Italian and French students explored Arthur Avenue and the Belmont neighborhood, dubbed the “Little Italy of the Bronx,” on Wednesday, March 29. The 35 students were accompanied by language teachers Leonard Bruno and Antonella Tranchina and learned firsthand about the history and culture of the NYC neighborhood.

Upon arrival, students took a tour of the Belmont Library and Enrico Fermi Cultural Center. The library was created in the 1980s to act as a cultural hub for Italian and Italian-American literature in New York. There, patrons can access unique resources in Italian, such as newspapers, books, audiobooks, and more. Also in the library, students watched a short documentary about the neighborhood’s history. Waves of Italian immigrants in the beginning of the 20th century settled in the neighborhood, and many of the businesses they started remain in operation generations later. The neighborhood’s Italian character remains strong, though the area is now also home to a significant Mexican and Albanian population, whose influence can also be seen. The documentary also discussed the surroundings of Arthur Avenue; bordered by the Bronx Zoo, the New York Botanical Gardens, and Fordham University’s campus, there is always a steady supply of customers searching for authentic, delicious Italian food.

Next, students visited Addeo and Sons Bakery. The bakery has been operated by the founding family for three generations and makes traditional breads, pizza doughs, and breadsticks. Students were given breadsticks to try for free, and many purchased loaves of classic, hard-crusted bread to bring home to their families.

After Addeo’s, students entered the Egidio Pastry Shop. Having been in operation since 1909, it is the oldest pastry shop in the neighborhood. The display cases housed dozens of traditional cookies, cakes, and pastries from all over Italy. Some were familiar to the students, such as cannoli and tiramisu, and others were new to most of them, such as sfogliatelle from Campania and cartoccio from Sicily. Students were also given the opportunity to view the back of the bakery, where they saw the special ovens and mixers and watched the bakers prepare fig cookies.  

Students then headed down the street to Our Lady of Mount Carmel church, another integral part of the neighborhood’s history. In the early 20th century, the new inhabitants of Belmont needed a parish with an Italian-speaking priest. In 1917, they formed the church and constructed it in the fashion of the ones they knew in Italy. Students marveled at the Italian architecture, evident in the church’s marble columns, painted ceilings, and stained-glass windows.

After the church, students visited the Calabria Pork Store, which had dozens of different sausages hanging from the ceiling like a chandelier. The store has been operating for nearly fifty years and has meats and cheeses traditional to southern Italy.

Next, the students visited the retail market, a massive space home to a fruit market, deli, pasta store, and more. There, they could see cigars be hand rolled and even got to try freshly made mozzarella. Many students also bought a wide variety of packaged international snacks, candies, and sodas. Senior Gabriel Amoruso said this was his favorite part of the trip: “The mozzarella was really good, and there were so many different things to see.”

After all that sightseeing, the students were ready for lunch. They dined at another Arthur Avenue staple: Emilia’s Restaurant. After being served bread, antipasto, and penne, students had the choice between chicken parmesan or osso bucco, a traditional veal dish. Senior Sammy Lehman said, “I really enjoyed the lunch; it was really good food.”

Then, students were given an hour of free time to roam the neighborhood, whether to return to a previous stop to buy something or explore a new store in the area. Students flocked to the stores and returned to the buses with full tote bags. Lehman said, “I walked around with my friends, bought some prosciutto, and explored the many stores.”

Once students completed their shopping, they boarded the bus back to Lynbrook. Bruno, who has taken numerous classes on this trip, said his favorite part is always “seeing their smiling faces and all of their bags of goodies to bring home!”