Little Italy is the site of the original Italian settlement in the city and 90% of the population is Italian-descended to this day. As immigration increased, and poorer and poorer Italians poured in, they expanded into the East Side. The Falcone Mafia Family is headquartered in Little Italy, where the old East Siders Gang never really had a grip.
Some points of interest are the Opera House, built by subscription of the locals in the 1890's and recently refurbished by the Falcones; St. Augustine's Church, a Roman Catholic basilica and the spiritual heart of the neighborhood, and Luigi's Pizza, the first pizza parlor in Gotham.