Via Del Popolo

Via Del Popolo ǀ San Gennaro NYC ǀ 2012

September 13-23, 2012

Location: Campus of the Basilica of St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral, corner of Mulberry and Prince Streets, New York, NY

Via Del Popolo ǀ San Gennaro NYC ǀ 2012 reimagines one block of Mulberry Street as a public piazza and art exhibition in the heart of the historic Basilica of St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral campus. Translated “the street of the people” and/or the “way of the people”, it is the intent of VIA DEL POPOLO to bring the concept of the local street festival back to its roots, and gift the annual celebration a shared, free, public art space to inform festival attendees about local traditions, past and present.

Two Bridges participation in this project is the second in a continuing series exploring the concept of Gateways in order to spotlight the historic districts in which it works. Working once again in collaboration with the historic Basilica of St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral, VIA DEL POPOLO is an extension of Two Bridges’ ongoing celebration of the Chinatown & Little Italy Historic District, for the outstanding and ongoing contributions these two neighborhoods have made to American history, society and culture.

The first in the series of Gateways was undertaken when Two Bridges transformed the northern end of Mulberry Street between Prince & East Houston into the Northern Gateway to the Chinatown & Little Italy Historic District during the 2011 Feast of San Gennaro. Two Bridges sponsored ten days of Italian-themed cultural programming, including opera singers, traditional folk music and dances, and on-street bocce courts. The Gateway itself was distinguished by the installation of the site-specific sculpture, Xtra Moenia, commissioned from the award-winning Brooklyn-based design studio, SOFTLab.

For more information and updates, see VIA DEL POPOLO project page.

For ticket information or 2012 sponsorship opportunities, please contact:
Elisa Espiritu, Director of Development,
Two Bridges Neighborhood Council
elisa@twobridges.org or (212) 566-2729.

Via Del Popolo ǀ Planning Committee

  • Mark Bussell, The Tisch School of the Arts at New York University
  • Kristine Gasbarre, Author of How to Love an American Man: A True Story
  • Phillip Kafka, Prince Media Co.
  • Maha Mamish, Aurora Vitrum Designs
  • Victor Papa and Elisa Espiritu, Two Bridges Neighborhood Council
  • Monsignor Donald Sakano, The Basilica of St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral