L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2014 www.italoamericano.com L'Italo-Americano 9 Italy Comes to San Diego many of the great piazzas in Italy and Europe," concluded Neal, turning the podium over to Mayor Faulconer. "We are thankful to the resi- d e n t s h e r e w h o b e l i e v e s o strongly in this, their neighbor- hood, began the mayor. "This dedicated 10,000 square feet w i l l b e a w o r l d c l a s s p u b l i c Although San Diego's Little Italy is almost 100 years old, it has never seen the growth it is experiencing lately. Today it has b e c o m e e v i d e n t t h a t I t a l y i s c o m i n g t o S a n D i e g o . N e w r e s t a u r a n t s h a v e c o m e , a n d some have gone, but today the Little Italy Association, Officers of the Board; President Steve Galasso, Vice President Danny Moceri Secretary Luke Vinci a n d T r e a s u r e r L o u P a l e s t i n i a l o n g w i t h M a y o r K e v i n Faulconer, Council President, Todd Gloria and H.G Fenton, President and CEO Mike Neal a n n o u n c e d p l a n s f o r t h e i r biggest endeavor yet, Piazza Famiglia. N e a l , k i c k e d o f f t o d a y ' s Piazza Famiglia ground break- ing ceremony by introducing and thanking all those present, both in the audience and on the stage, who were also responsi- ble for this new and greatest development. " I t i s a p r i v i l e g e a n d a n honor to be here today," began N e a l , a d d i n g " T h i s g r o u n d breaking for Piazza Famiglia is a project that will be the heart of the community. The president of the 108 year old property man- a g e m e n t c o m p a n y c r e d i t e d Marco Li Mandri, President of New City America, Inc. with the vision for the forthcoming pro- ject. "This is a plan inspired by space," he stated. "Thanks to the Little Association for wanting to create this wonderful, public liv- able space, where people will be able to walk, shop and share a c t i v i t i e s . T h a n k y o u f o r demanding excellence." W i t h i t s e s t a b l i s h e d l o n g record of working in the down- town communities, H.G Fenton will concentrate on transforming W e s t D a t e S t r e e t , b e t w e e n Columbia and India Streets into a p u b l i c r e p l i c a o f h i s t o r i c Italian Piazzas. It will serve to be a meeting, shopping and cul- tural new "heart" of Little Italy. Plans for classic Italian architec- tural details and design, and a t t r a c t i v e l a n d s c a p i n g w i l l include a huge water fountain and attractive seating provisions. It will also serve to host mar- kets, concerts and numerous cul- tural events, many of which are already in the dream stages. Li Mandri took the podium next and humbly thanked the mayor, adding, "I'm honored and touched, but this project is not about me," he said. "It's all about the project and the "Is this project going to be inconve- nient, yes, but life is inconve- nient," quipped Li Mandri, jok- ing that "we're taking the space from cars and giving it back to the people. In a more somber tone, Li Mandri stated, "This is about the families of Little Italy, the past, present and future. He next outlined the terrific view people would have of the San Diego harbor, home and origins of the early fishermen who came from Italy to settle in this coastal town of San Diego. He conclud- ed with a song lyric from John Lennon, "Life is what happens to you while you're busy mak- ing other plans." Members of the Little Italy A s s o c i a t i o n , a l o n g w i t h t h e ROBERT GALLO mayor lined up, donned white construction hats and picked up their shovels for the honorary g r o u n d b r e a k i n g c e r e m o n y . Father Tabique blessed them by sprinkling them with holy water and a blessing before they sunk their shovels into the freshly prepared soil and threw three feet in front of them. This was a posed camera shot, and several followed allowing all to partici- pate in the making of this his- toric event. P i a z z a F a m i g l i a i s b e i n g made possible through the work of the many different people and organizations within Little Italy. The original idea was the com- munity's joining together to bet- ter it. The project was initially a p p r o v e d b y t h e S a n D i e g o Council in 2014 in collaboration with the Little Italy Association, H.G. Fenton and the community as a whole. In a press release it is stated that the piazza will be dedicated to all of the families who are part of the district, from those who created Little Italy decades ago, to the residents who helped t o c r e a t e t h e L i t t l e I t a l y o f today. Mayor Kevin Faulconer calls project "World class public space." Father Tabigue adds his blessing to ground breaking of Piazza Famiglia Mike Neal President and CEO of H. G. Fenton kicks off Ground Breaking Ceremony

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