Little Italy and What it Once Was

 

For our project, we first investigated the history of San Diego and its metropolitan transit. We then became interested in how rich Little Italy’s history was, which led us to realize how much has faded away during renovations. We hope to shed light on the way Little Italy was once a safe haven for Italian immigrants new to San Diego as well as a popular area for tuna fishermen to work before the industry declined. This project looks into how the Interstate 5 freeway isolated the neighborhood from its roots and displaced residents. We also take a look into how the economy fell and what the Little Italy Association did about it.

 

Our main focus for this project was the history of Little Italy in contrast to the “new and improved” version this place. We began this work by first visiting our stop and taking photographs of historical buildings and monuments. We then researched the history of Little Italy as a whole, and the places we took pictures of. Finally we returned and took pictures of the newer things like apartment buildings and coffee shops, to get a different perspective.

 

Our final product is a photo essay / podcast. The photo essay includes pictures of old restaurants, monuments and other important buildings to the Little Italy’s community. And our podcast gives background information on those buildings with d a few brief interviews with Little Italy residents.

 

We hope people walk away with a idea of how fast neighborhoods in San Diego are changing and how it affects those in it.