Detroit Kicks off Italian Heritage Month With Month-Long Cultural Events

This week marked the start of Italian Heritage Month in Detroit. The city plans a mix of events through October, from street fairs to art shows. Workers will also start preserving old newspapers in computer files.

Mt. Clemens hosted a street party on Oct. 4. People stuffed their faces with cannoli in a fun eating competition. Later this month, soccer fans can watch Detroit City FC play on Italian Heritage Night.

Allegra Baistrocchi, who runs the Italian consulate in Detroit, wraps up her last heritage month after four years. "The part that we love the most is the promotion of Italian language, culture, and commerce, which is something I've really dedicated four years of my life to," Baistrocchi said according to WXYZ Detroit.

A shiny new metal sculpture now stands at Farmington Hills City Hall. Its leaf shape tells a story about people who left their homes to start fresh in a new place.

Workers have started copying old Italian Tribune papers into computer files. This paper holds a special place in history. It's the oldest Italian paper in America, and is still run by the same family since 1909.

"This is 100 years of what has gone on in the Italian community in southeastern Michigan," said Pamela White, who helps run the Italian Tribune. Each day in October, old stories from the paper will pop up on social media.

Lia Adelfi, who leads Dante Alighieri Michigan, praised how the consul changed minds. "For the last four years with consul Allegra Baistrocchi, I think we changed the status quo of the idea of an Italian - it's not only food, it's much more, aesthetics, music, language, culture, art," said Adelfi.

Last year, artists painted a big wall picture in Eastern Market showing ties between Italy and America. Now, the new sculpture keeps the art tradition going strong.