Localizada perto de Chinatown, no nordeste de São Francisco, perto de Telegraph Hill, do Distrito Financeiro e de Russian Hill, North Beach foi outrora o lar de uma das mais importantes comunidades de imigrantes italianos nos Estados Unidos.

Embora não exista hoje em dia uma praia, o bairro continua a chamar-se North Beach porque existia lá uma praia antes de ter sido enchida no século XIX. Apesar disso, o nome conseguiu manter-se.

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.

Embora a população italo-americana da região tenha diminuído drasticamente desde os anos 50, até hoje a sua herança italiana ainda é muito visível. Para além da pitoresca sinalização e montras italianas, já para não falar das muitas lojas de bairro, North Beach ostenta infinitas e deliciosas comidas italianas, tais como a sempre popular Golden Boy Pizza e a Italian Homemade Company.

Qual é a melhor maneira de explorar a Pequena Itália de São Francisco?

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!

Se é um apreciador de comida, vai adorar o nosso Ultimate San Francisco Food Tour: North Beach, Chinatown & Beyond, uma extravagância de três horas que lhe permite comer em alguns dos bairros mais excitantes de São Francisco.

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.

Como é que North Beach chegou a ser a Pequena Itália de São Francisco?

Muito antes de os imigrantes italianos afluírem à zona e a refazerem no seu próprio carácter, North Beach era um bairro de imigrantes. No final do século XIX, imigrantes da Irlanda, Rússia, Alemanha, França e Europa de Leste instalaram-se em North Beach, deixando cada um marcas indeléveis no bairro a que chamavam casa.

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.

 

 

Como é que os imigrantes italianos ajudaram a moldar o bairro de North Beach e a cidade como um todo?

No século XX, a comunidade italiana de North Beach desempenhou um papel proeminente na formação da economia de São 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.

Ao longo dos anos, São Francisco teve muitos políticos com património italiano, incluindo três presidentes de câmara italo-americanos.

 

Quem são algumas das pessoas mais famosas de Little Italy, San Francisco?

Nascido de imigrantes sicilianos italianos em 1914, a lenda do basebol Joe DiMaggio cresceu em North Beach e casou com a sua primeira esposa na famosa Igreja Saints Peter and Paul do bairro, em frente ao Washington Square Park. O recreio North Beach Playground de São Francisco foi até rebaptizado de Joe DiMaggio North Beach Playground em 2000, em honra do facto de ter sido o local onde o atleta estrela apanhou pela primeira vez um taco de basebol.

O realizador ítalo-americano Francis Ford Coppola deu a conhecer a maior parte do seu roteiro icónico para The Godfather in Caffe Trieste, um café italiano que abriu em 1956. Um dos locais mais amados de North Beach para obter uma chávena de café sólido, também reivindica ser o primeiro café a servir café expresso na costa ocidental.

Como se isso não fosse suficiente para escrever em casa, o café também se orgulha de uma estreita associação com a subcultura Beat Generation, uma das mais importantes influências literárias da América. Os escritores e poetas Beat Allen Ginsberg, Neal Cassady, Jack Kerouac, e Lawrence Ferlinghetti, todos eles se divertiram no café italiano, e este último até montou a sua famosa livraria City Lights, mesmo ao virar da esquina.

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