Italian Roots in Bloomfield (Early 1900s)
Bloomfield, a neighborhood just three miles east of downtown Pittsburgh, earned the nickname “Pittsburgh’s Little Italy” thanks to a wave of Italian immigration in the early 20th century. While the area was initially settled by German Catholic immigrants (who built St. Joseph’s Church in 1886), Italians from villages in the Abruzzo region of southern Italy began arriving around 1900. These newcomers established Immaculate Conception Parish in 1905, which quickly became the spiritual and cultural heart of the Italian community. The parish church, built to serve Bloomfield’s burgeoning Italian population, stood as a landmark of the neighborhood’s identity for over a century (it was rebuilt in its present form in 1961 and served the community until its closure in 2022).
Italian immigrants were drawn to Pittsburgh by jobs in steel mills, coal mines, railroads, and the building trades. Many practiced “chain migration,” sending word back to Italy and encouraging relatives and neighbors to join them in Bloomfield. As a result, the neighborhood’s Italian population grew as tightly knit families from the same Italian towns settled close to one another. In fact, Bloomfield’s Italian community was notable for its campanilismo, a strong loyalty to one’s hometown: immigrants often identified by their village of origin rather than simply as “Italian”. This led to the formation of town-based mutual aid societies – for example, immigrants from Ateleta in Abruzzo founded the Ateleta Beneficial Association, which built a clubhouse on Cedarville Street in 1927 and served as a social and support center for decades. Similar clubs linked to other Abruzzese towns like Castel del Giudice and Castel del Sangro also flourished in Bloomfield. Through these organizations, Italian newcomers could find community, financial help in times of need, and a place to preserve Old-World traditions (from speaking Italian dialects to playing bocce and hosting feast day celebrations).
Religious and social life revolved around Italian institutions. Immaculate Conception Church offered Masses in Italian and ran a parochial school where first- and second-generation children received education rooted in Catholic faith and Italian customs. A few blocks away, bocce courts sprang up in backyards and under the Bloomfield Bridge, where neighbors gathered on warm evenings to play the beloved Italian lawn game. Oral histories recall that by the 1930s, “most stores on Liberty Avenue were run by Italians,” and the sounds and scents of Italian life – from the Nonne (grandmothers) conversing in Italian to the aroma of sauce and fresh bread – filled the streets. Bloomfield became a place where an Italian immigrant could live for 50 years “and never learn to speak English because she didn’t have to,” as one resident remembered.
Community Life and Cultural Preservation in the 20th Century
By the mid-20th century, Bloomfield’s Italian-American community was thriving even as it evolved. The initial wave of immigrants had put down roots, and a second wave of Italian arrivals after World War II – many also from Abruzzo – reinforced the neighborhood’s Italian character. Italian-owned businesses lined Liberty Avenue, Bloomfield’s main thoroughfare, creating a vibrant business district known citywide for its old-world charm. Family-run grocery stores, bakeries, barber shops, and restaurants became neighborhood institutions – some lasting for generations. For example, Donatelli’s Italian Food Center, opened in the 1930s, served the community for 90 years before finally closing in 2022. Nearby, Tambellini’s Restaurant (opened 1950) became famous for its fried zucchini, and Del’s Bar & Ristorante served classic Italian fare for over 65 years until 2015. Other beloved eateries like Lombardozzi’s and the Pleasure Bar kept Italian culinary traditions alive in Bloomfield for decades. These establishments were more than businesses – they were social hubs where neighbors met, family recipes were shared, and the Italian language could often be heard among the patrons.
Throughout the 1900s, mutual aid societies and social clubs continued to play a crucial role in preserving culture. The Ateleta Club, for instance, hosted Italian cultural events and celebrations of patron saints, proudly displaying an Italian flag emblazoned with its name for special occasions. Such clubs provided a venue for weddings, banquets, and community dances, and even attracted notable visitors; heavyweight boxing champion Primo Carnera (himself an Italian immigrant) famously visited a Pittsburgh Italian club during the 1940s, delighting local fans. Italian pride was also displayed in citywide events – notably Pittsburgh’s annual Columbus Day Parade, which has wound through Bloomfield’s streets every October for over 30 years. Initiated in the late 20th century, the parade grew larger each year and became a celebration of Italian-American heritage in Western Pennsylvania, with colorful floats, marching bands, and representatives from Italian societies. For older generations especially, the Columbus Day Parade and church feast days were cherished traditions that honored their ancestry.
