Episode 14 / The Last Days of Little Italy (New York City Short Film)
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- Опубліковано 9 лют 2025
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The Last Days of Little Italy: An Original Documentary Series.
Little Italy, a historic haven for immigrant families from the old country, was once threatened by an ever-expanding Chinatown. But now the fatal blow is being delivered by the gentrifiers. Corporations, yuppies, and chain stores all moved in. How did Little Italy transform itself from a working class neighborhood of tenement buildings to the third most expensive zip code in the United States?
Part funny, part sad, the series explores the impact gentrification is having on Little Italy's long-term residents. The striking imagery captures the neighborhood before it is completely erased by sterile trendy stores and upper middle class sameness.
Will New York City lose another cultural touchstone to the forces of greed?
A Nolita Films Production
Written and Directed by Paul Stone
Produced by Claudia Montano
Cinematography & Editing by Paul Stone
Shot in New York City, Rome, Amalfi Coast & Puglia, Italy.
#newyork #littleitaly #nyc #fredflintstone
My Great Grandfather purchased a building on Mott St between Spring & Kenmare in 1912. My grandfather, father and myself were all born in that building. I moved out when I was 21 and to this day I still own the building. During covid we had a 91 year old woman who unfortunately passed away and who lived on the 3rd floor. She was like another aunt to us. We were very close..... Instead of renting the apartment, I gutted it all out and renovated it. I kept it for myself. So now when my wife and I are in the city, we always spend the night in a beautiful apartment that looks better than my house on Staten Island.lol. My rents, I try to keep low, because I don't want just anybody living in there. Thank God I have amazing tenants. I miss everything about growing up in Little Italy, and to this day I tell my wife and kids about the history of the area and the many many things we did. It was a time that many people will never understand!
Lol wish I had a landlord like you! I'm from Queens getting priced out everywhere! God bless
Love it!
How lovely!!
what he said is true. You could walk through Manhattan and pass through neighborhoods where different nationalities lived. The upper east side had Germans, Polish, Hungarian etc... you could go there and they had all their grocery stores and bakeries specializing in foods from their homeland. 86th Street was Germantown and they had German restaurants, hairdressers, beer halls, Shoe stores, marzipan stores, bakeries, big food stores where you could buy a hundred different German sausages and breads as well as German kitchen tools. There were also community christian churches for each neighborhood where the people could gather and the priest spoke their language. There were Polish butchers and bakeries. There were Hungarian cafes serving strudels and Hungarian grocery stores where you could buy 100 different kind of flour. they had the flours in big barrels and you helped yourself to what you needed. There were Hungarian restaurants serving goulash. Little Italy was full of special Italian grocery stores where you could buy fresh ravioli, fresh mozzarella, fresh bread stuffed with cheese and proscuito all made in the store. You could buy Sicilian olive oil , parmigiano reggiano and spinach lasagne. All this is gone now. Everywhere is the same now. Nothing but luxury condo buildings. They built a huge store called Eataly now on 23rd street that sells imported Italian food for insane prices and everybody thinks it is great -- but it is really just what we used to have in Little Italy in small family owned stores.
Eataly is overrated garbage. We have it here in London as well. The 21st century is disgusting.
Believe it or not but they have Eataly's in Italy.
@@desertfox486 They also have gays in Italy. Does that make it a good thing?
I live halfway to the North Pole in Edmonton but we are lucky to have some large Italian groceries and delis. Like NYC very few Italians live in Little Italy ,but visit for groceries. Funny our Chinatown is next to little Italy as well
This is so interesting. 20th century NY in its European neighborhoods heyday. This was also the case in Queens where several areas had strong Greek, Irish, Italian, and Jewish neighborhoods that slowly faded by the 1980s to absorb massive Latin American and Asian communities. In many ways Queens, and other boroughs, have become for these groups what Manhattan was to the European immigrants a century ago. But even then it has changed again because like you said, luxury condo buildings or rentals. Everything is upscale and costly. There are no kids hanging out in the neighborhoods or playing in the streets like they used to. Its a such a different world now.
