“Il dolce e l’amaro,” is the title of a traditional Italian folk song, translating to English as “The Sweet and the Bitter.” I think that the one phrase “The Sweet and the Bitter,” encapsulates the experience of the Italian immigrant (as well as that of many immigrants) in New York City. The Bitter seems obvious; rampant poverty, the struggles of tenement life, and religious and ethnic discrimination. However, there were also the bitter things that don’t always make their way into the history books. No matter how much the Italians tried to stick together, there were always family who were left behind and family members who married or traveled across the country. Despite their efforts to hold onto their traditions, American culture seemed to erode away their genuine sense of identity and replace it with a watered down “American-Italian” identity.
On the other hand, there was sweetness in the Italian immigrant experience. In the United States, and New York in particular there was a strong sense of Italian community in the “Little Italies” of Lower Manhattan, Harlem and the Bronx. Despite their alien surroundings the Italians found their traditions preserved at their communities and in their churches. Even though their traditions were diluted by American Culture, American Culture itself was shaped by the Italians. Whenever we consider the history of the immigrants, it is important to remember both the bitter and the sweet.