Yet, as the decades passed, Bloomfield faced changes common to many urban ethnic enclaves. The neighborhood’s population peaked around mid-century and then declined as some families moved to suburban areas and younger generations assimilated into American society. By 2000, Bloomfield’s population had dropped by more than half from its 1940 height. The forces of assimilation and economic change led to the gradual fading of some ethnic institutions: one by one, social clubs closed or sold their buildings as membership waned, and in 2001 the Catholic Diocese merged Immaculate Conception Parish with the nearby historically-German St. Joseph’s Parish, reflecting the reality that the era of separate “national” (ethnic) parishes had come to an end. (That merged parish, later named St. Maria Goretti, would itself eventually close Immaculate Conception Church in 2022 as the number of parishioners declined.) Despite these transformations, a strong sense of identity endured among Bloomfield’s Italian-Americans. Many of the neighborhood’s families were third- or fourth-generation by the turn of the 21st century, and while few new immigrants were arriving, the community remained proud of its legacy. There was a growing awareness, however, that active efforts were needed to preserve and celebrate that heritage for future generations – and to share it with the wider Pittsburgh community.
The Origins of Little Italy Days (2002)
In the early 2000s, community leaders and local businesses in Bloomfield decided to create a new event that would showcase the neighborhood’s rich Italian heritage and stimulate the local economy. The result was Little Italy Days, an Italian heritage festival launched in 2002. The festival was initially organized by the Bloomfield Business Association (BBA) with a dual purpose: to celebrate Bloomfield’s Italian roots and to draw visitors to the neighborhood’s shops and restaurants. What began as a modest community celebration – essentially a small street fair and parade – has since grown into the region’s largest heritage festival, drawing tens of thousands of attendees each year.
Little Italy Days had humble beginnings. Early editions of the festival were scheduled in the fall, originally timed to coincide with Bloomfield’s Columbus Day Parade in October. Liberty Avenue, the main artery of Bloomfield’s business district, would be closed to traffic for a few blocks to make way for vendor booths, food stands, and a stage for live music. Neighborhood residents recall the first festival as a lively but contained affair – a handful of Italian food vendors, a procession of local Italian-American organizations (and perhaps a marching band or two) parading down the street, and classic Italian tunes like “That’s Amore” wafting through the air. Sal Richetti, a Bloomfield native and professional event planner, was involved from the start; through his company, Big Day Entertainment, Richetti booked musical acts and entertainers to perform at the inaugural Little Italy Days. The festival’s mission was clear from day one: to celebrate the Italian heritage of the neighborhood and create a destination event for Italian-themed entertainment and food.
Over the next few years, Little Italy Days steadily gained popularity. It became an annual tradition eagerly anticipated by both the Bloomfield community and visitors from around Pittsburgh. Each year brought more vendors selling pizza, pasta, cannoli, and gelato, more musicians singing Italian folk songs or crooning Frank Sinatra hits, and more family-friendly activities. By the late 2000s, however, the volunteer-run festival faced organizational challenges. The Bloomfield Business Association, which had founded the event, became inactive around 2008. Responsibility for the festival passed to the Bloomfield Development Corporation (BDC), a local nonprofit, which managed Little Italy Days from 2009 through 2011. During that period, a committee of neighborhood stakeholders helped plan the festivities, and funds were raised to keep the event going. Despite its growing popularity, the festival was not a huge money-maker in those years – it was run more as a community service – and by mid-2012 the BDC was forced to scale back its staff and could no longer sustain the costs and labor needed to organize Little Italy Days. There was a real fear that 2012 would be the first year without a festival, a cancellation that would disappoint residents and potentially hurt Bloomfield’s many small businesses who benefited from the boost in customers.
Faced with the prospect of Bloomfield’s signature event going dark, the festival committee turned to someone with both the passion and experience to save it – Salvatore “Sal” Richetti. Richetti, having been part of Little Italy Days since its inception, volunteered to take over as the festival’s producer in 2012. His Pittsburgh-based entertainment company officially assumed management of Little Italy Days, bringing professional event-planning muscle to what had been a grassroots operation. Richetti was an ideal choice: he was born and raised in Bloomfield, had attended Immaculate Conception school as a boy, and was deeply invested in the neighborhood’s well-being. Equally important, he understood the festival’s original goal of supporting local merchants. “I am excited and honored to produce this community-oriented event in the community where I was born and raised,” Richetti noted, emphasizing that his intent was to ensure “businesses can benefit from the large crowds” while also involving residents, schools, and churches in the festivities. Under his leadership, Little Italy Days gained new life and stability. A letter of endorsement from community stakeholders went out to all Bloomfield businesses in 2012, expressing full support for Richetti and affirming that professional management would help secure the festival’s future.