This triggered some memories of the remnants of Old New York while growing up in the 70s. I remember the Luchow's restaurant being advertised as a prominent German restaurant on TV. Another restaurant that was famous, in this case Italian food, was Mama Leone's. While it didn't have a great reputation for food in its later years, I got to dine there in the mid-80s and had a good dining experience. Obviously people's tastes and expectations for ethnic foods have refined over the years, but it was simple restaurants like that that popularized ethnic foods in early 20th century America.
Terrific short film!! You captured an absolutely no nonsense summary of lives lived well, from the early heyday to the slow, but steady death of one of New York's famous ethnic pockets.
While the stories are sad, the work you're doing is so special. It's art, and that's coming from a grateful Italian American.
@@salvatorericca8353 Thanks!
Absolutely agree! Proud Chicagoan-🇮🇹🇺🇸 Forza Italia-Sicilia
Just great film making Paul. I can see the sadness in that man's eyes as he speaks of Lucy, "one of the last matriarchs of the neighborhood." We all get older and naturally feel more nostalgic of our past and our relationships with our neighbors and our communities. It just feels like our time and memories were accelerated as we were pushed out of our homes to allow for the immediacy of corporate profit.
There are so many of us like this
Powerful film. As an Italian American whose great grandparents grew up and lived there, I want to thank you for sharing this story. 🇮🇹🇺🇸
Glad you enjoyed it!
Mr.Bari is right it is sad. I grew up in Hell's Kitchen and my sister still lives there but She will be the last,She's 77 God Bless her. I moved to Boston and the same thing is happening here. Many Churches are being sold and changed into Condos. So it's happening to all the Great City's in the Northeast. Great Historical content
@@irishgreen3919 Thanks for watching and the comment!
Thanks!
@@sanfranceltic7578 Wow! Thanks so much!
Thx for capturing this wonderful oral history. I grew up in Yorkville, when Germans and Eastern Europeans flavored the neighborhood. Much like Little Italy, the flavors, sounds, characters can only be glimpsed today as fragments of the forgotten culture.
Wonderful history lesson and sobering facts. Pulls at my heart strings to think of my long-gone family who lived on these streets. Thank you, Paul, for continuing your fine work. And James, God bless.
Thanks!
Love this work, Paul. Thank you for capturing and preserving these stories in such an intentional and artful way.
Great story, Paul.I`m 2nd generation too. When I was 3 my parents moved to suburban NJ.That`s where I grew up. My parents spoke Italian & English equally and so did I, until my grandmother passed 30 years ago.God bless you,Paisano.
@@frankieC1023 same to you!
This series is so compelling.
@CharlieMoney777 Thanks!
Just yesterday Saturday, I went to Old Saint Patrick's on Mulberry Street. When I got out the subway station on Prince Street, I was struck by the massive amounts of people: tourists, hipsters, yuppies, etc. I was even praying: "God take me out of here". I'm a native New Yorker from the Bronx and as teen in the 80's I worked for Consolidated Truck Company (if you know, you know!)and in the 90's at a bazaar on Grand Street. I love Old Saint Patrick's because of its history, but going to little Italy could be challenging for a Bronx guy. Thank you and God bless.
@@a.garcia7127 yes. Agree. The area is a mess on the weekends. Weekdays aren’t that bad but not like it was 20 years ago.
I enjoy all your films... especially this one. Mr.Bari is a classy man.
@@ChinatownTim Thanks for watching! Agree 100%
Again, great video. Brings back memories of my mother telling me stories of her growing up in Little Italy.
@@subwayjoefrombrooklyn4471 Thanks
I have never moved from Europe but I really hope to come to New York one day and see this famous neighborhood Little Italy, there is so much history there .
it has nothing to do with it but my favorite film is Once Upon a Time in America by the great Roman director from the Trastevere neighborhood... Great Sergio Leone... with the music of his friend Ennio...
A big hug from Rome
@@Romafood 🇮🇹💪🏻👍🏼
its over, they made money and moved away. Chinese everywhere now
Thank you Mr. Bari....long live Mulberry Street!
