With the new Little Italy Museum and Cultural Center in San Jose now open to the public, people got their first chance to explore the restored house on West St. John Street at Sunday’s Little Italy Festival. Anyone who toured the old Beltramo house during the groundbreaking ceremony in 2020 can attest that architect Sal Caruso — and a team of builders — pulled off a miracle in bringing the early 20th-century house back to life. 

The rooms have been converted into galleries with displays that pay tribute to the Santa Clara Valley’s agricultural past and community leaders like Bank of America founder A.P. Giannini, as well as showcasing the home regions of Italian immigrants who came to the valley like Sicily and Venice.