North Beach ligger tæt på Chinatown i det nordøstlige San Francisco nær Telegraph Hill, Financial District og Russian Hill og var engang hjemsted for et af de vigtigste italienske indvandrersamfund i USA.

Selv om der faktisk ikke er nogen strand der i dag, kaldes kvarteret stadig North Beach, fordi der faktisk var en strand der, før den blev fyldt op i det 19. århundrede. På trods af dette er det lykkedes navnet at holde sig fast.

Today, North Beach is a vibrant neighborhood teeming with excellent Italian restaurants and cafés, delightful boutiques and bookstores, terrific live music venues, and a vibrant nightlife, most of which are clustered around Columbus Avenue. Nearby city landmarks include the historic Coit Tower, an observation deck that provides 360-degree views of the city and bay, including the Golden Gate Bridge. Nestled between Fisherman’s Wharf and Chinatown, it is a bustling area that draws locals and tourists in equal measure.

It’s home to Caffè Trieste, the West Coast’s first espresso bar and the Beat-era City Lights Bookshop, and the annual North Beach Festival, one of the Bay Area’s favorite summer street festivals.

Victoria Bakery, founded in 1911, should be put on your list of places to visit for a range of classic Italian pastries, from Napoleons to cannoli to slices of Princess cake which are known to be life-changing.

Selv om områdets italiensk-amerikanske befolkning er faldet drastisk siden 1950'erne, er den italienske arv stadig meget synlig den dag i dag. Ud over de maleriske italienske skilte og butiksfacader, for ikke at nævne de mange små butikker i nabolaget, kan North Beach prale af endeløse lækre italienske spisesteder, såsom den evigt populære Golden Boy Pizza og Italian Homemade Company.

Hvad er den bedste måde at udforske San Franciscos Little Italy på?

One of the best ways to dive into the San Francisco Italian District of North Beach is to join City Experiences’ Half Day by the Bay: North Beach, Fisherman’s Wharf & Scenic Bay Cruise.

On this four-hour tour, you’ll spend the afternoon exploring the history and culture of North Beach and Fisherman’s Wharf with an expert local guide, who will take you to some of the area’s most iconic landmarks on foot. After the walking tour, you’ll round off the afternoon with an hour-long cruise to take in spectacular views of the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz Island bringing you as close as you can get without a ticket!

Hvis du er en foodie, vil du elske vores ultimative San Francisco Food Tour: North Beach, Chinatown & Beyond, en tre timers ekstravaganza, hvor du kan spise dig gennem nogle af San Franciscos mest spændende kvarterer.

You’ll learn the history behind some of the area’s most historic restaurants and cafés, with 10-plus tastings along the way. A bonus for lovers of Italian cuisine: You’ll get to tuck into some authentic cioppino, a hearty Italian seafood stew that’s been steadily served at an iconic North Beach joint over many decades.

You will get to meet the families who proudly carry on generations of delicious traditions through their community’s cuisine and discover some hidden hangouts in the downtown neighborhood that even some San Franciscans don’t know exist.

Hvordan blev North Beach til San Franciscos Little Italy?

Længe før italienske indvandrere strømmede til området og omformede det i deres egen stil, var North Beach et indvandrerkvarter. I slutningen af det 19. århundrede bosatte indvandrere fra Irland, Rusland, Tyskland, Frankrig og Østeuropa sig i North Beach, og de efterlod hver især uudslettelige spor i det kvarter, de kaldte hjem.

After the great fire and earthquake of 1906, most of the latter moved away, even as Italian migration to the area rapidly increased. By the 1920s, North Beach had been essentially transformed into San Francisco’s Little Italy, with most of its residents proudly claiming Italian ancestry with over 30 percent of all residents of the area having been born in Italy.

 

 

Hvordan var de italienske indvandrere med til at forme North Beach og byen som helhed?

I det 20. århundrede spillede det italienske samfund i North Beach en fremtrædende rolle i udformningen af økonomien i San Francisco.

Banca d’Italia (today known as Bank of America) was the first Italian bank on American soil. Established in 1904 by Amadeo P. Giannini, the son of Italian immigrants from Liguria, Banca d’Italia started the business out of a converted saloon.

After the San Francisco earthquake of 1906, Giannini managed to recover money locked in the bank’s vault—a tremendous stroke of luck. As such, the bank was one of the few that was able to continue to make loans after the disaster, when loans were in particular demand. Banca d’Italia also was the first to give out loans to low-income immigrant families, during a time when loans were mostly the purview of the wealthy, helping small businesses and the working people of North Beach.

San Francisco har i årenes løb haft mange politikere med italiensk baggrund, herunder tre italiensk-amerikanske borgmestre.

 

Hvem er nogle af de mest berømte personer fra Little Italy, San Francisco?

Baseballlegenden Joe DiMaggio blev født af italienske sicilianske immigranter i 1914 og voksede op i North Beach, hvor han giftede sig med sin første kone i kvarterets berømte Saints Peter and Paul Church, overfor Washington Square Park. San Franciscos North Beach Playground blev endda omdøbt til Joe DiMaggio North Beach Playground i 2000 til ære for, at det er her, at stjernespilleren først tog et baseballbat i hånden.

Den italiensk-amerikanske instruktør Francis Ford Coppola skrev hovedparten af sit ikoniske manuskript til The Godfather på Caffe Trieste, en italiensk café, der åbnede i 1956. Det er et af North Beachs mest elskede steder at få en god kop kaffe, og det kan også hævde at være det første café, der serverede espresso på vestkysten.

Som om det ikke var nok at skrive hjem om, kan caféen også prale af en tæt forbindelse med Beat Generation-subkulturen, som er en af USA's vigtigste litterære påvirkninger. Beat-forfatterne og -poeterne Allen Ginsberg, Neal Cassady, Jack Kerouac og Lawrence Ferlinghetti fik alle deres gang på den italienske café, og sidstnævnte etablerede endda sin berømte City Lights-boghandel lige rundt om hjørnet.

Little Italy in San Francisco is one of the most charming areas with a rich history. Do not miss out on the opportunity to immerse yourself in the culture and lose yourself in the streets enjoying its tranquility. If you want to learn more about Little Italy in San Francisco, take advantage of the expertly guided tours with the Ultimate San Francisco Food Tour: North Beach, Chinatown & Beyond to get a real taste of the city as well as Half Day by the Bay: North Beach, Fisherman’s Wharf & Scenic Bay Cruise where you can sit back, relax, and give your legs a break all while seeing the city from a unique perspective-the water!

Original post date: December 28, 2022