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Every year July we love seeing photos from the 12-day Feast of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel and San Paolino in Williamsburg. And this year we're enjoying an added bonus: video of the crazy “Dance of the Giglio,” during which, according to Giglio USA, a five ton platform bearing a five story hand-sculptured tower and a 12-piece brass band is lifted by 125 brawny men who carry it on their shoulders through the neighborhood in tempo to Italian folk songs. Or, as depicted here, the theme from Rocky, which at this point might as well be considered traditional Italian music. The video was taken right at the climactic moment when the Giglio meets "la barca"; i.e. "the boat." (More background on the tradition here.)
This weekend is your last chance to check out the feast, which turns the area around the church (at Havemeyer and North Eighth Street) into a traditional Italian-American street fair, with kiddie rides, amusuments and food. The last Dance of the Giglio will take place Sunday at 2 p.m. [Video from Rumproast via Free Williamsbug]
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Here's what I don't get: If you go to that area any other time of year, you see just Puerto Ricans and hipsters on the streets. Are the Italians in hiding during the rest of the year, or have almost all of them moved away and just come back fro the feast?
same here, I wonder how many people came to this years ago when it was a storyline on "laverne and shirley" and the big ragoo.
Well, there's a ton of Italians over near the Lorimer and Graham stops. Napoli Bakery has the best bread and Fortunato Brother's has great cannolis.
Also, the Giglio Boys clubhouse is on Lorimer near Metropolitan. The goombas love to stand out front during rush hour and oogle all the chicks walking home from the train.
I know a certain photographer who needs to ease up on the saturation slider
for serious
Except for Dance of the Giglio, the rest of it seems small and tired. But, it's a good opportunity to pay $4 for a mediocre slice of pizza in the street and pay meth addicts to strap kids into questionable rides.
You only see Puerto Ricans and "hipsters?" You must not be looking very hard. I live right on this block, and my neighbors on either side and across the street are Italian, my landlord is Italian, my roommate is Italian, most of the congregants at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel are Italian, as are the guys who hang out at the Knights of Columbus, and the guy who owns the restaurant (Kenny's Trattoria) on the corner opposite of where this picture was taken, and the old folks at the convalescent home around the corner from the church. The Italian restaurant on the other side of Union from here (Bamonte's) appears to have an exclusively Italian-American clientele. Off the top of my head, I can think of three Italian bakeries within a few blocks of here where you're likely to hear not just the staff but the patrons speaking Italian. Plenty of Italians come in from outside the neighborhood, too, but if you only see "hipsters" then maybe you don't know what an Italian looks like.
they've moved away and come back for the fest. search for a NYT article on the "Giglio boys" clubhouse on Lorimer St.
Also, what angrygod11 said.
Comic Book Guy, maybe you should hangout somewhere besides Bedford because there is definitely more to Williamsburg than that one street.