Bronx Little Italy (Arthur Avenue)

I recently went on a tour (Mom was visiting from Chicago and she tagged along, too) of Arthur Avenue in the Bronx, home to what's widely considered the last authentic Little Italy neighborhood in New York City (yeah, Mulberry Street in Manhattan is still around, but it's a fragment of its former self, having been largely consumed by Chinatown and gentrification).  Alexandra Maruri (the founder and lead tour guide of Bronx Historical Tours was a terrific host and a wealth of information about NYC's forgotten borough, a much-maligned area that's in the process of revitalizing.  She is doing everything she can to spread the word about the positive attributes of the Bronx and clearly has a lot of pride in her home borough.

Arthur Avenue is located just a few short blocks from the Metro-North train stop at Fordham University.  Now that I know where it is, I can easily return via car or public transportation (a mere 30-minute trip from the Chuckwagon).  After seeing the vast dining options available to the Italian food enthusiast, I'll need many, many visits to try it all.

Borgatti's Pasta Shop, churning out noodles since 1935

Owner Chris Borgatti (son of the founder) was kind enough to give us his family story

Teitel Bros. Italian Grocery - Since 1915

The famous "sausage chandelier" at Calabria Pork Store (they make a mean Italian combo sandwich)

I brought home a traditional Italian loaf and a raisin/fennel bread from Madonia Bakery (sadly, they were out of the coveted cicola, or pork lard, bread)