The road to Italy begins at an old Seattle street address — starting line of a community’s search for a home, a Casa, a center, to celebrate friendship, food, and Italian culture. The starting point is 1520 17th Avenue on Capitol Hill, now a fenced parking lot, which was the site of the first Casa Italiana, dedicated in 1930.

It failed once — falling behind on mortgage payments — was repurchased and served as a center for the American Red Cross during World War II. Mounting financial pressures forced a final sale in 1968, though much of the money from that sale would be lost years later in the Michael Mastro real estate morass.