This popular and exciting walking tour through Little Italy explores the former social clubs, homes and haunts of some of the most influential 20th century mobsters, while uncovering the truth behind many Mafia legends.
We also discuss the Italian immigrant experience and the social, political and economical conditions which allowed organized gangsterism to thrive in the slums of New York City by the turn of the century.
Visited on the Mafia Walking Tour:
- Former mafia social clubs
- Former homes and businesses of influential mobsters
- Sites of notorious mob hits
- Former Sicilian and Neapolitan districts of Little Italy
- Inside a famous former speakeasy
- “Black Hand Block”
- “Curb Exchange,” an open air alcholol market during Prohibition
- Ravenite Social Club
- Little Italy restaurant district
- Movie locations where Godfather, Sopranos, Mean Streets, Donnie Brasco and more were filmed
- Much, much more
Discussed on the Mafia Walking Tour:
- The seeds of Cosa Nostra in Sicily
- Italian immigration
- The roots of the Mafia in America
- Origins of the “Five Families”
- The mob’s role during Prohibition
- Nationalization of organized crime
- The truth about Hollywood mob movies
Schedule:
Available as a private tour ($150 per group)
Meets:
Location: No. 72 Second Avenue, corner of E. 4th Street (outside Bank of America)
Directions: F train to “2nd Ave/Lower East Side” stop, walk 4 short blocks up 2nd Avenue to E. 4th Street
View Google map/get directions
Your Guide:
Eric Ferrara is founder of the Lower East Side History Project, a published author and fourth-generation, native New Yorker whose family goes back four generations in Little Italy. He is the founder of the Museum of the American Gangster, the Lower East Side Welcome Center and East Village Visitor Center. Eric has worked as a consultant on several movie & tv projects including History Channel, Netflix’s The Irishman, HBO’s Boardwalk Empire, AMC’s Making of the Mob, and Warner Brothers’ new Great Gatsby. His books include Manhattan Mafia Guide.
Ferrara has consulted several law enforcement agencies and crime victims as well as families and estates of many of the Mafia figures discussed on the tour. These unique first-hand accounts, combined with 150 years of community insight and over a decade of active research, makes this excursion a one-of-a-kind experience for fans and aficionados alike.
This is no Wikipedia tour. This is 150 years of insight from the inside.
Learn more about Eric on Wikipedia, connect with him on Facebook, or see tour reviews on Tripadvisor.
Book this tour:
You can book now and pay by Zelle, Venmo, or in cash on day of the tour.