@@stonecreationsLI 🇮🇹🇮🇹🇮🇹
These are a treasure. Thanks to you for making these and thanks to all the people who shared their stories/pics for this amazing series. Please keep them coming
I’m always happy to see there’s a new episode! ❤
Never to be forgotten always to be Remembered and loved 😊🎉😂❤😊🎉😂❤😊
I love these videos. Great labor of love went to this project and it's certainly appreciated and acknowledged.
@@jpbanksnj Thanks!
I just love this series even though they make me sad. I’m so happy when I see a new release seeing people from way back talking about old New York. It’s only a memory now but it’s nice to hear about it.
Sweet, tender, nostalgic film… Thank you! It made my evening…
@@Stephen.Stefano.L agreed. Family is everything.
wow! thank you for sharing your life since you were aa kid...and all your family history in Little Italy, New York City. You're amazing. I'm a Canadian and I truly love authentic American stories like yours. It's so fascinating. Thank you!
@@loisthiessen9134 Thanks for watching.
It is very sad to see all this happen to all . From small mining town to big cities .I am Canadian just outside of Toronto, Canada . Country boy 53 in a few days . GOD bless and I love you take care
Beautiful short doc. Watching here in Ireland. Respect to Mr. Bari. I'd love to sit down with him and hear more about his life.
Thank you for these small documentaries people will never understand you had be there
@@Tommybash Thanks!
My grandparents came from Italy on my moms side and lived there then they moved to bush wick ,then ozone park queens which is where I was raised
I just subscribed Paul and I'm so happy to discover your other videos. I'm going to binge watch them. Thank you!
@@maryrose4712 Thanks!!
Wonderful!
@@madamlakwatsera5674 🇮🇹💪🏻👌🏻
You also can go Uptown to the Bronx and Arthur Ave's Little Italy
When I lived in Manhattan We would go to LITTLE ITALY and eat canolli at Ferrara etc! much loved...what a great guy
@@jmax3245 🇮🇹👍🏼
I was born and raised in Queens in the 80's and I live on Long Island now. I wonder if someday we too will be driven out of our homes to make way for more profitable developments. I miss the old NY, I remember how exciting and vibrant it used to be. I still have hope that better days are ahead.
I hope that law never changes. Screw those greedy landlords. They should be ashamed of themselves. All money ain't good money
they should meet the fate of Don Roberto in the Godfather 2
I had friends and acquaintances who lived on 2d Ave and 44th St. That area has long been replaced by highrises, UN agencies and the like. Unfortunately the only thing that' s constant is change itself.
Terrific work Paul.
@@sanfranceltic7578 Appreciate it! Thanks for watching.
Great work!
Although it's not in as bad of shape as Little Italy in Manhattan, South Philly is being hollowed out slowly but surely.
God bless Mr. Bari.
@@V.T.1989 🇮🇹💪🏻
God Bless You!
@@eddielau9733 🇮🇹👍🏼
In Those days People were a lot Simpler... My Parents came here in 1950 from the Napoli Area... I Love My Roots I Speak italian ( Napolitano)
@@MonacoRocha 🇮🇹💪🏻
Forza Napoli! 😊
@@xneapolisx I'm here In Montreal now Lived in Astoria for 34 years.... Those days are gone Never to return... Now the world is like ANIMALES !!!!
Auguri! Proud Chicagoan 🇮🇹🇺🇸 Forza Napoli/Sicilia
Terrific episode
@@E204thbronx Thanks!
Love the series, can’t turn away
Question
Was this a guy a cook/chef at Umberto’s?
Looks so familiar
Watch to the finish.
Always wondered why the baked clams at Umbertos and BENITO ONE were my my top two downtown
See you next week, need to experience that taste again
The real Little Italy is in the BX. Great doc.
i enjoy watching your videos and visiting lil italy every trip to nyc and always wondered what it was like back when im a bit younger than these gentlemen thanks for your film now i know a lil bit of how it was
@@user-wd9fk4xq6t Thank you!
I have been there ,the Italian people were very welcoming.
I grew up and lived most of my life in Brooklyn. When NY turned into Gotham City, I knew it was time to move on. Now I’m in Florida, and very happy here. Getting stuck on a city or a neighborhood is sad. There’s so much beyond our self made borders. This sad guy is eventually going to be alone, get a driver’s license and see the world.
