Italian American Museum

Profile

Located in the heart of Little Italy in the former Banca Stabile building, the Italian American Museum is a charming space dedicated to highlighting the many contributions the Italian-American community has made to New York City. The museum is small, and its exhibits consist mostly of old documents, photographs, and historical items. Many items in the collection were found in the former bank when the museum first purchased the property, including Italian bank notes printed in the U.S. during World War II and used during the Allied invasion. Other items have been donated by members of the community, the most notable being firearms originally belonging to legendary cop Frank Serpico. Staff members are able to provide further explanations of the exhibits (and some can even do so in Italian). Though the museum is only open during the weekend (unless you call ahead and arrange a weekday appointment for large groups), it often has events on Thursday evenings, including talks by filmmakers, painters, and authors. — Abby Schreiber