In an old brick building in what used to be Denver’s Little Italy, Italian traditions are still very much alive at the Potenza Lodge. “The 3 F’s of Italian culture are family, faith and food,” said Geraldine Pergola, the lodge’s historian. “I was born into the Potenza Lodge. My parents were both lifelong members,” she said.

“The Potenza Lodge, out of all the 37 Italian organizations in the state of Colorado, is the oldest continuous existing Italian organization.” Starting in the 1850s, Italian immigrants came to Colorado – drawn by the mining boom and opportunities tied to the construction of a railroad.