Little Italy, 1917
East 6th Street, between Avenues A and B — East Village, Manhattan
In the New York guidePlan a day here
On screen
Young Vito (Robert De Niro) lives in Little Italy with his wife and baby Sonny. The neighbourhood is ruled by Don Fanucci of the “Black Hand”, who squeezes money out of everyone. Because of Fanucci, Vito loses his job at the grocery, and then a young neighbour called Clemenza asks him to hide a few guns. And so, with a small favour, the Godfather’s path begins.
The place today
An ordinary East Village residential block: brick walk-ups with fire escapes and a row of trees, with a big community garden on the corner of Avenue B. For the film the shopfronts were covered, carts and horses brought in, and the whole block went back to 1917. Today it is a quiet, pleasant street to stroll, a few minutes’ walk from Little Italy.
Did you know? According to Italian Wikipedia, young Vito’s Little Italy was filmed in the East Village, while interiors such as Vito’s apartment were built at the Paramount studios in Los Angeles.
Also filmed here
Sources: Wikipedia IT · movie-locations