This statue of Christopher Columbus was saved from being melted down in World War II by a group of Italian Americans who hid it away at Borough Hall. Tribune photo by Ira Cohen

By Angela Montefinise

How Many Are There?
According to the 2000 Census, 187,540 residents of Queens identify themselves as Italian in ancestry, showing an increase in the number of Italians in the borough since 1990 and making the group the largest ancestral category besides “other” in Queens.

Who Are They?
The Italian population of Queens is predominatly second and third generation, with grandparents and greatgrandparents who came from Italy at the turn of the century. There are also some new Italian immigrants living mostly in Astoria, where the heart of the Italian population’s roots still thrives.

When Did They Get Here?
Italian immigrants originally came to America at the turn of the century looking to escape low wages and high taxes in their native land. From 1890 to 1900, 655,888 Italian immigrants arrived in the United States, with two-thirds being men with very little education, according to the Center for Migration Studies of New York City.
Most Italians stayed in big cities like New York to find unskilled work in places like factories, and by 1910, a thriving Italian poulation could be found on Manhattan’s East Side.

Jerry Iannece, the chairman of Bayside’s Community Board 11 and legal counsel for the Federation of Italian American Organizations of Queens Incorporated, explained that in the 1950s and 1960s, Italians started moving into Queens in large numbers, although some did move to the borough as early as 1930.

Where Do They Live?
Iannece explained that when Italian immigrants first came to Queens, “They congregated mostly in one or two family attached homes in neighborhoods like Astoria, Maspeth, Middle Village, Elmhurst and Corona. You know, close to Manhattan where many of them worked in factories.”

He then added, “The Italians came to Queens for a more suburban life, and as they settled into the borough, emphasized education and learning English. Their children went to school, and many of them went into the professions. They became lawyers and doctors, and the trend was that they moved east to Bayside, Douglaston, Little Neck, Malba, Whitestone, and areas like that.”

Currently, significant Italian populations can be found in Bayside, Maspeth, Douglaston, Little Neck, Howard Beach, Whitestone, Glen Oaks, Floral Park and Astoria.

Where Do They Worship?
Over 95 percent of Italian Americans in Queens are Roman Catholic, and celebrate in the hundreds of Catholic churches in the borough. One church that specifically caters to the Italian population is St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church in Astoria, which is 125-years-old and has a mass in Italian every Saturday at 5 p.m.

Where Do They Shop?
Although there is no strong pattern of where Italians shop, there are areas in Queens with a high concentration of Italian specialty stores. Sorriso Italian Pork Store is one such shop, with locations on 30th Avenue in Astoria and 150th Street in Whitestone.

The shop, which sells specialty meats and pastas, celebrated its 25th anniversary this past January.

There are several other Italian shops in the section of Astoria near 30th Avenue, as well as on 101st Avenue between 101st and 105th Streets in Richmond Hill. The shops offer homemade pasta, pastry and sausages, cheeses and a variety of continental imports.
In certain parts of Corona, near 104th Street and Corona Avenue, there are also several delis and specialty shops, such as Leo’s Laticini, which is known for its Italian sandwiches.

In Maspeth, Bellerose, Whitestone, Bayside and Fresh Meadows, there are also Italian specialty shops.

Where Do They Eat?
Italian restaurants and pizzerias line the streets Queens, but the most well-known spot is located in Astoria.

Piccola Venezia, often frequented by famous Queens Italian Tony Bennett, is known among members of the Italian community as being top notch and one of the best spots to go for a special occassion.

There are dozens of top notch Italian restaurants in Bayside, Little Neck and Douglaston, and dozens of popular delis in Howard Beach, Maspeth, Astoria, Whitestone, and Corona.

Sorriso Italian Pork store in Whitestone recently celebrated its 25th Anniversary. Tribune photo by Ira Cohen

What Do They Do For A Living?
According to Iannece, Italians in Queens work predominantly in white collar jobs such as lawyers, teachers, muncipal workers and businesspeople.

What’s In Their Future?
Iannece said that while most Italians in Queens are second and third generation, and “the only thing Italian about them is the vowel at the end of their name,” he said most still stay in touch with their roots, and that he sees an insurgence of pride in the Italian heritage.

“Pride fluctuates. I think my parent’s generation – those that came in after the war in the 1950s – were very in touch with their culture. Then the next generation lost touch for the most part . . . Now, I think we’re seeing a reawakening of that Italian pride.”