspaper.…
See: BUSINESS PRODUCTS, Fashion
See: EDUCATION, Children
…
Roberto Catalano, Ph.D.
Tel: (909) 864-0132
E-mail: favax@earthlink.net
Luisa Del Giudice, Ph.D.
P.O. Box 241553
Los Angeles, CA 90024-1553
Tel: (310) 474-1698
Fax: (310) 474-3188
E-mail: luisadg@humnet.ucla.edu
(Italian oral traditions, oral history, folklife: foodways, celebration, belief, St. Josephís Tables)
Alessandro Falassi, Ph.D.
Universit‡ per Stranieri di Siena
Piazza Carlo Rosselli, 27-28
53100 Siena
Tel. 011-39-0577-240111
Fax: 011-39- 0577-281030
E-mail: info@unistrasi.it
(foodways, Hollywoodís Italian kitchens, festivals, Palio of Siena)
Enzo Fina
Tel/Fax: (626) 284-0031
E-mail: oznemrac@aol.com
(Salentine music traditions. Southern Italian musician)
Sabina Magliocco, Ph.D.
Department of Anthropology
California State University, Northridge
18111 Nordhoff St.
Northridge, CA 91330
Tel: (818) 677-3331
sabina.magliocco@csun.edu
(Sardinian & Mediterranean folklife, Neo-Paganism)
Ken Scambray, Ph.D., See: WRITERS
scambrayk@verizon.net
(Watts Towers, Baldassare Forestiereís Underground Gardens, Fresno, Italian California/American writers)
Carlo Siliotto
Tel: (424) 228-4695
E-mail: carlo@carlosiliotto.com
(Traditional music of Lazio, composition of music for film.)
Edward F. Tuttle. Ph.D.
Italian Department
212 Royce Hall, UCLA
Los Angeles, CA 90095
tuttle@ucla.edu
(Romance historical linguistics & Italian dialectology, local Italian history, California wine history)
Americans in the West Project
c/o Library of Congress
American Folklife Center
101 Independence Avenue, SE
Washington, D.C. 20540-4610
Tel: (202) 707-5510
Fax: (202) 707-2076
Email: folklife@loc.gov…
In 1930 Pagliano bought the hotel, by now in a state of disrepair, and he, in turn, sold it to the state of California when the decision was made in 1953 to create El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historic Monument.
With seven of the thirteen buildings on Olvera Street either built or used for long periods by Italians and the Pico House rented or owned by them for more than half a century, it seems appropriate for the Italians of today to organize together to reclaim their heritage and to create a museum in the Italian Hall, since that building was specially constructed for Italian occupancy. Now the Historic Italian Hall Foundation is hard at work planning a museum.…