| The Hill By: Caitlin Emmons America’s landscape has been changed by immigration wave after immigra- tion wave. Entire cities have been transformed into “little this” and “little that.” In Missouri, they have “the Hill,” a part of town famous for food, baseball players and the mafia. It’s basically the “little Italy” of Saint Louis. Whether it’s the read, green and white painted fire hydrants or the abundance of cannoli, when you land on “The Hill” it is hard not to feel like you have been transported to another country. “The Hill” is located on the highest point in Saint Louis. Located south of Forest Park, this Italian-American community was built and nurtured by North Italian and Sicilian immigrants in the late 19th century. They came to find jobs in factories and ended up creating a new homeland. Even today, “The Hill” is 75% Italian-American. It helps that houses in this neighborhood rarely go on the market, allowing the area to mainly be owned by descendents of its original settlers. And where you have a lot of Italian- American families, you tend to have a lot of Italian food. “The Hill” is literally covered with restaurants and small markets that specialize in food from the motherland. It is boasted that a restaurant on “The Hill” was the first to make toasted ravioli, a dish famous to St. Louis. After spend- ing a good deal of time in Missouri, it is still hard for me to eat Italian food anywhere else and not be at least a little bit disappointed. From Mama Capisi’s to Cunetto’s to Rigazi’s every Saint Louis family has their favorite place to meet for a giant bowl of pasta. One only has to walk down the street to get a feel for the closeness of the community. It may be located close to a major downtown area, but “The Hill” is all about the family. However, not all of its inhabitants go into the restaurant business. “The Hill” is home to some of America’s greatest athletes. Yogi Berra and Joe Garagiola, baseball superstars, grew up across the street from one another. Four of the soccer players on the US team that helped defeat England in the 1950 FIFA world cup, called “The Hill” home. America is full of little towns that are full of surprises. “The Hill” has been taken over by the Italians and the products have been amazing. These places allow us to feel as though we have traveled the world after only going downtown for a bit. |
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| Editor's Note: This is the third of a series exploring our country's rich cultural and ethnic heritage. |
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