Italian American Heritage Project
The Italian American Heritage Project (IAHP) provides educational resources about Italian American history, heritage,
and culture with a straightforward view on the roles of Italians in American history and culture.
IMMIGRATION
INTERNMENT
STEREOTYPES
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without permission except when published with this credit:
Excerpt from the Italian American Heritage Project, ©2018-2022 Janice Therese Mancuso.
Copyright 2018-2024 Janice Therese Mancuso
Contact: jtmancuso@earthlink.net Subject: IAHP
ITALIAN AMERICAN MUSEUMS
To learn more about Italians in America, visit an Italian American Museum. Most of the museums below offer
online tours of their permanent collections and narratives of current and prior exhibits. (Descriptions of
museums, some edited, are from each website.)
American Italian Museum; New Orleans, Louisiana
Housed within the American Italian Cultural Center, the museum tells the history of American Italians in the
Southeast and their contributions to all areas of daily life. The collection includes photographs; articles; family
histories; and memorabilia by themes such as Societies and Festivals, Music, the Immigrant, Genealogy,
Personalities, and much more.
American Italian Heritage Museum; Albany, New York
Located in a former church, the Museum features a series of permanent collections exhibited in separate rooms
relating to the culture, traditions, military service, history and contributions of the Italian American population
to the United States.
Garibaldi-Meucci Museum; Staten Island, New York
The Garibaldi-Meucci Museum was the home of Antonio Meucci, the true inventor of the telephone, and a
refuge to Giuseppe Garibaldi, the legendary hero who championed the unification of Italy. For over 50 years the
museum has fulfilled its mission to preserve the legacies of these great men, and to promote understanding of
the Italian-American heritage through cultural, artistic and educational programs and classes.
Italian American Cultural Center of Iowa, Des Moines
The Italian American Cultural Center’s museum showcases countless authentic displays that honor our
ancestors and preserve our heritage. The mission of the Italian American Cultural Center of Iowa is to promote,
preserve, and provide education about all aspects of the rich Italian-American culture to the Des Moines
metropolitan area and the State of Iowa. Exhibits showcase all aspects of Italian American life from food and
wine to art and business.
Italian American Museum; New York, New York
Located in the heart of New York’s “Little Italy,” this historic location once housed “Banca Stabile” founded in
1885. In addition to a full range of banking services, it also provided a link for the immigrants in the United
States to their relatives in Italy. It has been restored and preserved, and is now open to the public, providing a
range of exhibits that tell the Italian story in America.
Italian American Museum and Cultural Center, Northern California
The Society houses exhibits documenting the history of Italians and Italian-Americans in California. It’s
permanent exhibit “La Nostra Storia, The Italian American Legacy in the Gold Country,” chronicles the Italian
immigrants contributions to “the development of the Mother Lode and of California.”
Italian American Museum of Cleveland
Through world-class exhibits, immersive programs and 21st-century collaboration, the Italian American
Museum of Cleveland will bridge generations and connect you to the people and places that created our storied
city and region.
Italian American Museum of Los Angeles; California
Located in the historic Italian Hall, the oldest remaining structure from Los Angeles’ Italian enclave and listed
on the National Register of Historic Places, the Museum presents the Southern California Italian American
experience with an emphasis on Los Angeles, a story that is inextricably linked to the region itself and
represents a unique chapter of the Italian American Diaspora.
Magazzino Italian Art; Cold Spring, New York
Completed in June 2017, the museum collaborates with American and Italian institutions to support
contemporary Italian artists and foster discussions on Postwar and Contemporary Italian Art in the United
States. An extensive library and archive of Italian Art provide resources for scholars and students.
Museo Italo Americano; San Francisco, California
Established in 1978, the first museum in the United States devoted exclusively to Italian and Italian-American
art and culture. The mission is twofold: to research, collect, and display works of Italian and Italian-American
artists, and to promote educational programs for the appreciation of Italian art and culture, thereby preserving
the heritage of Italian-Americans for future generations. In addition to exhibits, the Museo maintains a small
but impressive permanent collection of paintings, sculptures, photographs, and works on paper by prominent
Italian and Italian-American artists.
National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame; Chicago, Illinois
Founded in 1977 as the Italian American Boxing Hall of Fame, one year later it was expanded to honor all Italian
American athletes, as a non-profit, educational institution. With more that 250 inductees enshrined, some of its
priceless artifacts include Mario Andretti’s Indy 500 race car, Rocky Marciano’s first heavyweight championship
belt, Vince Lombardi’s last coat worn as coach of the Green Bay Packers, and swimmer Matt Biondi’s Olympic
Gold Medals.
Robert A. Facchina Italian American Museum; Washington DC
The mission of the Robert A. Facchina Italian American Museum is to collect, display and preserve artifacts, as
well as oral histories that portray the lives, struggles and achievements of Italian immigrants to the Washington
DC area, and to educate the public at large about the contributions of Italians and Italian Americans to the
physical and cultural landscape of greater Washington DC.
Waldensian Heritage Museum; Valdese, North Carolina
The Waldensian Heritage Museum preserves and interprets the history of Waldensian settlement in the foothills
of North Carolina. The Waldensian Church of Italy dates back to at least the 12th century and its followers
suffered severe persecution for centuries. In the late nineteenth century, population pressures forced many
Waldenses to leave their homeland in the Cottian Alps of northern Italy. They journeyed to North Carolina and
founded the town of Valdese in 1893. The museum features many artifacts of early settler life.
Preserve Your
Italian Heritage
NOW AVAILABLE
Slide presentation highlighting acclaimed
neoclassical sculptor Antonio Canova and some
of his artwork, including his only statue of an
American president.
Learn more.
ITALIAN AMERICAN SOCIETIES and CULTURAL CENTERS
Italian Historical Society of America
Italian Cultural Society of Sacramento
Italic Institute of America
American Italian Heritage Association
ITALIAN AMERICAN NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
National Italian American Foundation
Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America
UNICO National