L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, APRIL 10, 2014 L'Italo-Americano THURSDAY, APRIL 10, 2014 www.italoamericano.com 8 Italian Hotels that were either acting as boarding houses for Italian immigrants or would have high end restaurants such as the Fior D'Italia hotel, which was frequently visited by many of the elite businessmen of the area. A.P. Giannini's parents ran the Swiss Hotel on this street, and it is also the location where he was born. Of the 5 Hotels only two Little Italy San Jose is reviving the original Italian Settlement in San Jose which dates back to the 1880's. We thought we would elaborate on the businesses and families that settled in this histor- ical section of Downtown San Jose. The two bordering areas that make up the general location of Little Italy San Jose are the River Street Area bordering the SAP center and San Pedro Square. The majority of immi- grants of Italian descent in San Jose are from Sicily and Southern Italy that arrived from 1910 – 1940. But the families and businesses that settled here were from Northern Italy (Mainly Liguria and Piemonte) and arrived after the influx of immigrants that originally came for the Gold Rush or came as bankers such as San Jose's most famous Italian American A.P. Giannini. This area of San Jose is home to the first building in San Jose, the Peralta Adobe, which was built in 1797 as well as the home of the first Mayor of San Jose, Thomas Fallon. The Fallon house later became the Italia Hotel in 1900. The hotel and restaurant, named the Italian Cellar, was run by Al Franzino and Al Visca. West Saint John Street (Formerly San Augustine Street) was at one time home to 5 The Italian American Experience in San Jose – Where it all began still remain the Fallon House (Italia Hotel) and The Torino Hotel (Present day Henry's High Life) which is located in our Little Italy District. No Italian settlement would be complete without a church built by the Italian Community and this area was no different. The construction of Chiesa Italiana della Sacra Famiglia (Holy JOShuA DEVINcENzI MELANDER Family Church) began in 1905. Designed by architect Alberto Porta as a small replica of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, the church at the corner of San Fernando and River Streets was developed by Fr. Filippo Magnacco, SJ, to minister to the needs of Italians, and dedicated on October 6, 1907. Fr. Joseph Cataldo, SJ, was the first pastor of the new church, and members of the Sisters of Holy Family began teaching catechism daily until 1972. The church acted as the centerpoint of this Italian American community from 1905- 1972 and Italian American busi- nesses that surrounded this area of Downtown San Jose Included the Bank of Italy, Torino Hotel, Alameda Bakery, Fior D'Italia Hotel, Firato Ravioli, Ravenna Pasta Company, San Jose Pasta Company, Central Grocery, Notre Dame Market, El Dorado Bakery, Italia Hotel, and the New York Exchange hotel to name a few. Of course the real authentic- ity of the neighborhood were the working Italian families that built homes in this area of San Jose and built and created an Italian Community. Little Italy has worked tirelessly to restore the 20 remaining homes of Italian Immigrants and fill them with Italian Businesses or sold to Italian American Families. The names of the families that origi- nally settled in these homes and Businesses include the Beltramo, Apra, Vogliazzo, Pozzo, Vinessa, Murillo, Cappa, Aiassa, DeMattei, Ferrari, and Simondi families. Bel Bacio Italian Café now occupies the Historic "Apra" house and the Little Italy Cultural center & Museum will be located in the 1910 "Beltramo House" Apr. 17, Fri.- IAHF Italian Regional Lunch, Celebrating Molise, 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. Molise cuisine and an overview of its history and culture. $15 non-members, $12 IAHF mem- bers. 425 N. 4th St, San Jose, 408-293-7122, www.iahfsj.org. Apr. 24, Thurs.- La Divina Book Club, 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. Discussion: La Bella Lingua: My Love Affair with Italian, the World's Most Enchanting Language by Dianne Hales. 