Great 👍
Beautiful story by a beautiful man
@@seymourlj I personally like this episode too because of all the nostalgic photos
Excellent
Same thing is happening everywhere. The character and heart that cities once had has been steamrolled over by Starbucks, gluten free crap and cookie cutter condo's. Everything everywhere just seems so fake and not on a human level.
@@aarondeakin7811 100% agree. Do people protest in the streets about it? Nope.
Change is good & sad.
@@daedaetinez6406 I agree but what’s happened to our neighborhood is an all out corporate takeover. NYC politicians don’t care about preserving communities.
I remember a time when we fished , swam and drank from the great river. We slept outside in the fresh air. We would hunt for our food . Children were free to play outside without worry. Life had it's struggles but we survived and flourished. For thousand years in the great land. Until they came the immigrants from across the great waters . What a shame....what a shame.
Since this was filmed in 2015, what has happened to Mr. Bari? Did he move out of the neighborhood? Is he still alive? Thanks.
@@josephbarone428 Yes. He is still alive. When his lease expired he sold the restaurant but still is active as manager.
@@PaulStoneFilms Thank you for this update. I am planning on visiting my old neighborhood which is located between the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges -- not too far from Mr. Bari -- in the Spring. May just take a walk up there to pay him a visit.
@ He sits outside Benito One everyday.
@paulstonefilms I was gonna ask…his business was Benito One?😀
@@328ChaunceyStreet yes
It breaks my heart how everything changed there My mother's was born there.
its not sad its life things move along youhad a great life in little italy and its nice to hear your story
Good channel, should go back around and see if anyone is still there in 2025. Very interesting to see the last people left.
Greek here but let me tell you Astoria Queens aint the same either and I don't expect it to be. When you successful, you move to better and bigger neighborhoods. Who the hell wants to live in New York in 2025?
@@Themantoday Yea it’s sad what happened to Astoria.
It might be sad but it’s evolution. That’s life
This is so sad and I know the 6th and 4th wards very well I’m The same age 64 although not from there I dated a girl in the 1980’s from KV on Monroe Street! I myself am from a LITTLE ITALY 🇮🇹 in NJ that has now so sadly DISAPPEARED COMPLETELY AS OF 2000 ! We had to move out!! I cry when I hear these stories!! All I have left are memories!!
@@vincentadams9569 🇮🇹💪🏻 Thanks!
Great Video. Your getting old. I'm 78 and I can hear you brother. Take care
I'm proud to be italian sicilian and tarantino wouldn't trade it for the world you know there's 2 types of people Italians and those who wish they were lol god bless
@@agathasgobbo2632 🇮🇹💪🏻
That was my Father's city too. As you say, all gone now. The places he showed me when I was young are changed or vanished for the most part. There were still remnants back in the '80s, but the last time I was there, about two years ago, nothing remains but the buildings. Ah, well, time moves on. Thank you for this video, it brings back memories.
@@hap1666 thanks for watching!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
@@Ron-p6g 🇮🇹💪🏻
I feel the same way about the Bronx! Beautiful Strong hold neighborhoods are becoming extinct! Arthur Ave, Grand Concourse, Bainbridge, Riverdale Woodlawn Morris Park ! Slowly but surely Dwindling
@@Cjga1114 That sux!
@@PaulStoneFilms Like some of these guys said in the Videos, it’s Sad, but, it is what it is
@ Yea. It’s too late to fight. The whole country is circling the drain
Nobody ever talks about the Italians in the Village.
What is the name of the shop, Mr. Bari owns? I want to visit ! ❤💚
God bless you
@@angelocaponeasjerrylewis1580 🇮🇹👍🏼
Based on the fact that he said started school in 1954 and that he said he was 66 years old, I suspect that this interview was from around 2014.
@@subwayjoefrombrooklyn4471 2015
@ Thank you. I figured between 2014 and 2015 depending what month born from 1948 to 1949.
it will shock me when i return ,i have not been there for more then 35 years
Happened to Carroll Gardens Brooklyn
Very sad 😔
Same thing is happening to my neighborhood Arthur Avenue 🤔
I love these videos but they're a bit heartbreaking to watch. We really need "community" like it once was again
@@knoname7778 100%!
