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Viva San Gennaro!
A dazzling bust of the Saint inside Most Precious Blood Church
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By Giovanni Di Napoli
Yesterday, I paid a visit to the San Gennaro Feast (Sept. 13-23) in New York City's historic Little Italy. Making my way through the crowd, I met some friends, had a few laughs and ate my fill. Luckily, we found a nice shady spot to relax for awhile and watched the parade pass by.
Afterward, I dropped by the Italian American Museum (155 Mulberry Street) to see the current photo exhibit, Visions of Little Italy, c. 1970. Unfortunately, I missed John E. Rossi's lecture, but by the looks of his photographs it must have been very entertaining. The Rossi's have been a fixture in the neighborhood for as long as I can remember, so I'm sure he had a lot of interesting stories to share. I really enjoyed seeing the old black-and-white photos, they reminded me of a time when Little Italy was a little more Italian and a lot less commercial.
The museum is also showing a short documentary film on the San Gennaro Feast in Naples. In my view, it's definitely worth a look.
This Wednesday (Sept. 19) is San Gennaro's official Feast Day, so don't miss the celebratory Mass at Most Precious Blood Church (5PM) and the procession through the streets of Little Italy (6PM).
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Devotees offer donations at the shrine erected outside the Church
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Italian American Museum Founder and President Dr. Joseph V. Scelsa lends a hand at Caffé Palermo's cannoli stand outside the museum
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While Dr. Scelsa was busy manning the cannoli, Jennifer and Kathleen were holding down the fort inside the Italian American Museum
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Even though there are dozens of sausage stands to choose from, I'm partial to Cuzzin Vinny's
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A Cuzzin Vinny masterpiece: pork braciola with peppers and onions on a hero
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After lunch I couldn't resist having an espresso and dessert at Stuffed Artisan Cannolis
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Guest of Honor Connie Francis and friends led the motorcade down Mulberry Street
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This year's Grand Marshal was New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli
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Opera sensation Cristina Fontanelli did rousing renditions of God Bless America and O Sole Mio
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Members of Figli di San Gennaro and the procession make their way back to Most Precious Blood Church
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A look inside beautiful Most Precious Blood Church
Photos by New York Scugnizzo
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