425 N. 4th St, San Jose, 408-293-7122, www.iahfsj.org. Apr. 27, Sun.- Italian Coro Brenta Di Tione, 4:00 p.m. doors open, 5:00 p.m. performance, 6:30 p.m. dinner. $20 adult, $15 IAHF members, $10 students/youth. 425 N. 4th St, San Jose, 408-293-7122, www.iahfsj.org. May 13, Tues.- Cooking Class, The Secret of Great Biscotti, 6:45 – 8:45 p.m. Learn the art of biscotti making. $15 per per- son, all materials included (bring your apron). 425 N. 4th St, San Jose, 408-293-7122, www.iahfsj.org. May 17, Fri.- IAHF Italian Regional Lunch, Celebrating the Arbëreshë, 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. The cuisine, history and culture of the Arbëreshë people. $15 non-members, $12 IAHF mem- bers. 425 N. 4th St, San Jose, 408-293-7122, www.iahfsj.org. Jun. 24, Tues.- San Francisco Giants Italian Heritage Night, 3:30 – 11:00 p.m. Luxury coach ride from San Jose and a ticket to the game. No parking hassles! $70.00 per person. 425 N. 4th St, San Jose, 408-293-7122, www.iahfsj.org. Jun. 28, Sat.- Valley of Heart's Delight Benefit Dinner, 6:00 p.m. History Park, 1650 Senter Road, San Jose. Honoring Frank Fiscalini, education advocate. $175 per person. More information: historysanjose.org, 408-521-5016. The Torino Hotel (Present day Henry's High Life) located in Little Italy District Community Highlights munity college students. The IAHF believes in promoting education within the Italian community, and their scholar- ship program is just one of the many ways they show their com- mitment. The scholarships encourage and assist young peo- ple in the pursuit of better edu- cational opportunities and offer to help students meet their finan- cial needs. An additional aim is to help stimulate more interest in the Italian culture, heritage, and language among young people. There are currently eight IAHF scholarships available for the 2014-2015 academic school year. The dateline is May 19. For more information and to obtain an application go the website at iahfsj.org, or contact the Scholarship Committee at 408-550-6247 or the IAHF office at 408-293-7122. The 34th Annual Italian Family Festa San Jose will be held on August 23-24 in the Guadalupe River Park, adja- cent to the SAP Center. The Festa is a celebration of the food, wine, music, culture and family of Italy that was home to many of the men and women who settled and helped shape San Jose and the Santa Clara Valley into what it is today. The event is a volunteer effort that works hard to bring something new to the Festa every year. Because of growing popularity, they are adding more grape stomp competitions, a little dif- ferent music line up and a sur- prise or two. Mark your calen- dars, you won't want to miss the fun, food and festivities. This is a free event and is funded by donations, sponsors and volun- teer time. If you are interested in becoming a friend to the Festa, contact Nancy at info@italian- familyfestasj.org or 408-368- 9094, more information can be found at italianfamilyfestasj.org. DON'T MISS the only per- formance of the Italian Coro Brenta Di Tione in Santa Clara Valley on Sunday, April 27, 4:00 p.m. at the Italian American Heritage Foundation cultural center. They are the real deal from Italy, founded in 1946 in Tione di Trento nestled in the beautiful Italian Alps. They are known to collect and preserve a rich her- itage of folk tradition in their music. Among their performance highlights are the Vatican with Pope John Paul II, plus hundreds of concerts in many Italian regions and abroad in Austria, Germany, Belgium, Czech Republic, Spain, Hungary, England, Bulgaria, France, Croatia, the United States and Canada. The Coro Brenta of forty performers, directed by Leo Pellegrini. 4:00 p.m. doors and premium wine bar opens; 5:00 performance; 6:30 dinner served. Cost: $15.00 members, $20.00 non-members, $10 stu- dents and youth. Contact the IAHF for more information, iahfsj.org or 408-293-7122. Once again the Italian American Heritage Foundation is proud to offer scholarships to graduating high school stu- dents and, new this year, com- NANcY MORREALE

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