Bari is a city in Southern Italy.
I wonder what Dr. Suess would think about Mulberry Street today?
Ethnic immigrant groups in the early 20th century were usually pushed in the more undesirable parts of new york. But after many decades these undesirable parts were developed by the people that lived there. This increased the prices and so the logical thing to do was sell. Then you have corporation wanting to capitalize on the history of these places.
Paul and I have a lot in common. I’d like to talk to him and compare stories. I’m a NY’er who never left and never learned to drive. Live in the same Harlem apt I was born in
He just described everywhere in the United States. Things change for better or worse, today mostly worse
@@kennethvenezia4400 agree, 100% thanks for watching
Hi Barra where are your grandparents from Italia
It should be illegal for rents to sky rocket
👏
Sad to see it’s all tourist traps restaurants and South Americans
@@victordasilva5255 yep, they succeeded making the whole world into a mall
@ was there for the San Genaro festival. One Italian for every 5 South Americans selling products or food.
I’ll tell ya a story ….. long time ago ( as it happens today and will happen tomorrow and and on ) there is always a predator a shark huntin’ small fish. So there was this “shark “ who ruthlessly grabbed any real estate he wanted by any means . So he came to make an offer to some folks by asking’em how much they’d take for a building he was after. They said a figure , shark pondered for a moment and asked why that much , folks replied cos they want to purchase certain property elsewhere ( naming the place ) . Shark , wryly smirked and said : I tell ya what , I’ll pay you your asking price , in fact I’ll double it ! Folks got a bit stunned by this “ offer” that was least expected from scumbag like him and asked : ok but why you want to pay double of what we asked? Shark : well i don’t won’t to negotiate this same bullshit when I make my move on your property over there ! Sadly this is a true story.
@@guesswho2818 Very sad. 🇮🇹👍🏼
I'll never understand the New Yorkers that never learned to drive
Why? Why would they need to?
@@samil5601 what else don't you need to learn isolating yourself in manhattan?
Love seeing your films. Subscribe & Like, I do.
@@ChuySaysSalud Thanks!
Churches are big businesses no pa rishioners no money.
Have you ever had any contact with Martin Scorsese he was raised in little Italy he would get a kick out this videos I’m sure .
@@FINEST-uk8nc I had dinner with him a last month. 👌🏻
👍
A toilet.....in the kitchen! 🤯
save on plumbing, so what your cat shites in the kitchen
@@user-ht9fr6eh9u Hey you gottta do what you gotta do! I’m from many generations later, so I never knew this was a thing. In Texas I knew that we had outhouses 🤷🏾♂️
The morbid series
@@pauly5502 so you loved it 👌🏻
@@pauly5502 My intention was to celebrate the people. It’s not morbid. They had the best lives and were lucky they grew up in Little Italy.
@@PaulStoneFilms It was lovely to hear of his life growing up, not morbid at all, tinged with a little sadness for those who are gone. Thank you Paul, you did a wonderful job.
So this guy never had his own family or children
@@1225328 Yes he has.
He mentioned his son.
Mulberry and thee mafia, John gotti.
Is he still paying 40$ a month rent?
@@MargeauxandMeShops probably more with the yearly increases but not a lot more.
Little Italy been dead
He’s a very good guy. Talked to him, he told me stories of being born above The Ravenite down the street and meeting/being around Neil Dellacroce and later John Gotti.
its bIax and hizpaniks now
Its sad alright,,,all my family is gone parents, aunts uncles grandparents ,my parents friends are all dead,I say good morning to all of them looking at their pictures,,or go to the cemeteries, when I can,,,people were wonderful back then the Italian meals every Sunday,,the food was amazing all home cooking even the cookies, cheese, wine everything,,,we all had gardens,,today there is no such thing anymore,people are horrid all chasing money,or racing down the road to oblivion! like lunaticks!yep it is sad!!!
@@Mrfantasy-n5q At least we had the good old days. It can’t last forever but what’s happening to society now is 💩
guy doesn’t understand changes.stuck in the past.its sad,really
Thanks!