Sunday, for the 150th time, a Queen Isabella and her court will march through the streets of the city’s Little Italy section, North Beach, for an Italian Heritage and Pride parade. There’s a lot to be prideful about. North Beach is the oldest section of the city, with the largest concentration of authentic Italian restaurants, including old-time institutions like Sodini’s, which has served customers on Green Street for over 100 years, Original Joe’s, Calzone’s, Mona Lisa, Da Flora, US Restaurant and more.
The pre-Columbus Day parade is the USA's longest continuously running Italian Heritage parade, featuring music, performances, floats and representatives of Italian and Italian-American organizations and businesses. It’s “the largest annual event in the Bay Area for the Italian-American community and those who just want to be Italian for a day,” says Italian Heritage Parade president Jim Fanucchi.
