The North End: Boston’s Little Italy

The North End is known today as the epicenter of Boston’s Italian-American life, and indeed, you can walk for blocks and hear nothing but Italian, watch bocce games in Langone Park, or enjoy a cannoli at the Modern Pastry Shop or the famous Sicilian pizza at Bova Bakery. But the North End, like all of Boston, has a rich, diverse history, and was once the city’s most vibrant African-American community, later became an Irish neighborhood, and later still was the center of Boston’s Jewish life. The North End’s fascinating and complex past breathes from its unique architecture, like the Skinny House, its historical landmarks, like the famous Old North Church, and its seasonal religious feasts and festivals.