Growth and Milestones of the Festival
Beginning in 2012, Little Italy Days entered a new era of expansion. One of Sal Richetti’s first big changes was to move the festival from autumn to summer. Starting in 2013, Little Italy Days was shifted from late September/October to mid-August, taking advantage of longer daylight hours and warmer weather. Richetti also expanded the event’s duration to four days (Thursday through Sunday), turning it into a long weekend extravaganza. These changes proved immediately successful. The summer scheduling allowed larger crowds to attend comfortably, and the extra days meant more opportunities for vendors and performers. By relocating the festival away from the Columbus Day timeframe, Little Italy Days also differentiated itself as a standalone attraction – no longer just an appendage to the parade, but a marquee event on Pittsburgh’s summer calendar in its own right.
The festival grew rapidly in size and scope. What once occupied only a couple of blocks of Liberty Avenue now stretches over much of the neighborhood’s business district. Today, Little Italy Days boasts multiple entertainment stages (usually three stages scattered along Liberty Avenue) and an extensive lineup of performers ranging from Italian folk dance troupes to Sinatra-style crooners and local rock bands. A staple each year is the celebrity bocce tournament, in which local media personalities and politicians face off on the bocce court for charity and bragging rights. (Fittingly, the bocce court is set up on Cedarville Street next to the Pleasure Bar – a nod to the same street’s historic Italian social clubs and bocce traditions.) Another popular feature is the “Miss Little Italy” pageant, a family-friendly contest that celebrates Italian-American culture and community pride, where young contestants (of any background) don sashes and crowns for a day of fun. And, of course, there is food – lots of food. Dozens of vendors line the streets offering Italian specialties: piping-hot pizza by the slice, hearty plates of pasta, meatball sandwiches, sausages with peppers and onions, sfogliatelle pastries, cannoli, gelato, and espresso. Many are local restaurants and bakeries from Bloomfield and other Pittsburgh Italian neighborhoods, joined by a few visiting vendors from around the region.
With its carnival-like atmosphere and wide appeal, Little Italy Days soon earned recognition as a must-see Pittsburgh event. It has been honored with titles such as “Best City Event” and “Best Food Festival” in local polls . More importantly, it achieved the founders’ original goal of creating an economic boost for Bloomfield’s businesses. By the late 2010s, the four-day festival was attracting crowds in the tens of thousands. Organizers reported annual attendance exceeding 100,000 people – an astonishing turnout that undoubtedly packed local restaurants and storefronts . In 2023, the 21st edition of Little Italy Days drew an estimated 120,000 visitors over its run, marking a record high . Such numbers make it the largest Italian heritage festival in the region, and indeed one of the largest ethnic festivals in Pennsylvania.
The festival’s growth has not been without growing pains. Longtime residents have noted that Little Italy Days “has drastically changed” since its creation – expanding from a small neighborhood get-together into a massive street festival that brings in vendors from far beyond Bloomfield . Some of the newer booths are not strictly Italian (one might find fair foods or crafts unrelated to Italy), a shift that has prompted a bit of nostalgia among old-timers for the more intimate, Italian-centric fairs of the past. However, most acknowledge that the evolution was necessary to sustain the event. The larger scale has allowed Little Italy Days to thrive financially and continue annually, whereas a smaller festival might have faded away. Bloomfield’s Italian character is still front and center: local Italian restaurants and bakeries remain core participants, Italian flags flutter from shop windows up and down Liberty Avenue, and the music and ambiance keep the spirit of la dolce vita alive in Pittsburgh.
Preserving Heritage and Community in the 21st Century
Little Italy Days has become far more than just a food festival; it is a vital vehicle for revitalizing and celebrating local heritage in Bloomfield. In the 21st century, the neighborhood’s demographics have started to shift – an influx of young professionals and students has joined the longtime residents, drawn by Bloomfield’s central location and affordable housing . Trendy coffee shops and new boutiques share the street with old Italian groceries and barber shops. Amid this change, the festival plays a unifying role by highlighting the neighborhood’s history and defining traditions. Each year as Little Italy Days approaches, Bloomfield’s streetscape transforms into a slice of old Italy: green, white, and red tricolore flags adorn lamp posts; banners announce “Benvenuti a Little Italy”; and Italian melodies fill the air. The event creates an immersive heritage experience that both educates newer residents about the community’s roots and makes Italian-Americans proud of their legacy.
