The history of Italians in America began more than 500 years ago with a Genoese sailor who bumped into uncharted land. Within 35 years, three other explorers, all of Italian heritage, would chart land for England, Spain, Portugal, and France. From their explorations, a new world map was formed and the new continent beckoned a wide dispersal and intermingling of cultures.

Ninety-five years after Verrazzano’s exploration (in 1524) of the eastern coast, of what would become the United States, the first Italian immigrants arrived. From the early 1600s to the mid-1800s, Italians immigrated at a slow, but somewhat steady pace. By the late 1800s, the steady pace had rapidly accelerated.