AN OPPORTUNITY TO TOUR ITALIAN PHILADELPHIA

The theme of the 2009 Philadelphia Flower Show to be held March 1-8 will be “Bella Italia,” a tribute to the beauty of Italy. In Philadelphia, the Italian-American culture is vibrant, and Show visitors should take advantage of all the city has to offer.

In the mid-1800s, Italian tradesmen, scholars, entrepreneurs and artists began settling in South Philadelphia and established the new community known as “Little Italy.” In 1852, the community organized the first Italian Catholic Parish in United States, St. Mary Magdalen De Pazzi Church, which still stands at 8th and Montrose Streets.

The neighborhood created a sense of belonging for the larger wave of immigrants that came to the city in the late 1800s, making Philadelphia’s Italian community the second-largest in the country.
Landmarks of the Italian and Italian-American culture can be found throughout Philadelphia.

• It was, of course, a navigator from Genoa who sailed to North America in 1492, and a steel monument to Christopher Columbus rises at 601 N. Columbus Blvd. at Penn’s Landing.

• The Italian Fountain, also known as the Fountain of the Sea Horses, was a gift from Italy to mark Philadelphia’s Sesquicentennial. The fountain is  west of the Philadelphia Museum of Art near the Fairmount Waterworks.

• Italian tile workers created the mosaics that adorn Conversation Hall in Philadelphia’s City Hall, Broad and Market Streets. John Sasani, an Italian-American, cast the 37-foot statue of William Penn atop City Hall.

• The beautiful Academy of Music, Broad and Locust Streets, was modeled after La Scala opera house in Milan.

• The Philadelphia Museum of Art’s European paintings gallery houses the Johnson Collection, which features famous Florentine art including works by Fra Angelico and Desiderio de Settignano.

• The Balch Institute for Ethnic Studies houses collections of photos, documents and artifacts, with a concentration on Italian-Americans. The institute is in the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, 1300 Locust St.

• The Rosenbach Museum and Library, 2008 Delancey Place, holds 30 Italian portrait miniatures from the Talbot Hughes collection, as well as an important album of drawings attributed to Italian Renaissance artist Girolamo da Carpi.

• The University of Pennsylvania’s Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, 3260 South St., features Etruscan and Roman World galleries, which contain more than 1,000 ancient artifacts of the first rulers of central Italy.

• Many local gardens have Italian-inspired features including stone balustrades and fountains. Longwood Gardens’ Italian Water Garden is based on the Villa Gamberaia near Florence.

• The Mario Lanza Institute, 712 Montrose St., is a museum that pays tribute to the renowned opera performer and actor from South Philadelphia.

• Other icons appear on murals and statues throughout South Philly, including Marconi, Frank Sinatra, and former Mayor Frank Rizzo.

• Another hero of South Philadelphia is Rocky Balboa, the movie character who is immortalized in bronze at the foot of the Museum of Art, one of the most popular stopping points for tourists to the city.

Today, the heart of South Philadelphia is the 100-year-old Italian Market, which bills itself as the oldest and largest working outdoor market in the U.S. The market consists of 10 blocks of Italian eateries, bakeries, butcher shops and more along 9th and the surrounding neighborhood. For more information, go to www.phillyitalianmarket.com., or call 215-772-0739.

There are dozens of wonderful restaurants in South Philadelphia and throughout the city, serving everything from gourmet Italian cooking to homemade specialties. For information, check www.philadelphiacuisine.com
“Bella Italia,” a celebration of Italian culture, will be the theme of the Philadelphia Flower Show, March 1-9, 2009, at the Pennsylvania Convention Center.

FOR PRESS INFORMATION, CONTACT:
ALAN JAFFE, email or call 215-988-8833
LAURA BEITMAN, email or call 215-988-8836