Discover the often-untold history of one of America's most iconic neighborhoods-and the gritty, colorful street life that defined it.

Part rigorous historical chronicle and part vivid personal memoir, The Prince of Greenwich Village takes readers on an unforgettable journey through the evolution of Manhattan's famed lower west side. Author Anthony F. Urgola-born and raised on the tough tenements of the Italian South Village-expertly weaves centuries of documented history with the living memory of a neighborhood that served as the gateway to the American Dream.

Go back to the very beginning, exploring:

• • The Original New Amsterdam: From the indigenous Lenape people to the early European explorers like Giovanni da Verrazzano and the Dutch settlers.
  • North America's First Free Black Settlement: The fascinating, long-buried history of "Little Africa," Minetta Creek, and the freed Dutch slaves who owned land where Washington Square Park stands today.
  • The Real Capital of Italian America: The sweeping wave of 19th and 20th-century immigration that transformed the South Village into a vibrant, fiercely protective enclave.
  • The Shadow of the Mob: The gripping reality of Mafia control during Prohibition and beyond-from bootlegging and front-owned gay bars to street-level protection and neighborhood order.

  Urgola shifts effortlessly from historical scholarship to personal storytelling, detailing what it was like to lead a childhood street gang, work the printing presses at seventeen, navigate a crucial "fork in the road" away from a life of crime, and serve as a Drill Sergeant during the peak of the Vietnam conflict. Featuring deep dives into legendary centuries-old culinary institutions like Faicco's, Raffetto's, and John's Pizzeria, this book is a heartwarming, authentic tribute to the resilience of the immigrant families who built modern New York.