Sunset Park

The Italian enclave in Sunset Park was centered upon the Italian National Parish of Saint Rocco, which is still standing but closed permanently. Sunset Park’s Italian section was between 20th and 29^th Streets between 4^th and 5^th Avenues. This was a small neighborhood nestled right below Greenwood cemetery and the bustling commercial and industrial district below 4^th avenue. The neighborhood is referred to as Greenwood Heights today and is undergoing a gentrification. There are very few Italian families still in this neighborhood but there are vestiges of the past such as the old Blessed Mother or Saint statues in front of houses. Luigi’s Pizzeria remains in Sunset Park along with Laurentino’s Pasticceria, which has changed hands and is no longer an Italian business.