Ferragosto on Arthur Ave: NYC’s “real” Little Italy

This past Sunday was a special day on Arthur Ave as the area celebrated Ferragosto, an annual festival.  Ferragosto is a centuries-old Italian tradition that recognizes the end of the harvest with the consumption of the fruits of the labor.  Several blocks of the Avenue were closed to cars and opened for local vendors to set up shops along the street.

The crowded streets during Ferragosto 

I was quickly overwhelmed by the options for food but also impressed by the variety and quality of it all.  Along the street, there were people selling handmade pastas, fresh raw oysters, all kinds of breads, freshly roasted coffee, stuffed clams, and many types of cookies and pastries, not to mention the choices for pizza.  Also, restaurants along the street added outdoor seating and were serving from their menu.  It was difficult to decide what I wanted to eat, but I soon found myself in line for sausage, pepper, and onion sandwiches.

One of the many markets on the street

Another vendor selling Italian specialties

After eating, I continued walking down Arthur Ave and saw some of Ferragosto’s other offerings, including handmade cigar rolling, wine tastings, and several musical artists performing live.  Although it was crowded, I very much enjoyed spending the day taking in the sights, sounds, smells, and tastes of the festival.  And while perhaps not every trip to the “real” Little Italy of New York City is quite as entertaining as it was on Sunday, I feel very fortunate that the Italian restaurants and specialty shops open every day on that street are less than a 5 minute walk from my home at Rose Hill.

Vendors cooking food right on Arthur Ave.

Blog By: Brendan Burke

New York is My Campus, Belmont is My College Town

To an American young adult, the "college town" atmosphere is one of the most prevalent and familiar settings in pop-culture. This small close-knit community is about as far as you can get from the backdrop of the world's most cosmopolitan city, but at Fordham, our Rose Hill campus lets a few thousand students get the opportunity to combine the best of both worlds: a classic lush, collegiate campus tucked into the concrete jungle of the Bronx. For the Fordham Community, the Belmont neighborhood of The Bronx is the "town and gown" community associated with the Rose Hill campus. To the rest of the world, Belmont is the Little Italy of the Bronx (the real Little Italy of NYC), and world renowned for it's history, culture, and cuisine. 

FCRH sophomores Jackie McDonald & Lauren Keefe at Ferragosto

Every fall, tens of thousands flock to Arthur Avenue for Ferragosto, Belmont's tribute to the traditional holiday commemorating the end of the harvest season in Italy. The streets are lined with booths and tents extending out of restaurants to showcase the authentic cuisine and culture that makes the Belmont area so famous.

Ferragosto's timing couldn't be more perfect for new students at Fordham. As a freshman last year, going to the festival was a great way to discover all of the shops, restaurants, and cafes that are less than a 10 minute walk from my dorm room. Coming from Ohio, I knew little about what was around the Bronx, and a huge event like this was the perfect opportunity for me to acclimate myself to my new neighborhood.  While the festival is only once a year, Little Italy is a hot-spot for Fordham students year round. In fact, many local businesses in the Belmont neighborhood offer a discount to Fordham students who flash their student ID, including a personal favorite of mine, Palombo Bakery & Cafe.

Arthur Avenue filled with festival-goers at Ferragosto