Little Italy () is an
ethnic enclave that serves as the historic center of Cleveland's
Italian American community. It is located from E. 119th to E. 125th streets on Murray Hill and
Mayfield roads, situated at the eastern city limits, along a long, moderately sloping grade that ascends in elevation approximately 300 feet. It is bounded to the east and south by suburban
Cleveland Heights, to the northeast by
Lakeview Cemetery, and to the west by
CSX,
Norfolk Southern, and
Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority Red Line railroad tracks, which separates it from the rest of University Circle.
Points and events of interest Little Italy is known for its several culinary, historic, and cultural sites. Its biggest attractions are the restaurants, bakeries, and pizzerias. It is home to everything from a thriving
art gallery, to scene boutique shops—and even a technology startup. The best-known historic structure is
Holy Rosary Church built in 1908. Culturally, Little Italy is home to the
Italian American Museum of Cleveland and the
Alta House, the neighborhood community center founded in 1895. The private elementary and middle school is Montessori Elementary at
Holy Rosary Church. Tony Brush Park provides the neighborhoods green space and playgrounds. . Each August, the
Roman Catholic congregation of the historic
Holy Rosary Church celebrates the 4-day festival for the
Feast of the Assumption, in which Little Italy stages Greater Cleveland's
largest Italian-American street festival. Every October, Little Italy hosts the city's
Columbus Day Parade. The neighborhood enjoys art walks a few times a year, usually in June, October, and December.
History Little Italy began in 1895 when immigrant Joseph Carabelli saw the need for monument work in Cleveland's
Lakeview Cemetery and established what soon became the city's leading marble and granite works. Local Cleveland industrial billionaire
John D. Rockefeller took a special liking to the Italian immigrants of the neighborhood and commissioned the building of the community center Alta House, named after his daughter
Alta Rockefeller Prentice, in 1900. Little Italy is also home to the first Italian restaurant to open in the
State of Ohio,
Guarino's, which is also the oldest restaurant in the city, opening in 1918. The first hand-crank pasta machine was invented in Little Italy by Angelo Vitantonio, an Italian immigrant to Cleveland. He received a
patent for the product in 1906, and went on to found the Italian kitchenware manufacturer
VillaWare, which continues to operate today. In 1911, it was estimated that 96% of the inhabitants were Italian-born, and another 2% were of Italian parents;
Ettore Boiardi (Chef Boyardee) opened his first restaurant, Il Giardino d'Italia, in the 1920s. As the nearby neighborhoods of
Glenville and
Hough became increasingly African American by the 1950s, Little Italy experienced racial tensions which were especially on display in 1964 when Murray Hill School was integrated, and during the 1966
Hough riots. In 1993, the community dedicated Tony Brush Park, named for champion boxer and Little Italy resident Anthony Brescia, at Mayfield and Random roads. Major residential project expansions occurred in 2003 with the 20-unit Villa Carabelli, in 2005 with the 15-unit Random Road Lofts townhomes, and in 2011 the 27-unit 27 Coltman townhouses. The neighborhood
bocce courts are located at the Alta House, and in 2011 underwent a complete remodeling in a $110,000 project, being named in honor of Nick and Dorothy Lucarelli. The Alta House runs bocce leagues Monday through Thursday from May to October every year. Annually, the Alta House hosts some of the largest bocce tournaments in the Midwest, including the memorial John Anthony Cipullo Bocce Tournament which started in 1992 and occurs every July. For a large part of its history, Cleveland was home to the largest
Mafia organization between New York and Chicago. The Mayfield Road Mob was the name of a gang which began around 1920 in Little Italy. Among the members of the "Mayfield Road Mob" were
James T. Licavoli and
Jimmy Fratianno. This Mafia faction was even mentioned by its old name in the movie "
The Godfather" as the Lakeview Road Gang, as
Lakeview Cemetery borders Mayfield Road Hill. ==Gallery==