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Visit the North End in Boston, MassachusettsExoerience History and Culture in Boston's "Little Italy"
Boston's North End is a rich blend of history and culture and offers visitors a wide array of things to do and see, from street festivals to great Italian restaurants.
Though Boston has a variety of ethnic neighborhoods, the oldest and most vibrant urban enclave is Boston's North End. The North End: Boston's Little ItalyA ten-minute walk from the North Station subway stop on Boston's color coded subway system, the "T", will bring visitors to Boston's North End, the city's oldest residential district. The North End encompasses about six city blocks , with Hanover Street the main thoroughfare. During the turn of the 20th century, immigrants to America often passed through the North End searching for the "streets of gold." Today, this neighborhood is known as the Italian section of the city. On any given weekend, throngs of tourists and Greater Bostonians come here for a slice of pizza along with a slice of history. This charming neighbohood has the best Italian food and pastry in Boston. Mike's pastry at 300 Hanover Street and Regina's Pizza at 11 1/2 Thatcher Street, are just two of the many popular eateries. The North End is also home to the Paul Revere House at 19 North Square and The Old North Church at 196 Salem Street as well as many other historic sites. A stroll through the North End transports visitors to the ambience of Italy. Elderly Italian men congregate on the sidewalks and in narrow alleys, laughing and kibitzing in Italian. Italian soccer games play on TVs in local sports cafes, such as the Caffe Della Sport, at 308 Hanover Street ,which offers cappuccino, cannoli, gelato and other treats. Summer Italian Feasts or Street FestivalsEach weekend during the summer, the North End hosts one of a series of 12 festivals for the patron saints of the towns in Italy where Italian immigrants and their forbearers once lived. Though the origins are religious, the festivals are also an excuse for good old-fashioned block parties. Locals parade through the streets holding aloft images of the saints while food booths lining the sidewalks sell everything from calmari to calzones as local street musicians serenade the crowds. The Fisherman's FeastTwo of the best-known festivals are the four day Madonna or Fisherman's Feast and the Feast of St. Anthony. The Fisherman's Feast is the oldest feast in the North End and is usually held in mid August. The feast is rooted in the Sicilian town of Sciacca (pronounced Sha-ka)., where fishermen honored the Madonna del Soccorso. The Fisherman's Feast began in 1911. This colorful extravaganza features a procession where worshippers carry a statue of the Madonna through the streets, live music, street performers and food stalls full of all types of Italian delicacies.The culmination of the feast is the dramatic "Flight of the Angel" where a local girl dressed in white flies through the air suspended on wires. The Feast of St. AnthonyThe Feast of St. Anthony is celebrated during the last week of August. According to the feast's organizers, National Geographic magazine once dubbed this feast the "Feast of All Feasts." It all began back in 1919 when a group of Italian immigrants from Montefalcione in Italy settled in the North End, and created a society to honor their patron saint, St. Anthony of Padua. Thousands of visitors from all over Massachusetts and elsewhere come ot the feast to pray, pin a donation of remembrance on the statue of St. Anthony and enjoy the festivities. Boston, Masssachusetts has a lot to offer visitors. For an authetic cultural and historical experience in Boston, a visit to the North End and its feasts can't be beat.
The copyright of the article Visit the North End in Boston, Massachusetts in Massachusetts Travel is owned by Marilyn DeAngelis Pennell. Permission to republish Visit the North End in Boston, Massachusetts in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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