Italiani a Brooklyn offers both those in and out of the Italian-American community in South Brooklyn stories that capture the heart of the culture.

It was started by Emanuela Gallo, a journalism and political science student at CUNY Baruch College. Born and raised in Brooklyn, she is the daughter of two Italian immigrants. She is passionate about connecting to her Napolitan and Calabrese roots.

To the general American population, Italian-American culture is almost exclusively understood as just Italian-American cuisine. While food is an important part of the culture, there is so much more to Italians than pizza, pasta and gelato. Italiani a Brooklyn seeks to shine a light on the parts of culture that aren’t talked about.

Readers can expect to learn about not only food, but also music, religion, history, media and festivals. The blog will also cover the Italian-American community, including portraits of the people, neighborhoods, institutions and businesses in South Brooklyn.