USA Today's 10best.com has posted a slideshow of the best places to "Discover Italian Heritage in America's Neighborhoods." And on that list is Milwaukee's Festa Italiana.
Even if the Italian neighborhood is long gone, its presence is felt in the Third Ward at the Italian Community Center and every July when Festa lands at the Henry Maier Festival Grounds.
Alongside a photo of the Festa procession, 10best.com writes:
"Milwaukee hosts the famous Festa Italiana, which was the very first ethnic festival celebrated in 1978 on the grounds that once housed the Third Ward, the historic Italian neighborhood that fell prey to urban renewal. Since then, this site has embraced ethnic festivals of all kinds, resulting in Milwaukee being known as the City of Festivals. Milwaukee's Brady Street neighborhood also reflects the city's Italian past, with authentic delis, bakeries and restaurants."
Also on the list are San Francisco, Boston, San Diego, Pittsburgh, Clarksburg, W.Va., New Orleans, Hollywood, Chicago's Taylor Street and Manhattan's Little Italy.
How they justified leaving off The Hill in St. Louis and South Philly is a mystery. Brooklyn and the Bronx, which have huge Italian-American populations, were rolled into the Manhattan entry.
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
