The Little Italy neighborhood has been on my mind lately. We recently enjoyed a family dinner at La Dolce Vita. We were still thinking about that fabulous meal that included complimentary pre-dinner mac and cheese for our granddaughters when my birthday came around. We spent my birthday at Lake View Cemetery to see the dandelions in bloom and go on a walk — it was another good time. But we always feel there are stories we’re missing, like why some red bricks are left on the streets and how the Italian immigrants of the 19th century found housing.
When Take-a-Hike announced new neighborhood walks, we chose the Little Italy tour. Our tour began at Tony Brush Park, named after the famous boxer. In 2021, a statue of baseball’s Rocky Colavito was installed at the park, and Colavito was so touched by the gesture, he was brought to tears during the dedication. That was just one of the stories we heard. There were many.
From there, we walked down Mayfield Road to the Cozard-Bates historic home where an actress portrayed Lucy Ann Stanton, the first black American woman to receive a four-year college degree and wife of abolitionist William Howard Day, who told us about the home’s role in the Underground railroad. At Holy Rosary, we learned about the history and architecture of that church, but we also learned that St. Anthony was the first Italian church in Cleveland. When we stopped outside Presti’s to hear about the famous bakery, we were introduced to the Italian American Museum. Thirty minutes into the walk, we liked Little Italy more than ever.
By this time, we were beginning to imagine what Little Italy was like in the 1920s when the Mayfield Theater was a gathering place for Italian Americans in the 1920s; Guarino’s, the oldest restaurant in Cleveland, was a pool hall; and Alta House was a place where boxers worked out. The Murray Hill School was still operating then, with Bertha Blue, an African American, teaching English to the new immigrants. We stood at the location where Berea sandstone was sculpted into the Guardians of Traffic statues that have graced the Hope Memorial Bridge since the 1930s. We learned the backstory of St. John’s Church, the Baricelli Inn and Murray Hill Market. I took notes, snapped photos and felt like I just wanted to be in the moment.
When we got into our car back at Tony Brush Park, we talked about future visits. We now want to experience oysters, crab rolls and squash blossoms during happy hour at the Wolf Pack Chorus, where one of the 35 clubs that were once located in Little Italy is now. We want to go back to Guarino’s to eat dinner al fresco in the garden. Next time we’re in Little Italy, we’ll spend more time browsing Murray Hill Market. And we thought about where we might eat after a concert at Lake View Cemetery.
Back to my birthday — we didn’t care that the daffodils were blooming at Lake View because there were so many beautiful and varied flowering trees. At Wade Chapel, the amazing tiffany glass, the enthusiastic docent talk and the informal Little Italy touring ideas were great. We then followed the yellow-lined roads to the Garfield Monument, which is impressive given that President Garfield was only president for 200 days and died from an infection from a gunshot wound, for a personal tour of the site. It was mid-afternoon when we enjoyed Tuscan wine, arugula pizza, limoncello cream, and cannoli at Maxi’s, the perfect place for a celebration. By the time we left the neighborhood, we felt like we were part of it.
We feel even more a part of it after our tour. The Take-a-Hike program takes people on free tours that explore the history, culture and architecture of Cleveland’s historic neighborhoods and sites. In addition to expert knowledgeable guides, at various stops along the “hike,” actors bring history alive by portraying important people from the city’s past. The tours are put on by the Historic Gateway Neighborhood Corporation and supported by Cuyahoga Arts & Culture and the Ohio & Erie Canalway. If you’ve never done a Take-a-Hike, tour, you should find your hike and go.
Every time you do a tour, you will love Cleveland even more.
Claudia Taller’s been writing for CoolCleveland for many years and has written articles for many other magazines. She is also the author of four books. You can find her at http://claudiajtaller.com.