Crucially, the festival helps ensure that cultural knowledge is passed down. Younger generations who may not have grown up with Italian as their first language or with immigrant grandparents at home still get to experience Italian-American folk culture in action – whether by watching a demonstration of how to make homemade gnocchi, learning a few phrases of Italian from performers on stage, or dancing the tarantella in the street. Longtime Bloomfield families take joy in seeing traditions they cherish – like bocce, Italian music, and Catholic icons – presented to a broad audience in a fun, accessible way. Even as institutions like Immaculate Conception Church have closed their doors , Little Italy Days has in some respects picked up the torch, providing a yearly occasion for communal gathering and cultural expression that used to center around church feast days or saints’ festivals. The festival also invites participation from various community groups. Its organizers partner with local organizations such as the Bloomfield Citizens Council, the Bloomfield Business Network, and the Bloomfield Development Corporation to involve residents and ensure the event benefits the neighborhood directly . For instance, in recent years the festival has donated some proceeds to local causes and offered free booth space to nearby churches or nonprofits, allowing them to fundraise and engage the public . This collaborative approach has strengthened social ties and reinforced a sense of shared stewardship of Bloomfield’s heritage.
From a broader perspective, Little Italy Days contributes to Pittsburgh’s multicultural tapestry. Pittsburgh has long been home to many ethnic communities, each with their own festivals and traditions. But Bloomfield’s Little Italy Days stands out as one of the city’s most iconic ethnic celebrations, drawing visitors from all over the region to experience Italian Pittsburgh. It complements other heritage events (for example, the annual Columbus Day Parade, or the Italian Day picnic held each summer at Kennywood amusement park) by giving Italian-Americans a high-profile platform to celebrate their identity openly . At the same time, it invites people of all backgrounds to enjoy and learn. Strolling through Little Italy Days, one might see a third-generation Italian-American reminiscing with neighbors on a street corner, while next to them a newcomer to the city samples their very first pizzelle cookie or listens with delight to a singer delivering “O Sole Mio.” In this way, the festival fosters understanding and appreciation across cultural lines, using food, music, and hospitality as universal languages.
A Lasting Cultural Legacy
As of 2025, Bloomfield’s Little Italy Days has been running for over two decades and shows no sign of slowing down. Each August, the festival breathes new life into the neighborhood, reinforcing Bloomfield’s identity as Pittsburgh’s Little Italy even as the community continues to evolve. It has become a key part of the neighborhood’s story – a modern tradition that carries forward the legacy of those Italian immigrants who arrived over 100 years ago. Major milestones like the 20th anniversary in 2022 were celebrated with great fanfare, underscoring how far the event has come from its 2002 origins . In recent years, the festival has even navigated challenges like the COVID-19 pandemic, adapting with health precautions and coming back strong as a symbol of resilience.
Perhaps the greatest testament to Little Italy Days’ success is the sight of Liberty Avenue filled with crowds – grandparents, parents, children, longtime Pittsburghers and first-time visitors – all happily converging to share in Italian culture. The festival has truly fulfilled the vision of its founders by “celebrating our roots and supporting Bloomfield businesses,” as its motto proclaims . It has boosted local commerce, with shops and restaurants reporting some of their busiest days of the year during the event. And it has cemented community bonds: many Bloomfield natives plan their reunions and homecomings to coincide with Little Italy Days, knowing they’ll run into familiar faces from the old neighborhood amid the festivities.
In a city that has seen many changes, Bloomfield’s Little Italy Days stands as a joyful bridge between past and present. It honors the sacrifices and traditions of immigrant ancestors while injecting new energy into the neighborhood for future generations. As attendees savor a bowl of pasta or dance to Italian music under the summer sky, they become part of an ongoing historical narrative – one that began with a journey from Italy to Pittsburgh and continues today in the heart of Bloomfield. Little Italy Days is more than an annual party; it is a living history of the Italian-American experience in Pittsburgh, and a celebration of a community that takes pride in keeping its heritage alive. In Bloomfield, history isn’t just preserved in books or museums – it comes alive in the streets each year, delighting the senses and reminding all who visit that the spirit of Little Italy endures.
