For anyone interested in learning about the history of Italians in the greater Los Angeles area, the Italian American Museum of Los Angeles (IAMLA) is the place to start. Opened in August 2014, after many years in the making and a few setbacks along the way, the IAMLA is located in the Italian Hall, the oldest remaining building from L.A.’s Little Italy.

You may be surprised to hear that L.A. had a Little Italy; indeed, the area where Italians settled starting in the 19th century, today’s Downtown LA, has undergone so many changes after the 1950s that almost nothing has survived from the times when Italians were one of the major ethnic groups to live there.