Long before NYU, Kerouac & Dylan, in a time before the existence of “SoHo” or “The East Village” there was a Greenwich Village where block after block of pushcarts, bakeries, butchers, fish mongers and ubiquitous “social clubs”  made up the core of what was sometimes incorrectly referred to as Little Italy.

So much of this history is forgotten or maligned in films, print and by out of town tour guides who lead endless caravans of unwitting tourists to supposed historical sites while they recite from a script. Follow me as I share my very own personal experience and family history before the present state of gentrification.

We cover the politics, attitudes and values of poor & working class families and the relationships between the various ethnic groups that lived side by side with their Mediterranean neighbors. Visit an historic church, a shrine to Americas 1st Saint, Mother Cabrini, the site of the Triangle Shirt Waist fire where over 146 young sweatshop workers, mostly immigrant women jumped from10th floor windows to avoid being burned to death, visit statues honoring Garibaldi and NY’s best loved mayor Fiorello LaGuardia.   

Visit Italian specialty shops and delve into the foods & feuds between Italians from different regions, such as the Neapolitans, Genovese, and Sicilians.

Today most of the locals are gone, the history being retold by those who don’t have a clue, but you can still take this insightful tour before it’s too late.

Enjoy a complimentary espresso or cappuccino at Café Dante, one of the oldest Italian owned coffee houses in NYC.

Tour runs approximately 2 hours and is led personally by Joe Mauriello, in small unobtrusive groups limited to approximately 12 per tour.

JOE MAURIELLO a third generation Greenwich Village native is the only licensed NYC tour guide born, bred & still living in Greenwich Village.

SCHEDULE - TO  BE  ANNOUNCED

$35 Per Person

Call for group or organization schedule & pricing