☞ BESPOKE: Sights & Sounds at Giglio 2013

The annual East Harlem Giglio Festival for 2013 reunited the many Italian families that had roots in the neighborhood this past weekend. East Harlem had over 100,000 Italian residents up until the 1950s when Urban Renewal changed the demographics of the neighborhood.

Locals celebrated the Giglio Festival up until 1971 but had a pause until an organizer from the old neighborhood started it up again 13 years ago. Each Giglio tower is built specifically each year and carried on the shoulders of men up Pleasant Avenue. Hundreds showed up from the greater New York area to honor what once was the largest Italian American community in the nation and enjoyed a day of ritual, remembrance, food and festivities.  More on the Giglio Festival can be found on the organizer site: LINK