sf's little italy

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to stayin the eastern port citieswhere their ships docked,"

Fracchia says. "My own grandfather was one of them. He

came to San Francisco in 1907."

San Francisco's Italian neighborhood may not be as California's climate that resembles the Mediterra-

famous as its counterparts in ew York or Boston, but nean's, along with access to abundant fishing and farming

it has a storied history and famous residents of its own. appealed to the immigrants, according to Marsha Gar-

Today, an estimated 39,000 people of Italian heritage land, the former executive director of the North Beach

live in San Francisco, constituting about five percent of Chamber of Commerce. "They settled in the orth

the city's population, according to I.;;:::::::::-:--==;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;::=::::;;;:::::::::;;~~Beach neighborhood - betweenthe U.S. Census Bureau. How did Fisherman's Wharf, Chinatown,they get there? Telegraph Hill and Russian Hill,"

she says."That area was considered out

of the way and not a particularly

desirable place to live since it was a

semi-industrial neighborhood. But

the Italians found it convenient

since most of them were fishermen

who wanted to be near Fisherman's

Wharf , where they could dock their

fishing boats," she says.

BY KRISTI EATON

WESTWIIRDHO!Many are descended from the

first Italians who came to the city

at the end of the 19 th century and

the dawning of the 20 d" when mil-

lions of impoverished people left

their towns and villages to search

for opportunities inAmerica. Most

settled on the East Coast, but a few

made it al l the way to the west coast

and California's sunny climes, including San Francisco.

The Italians who wound up in the Bay area were mainly

from northern Italy, according to Charles Fracchia,

founder and president emeritus of the San Francisco Mu-

sewn and Historical Society and author of several books

about San Francisco's history.

"These northerners tended to be more prosperous than

the southern Italians so they could afford to buy a train

ticket to the west coast while the poorer immigrants had

Banker A.P.Giannini, who helped rebuildSan Francisco, seen here with his family.

THE1906QumJust as the Little Italy community was taking off,

destruction hit San Francisco. In 1906, a 7.8 magnitude

earthquake hit the city. As devastating as the earthquake

was, 90 percent of the city's destruction was caused by

fire. More than 30 fires, caused by ruptured gas mains,

destroyed approximately 25,000 buildings on 490 city

blocks. More than 3,000 people perished in the combined

earthquake and fires.

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The Italian community's large number of skill laborersplayed a sizeable role in rebuilding the city. "It is said thatNorth Beach was the first community to rebuild after theearthquake in 1906," Garland says.

Legend holds that the North Beach area was protectedmore than other areas because some enterprising Italiansstaved off the fires by soaking blankets in homemade winefrom their cellars and draping them from the windows oftheir houses.

lI.P. GIlIlttfIlII

Still, many homes and life savings were lost in thedestruction. Enter an Italian immigrant named AmadeoPietro Giannini (1870-1949). Only two years earlier,

continued on page 27

The Roman Catholic Church of Saints Peter and Paul,Little Italy's main house of worship.

Outdoor cafes like this one dot the neighborhood.

Italian products remain popular in the city's North BeachLittle Italy.

[photos : Morgan Bel ling

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Little Italy from page 15

in 1904, Giannini had founded the Bank ofItaly in oneof North Beach's former saloons. His bank would laterbecome the Bank of America, one of the largest banks inthe United States.

Immediately following the quake, Giannini swung into

action. "His bank had been destroyed, but Giannini puta plank on two barrels on one of the docks at the Embar-cadero and opened his temporary bank," Fracchia says.

"Many of his bank's former customers had lost theirbankbooks and other financial records. He'd say, 'Well,how much do you think you had in the bank?' They'dsay, 'Well, maybe $300?" "OK," he'd say, "we'll credityou with $300.' It was an incredible act of courage andreally quite impressive." Another story goes that he wouldexamine the hands of a would-be borrower. If he saw

calluses, he granted the loan.A middle school in San Francisco now bears Giannini's

name as a reminder of his generosity and achievements.Other constant reminders of his contribution are the manyBank of America branches and ATMs that dot the city.

THE yatIKEE CLIPPERGiannini was not the only famous Italian to call North

Beach home. A New York Yankee, Giuseppe Paolo DiMag-gio, better known as Joe DiMaggio, was born in nearbyMartinez, Calif., to Giuseppe and Rosalie DiMaggio, who

had immigrated to America from Sicily in 1898. Giuseppewas a fisherman so they chose orth Beach as their newhome when Joe was one year old.

In 1954, three years after he retired from the Yankees,DiMaggio married Marilyn Monroe at Sin Francisco's City

Native son Joe Di Maggio's memory lives on in this play-ground named for him. IPhotos : Morgan Bel linger )

Espresso and the morning paper start the day inSan Francisco's Little Italy. IPho tos: Morgan Bel linge~

Hall. After the wedding, the couple returned to NorthBeach to take pictures on the step of Saints Peter and PaulChurch, where he had been baptized. DiMaggio's funeralwas held here on March 11, 1999.

Today, Little Italy has transformed from a tight knitcommunity ofItalians to include immigrants of other eth-

nicities, particularly the Chinese in nearby Chinatown, whohave migrated to North Beach. And many of the Italianfamilies have moved to other parts of the city.

Fracchia admits that the neighborhood feels differenttoday, but a sense of pride still runs deep. "You know, it'snot quite what it was in the old days," he says. "We havemore diverse cultural ties. When I was growing up, thecommunity was still Italian. You could walk through NorthBeach and hear nothing but Italian. You heard it spokenin all the stores and restaurants, in the offices of doctors

and lawyers. That's no longer the case."Still, pride in Italy's rich cultural heritage is still evident

walking through orth Beach today. Whether it's thered, green and white painted stripes on the street poles, thepark named for Joe DiMaggio or the numerous restaurantsoffering "authentic Italian cuisine," Italy's influence isstillalive and well in San Francisco's North Beach.

Kristi Eaton is a freelance writer in San Francisco. Con-tact her at [email protected]

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