From KQED.

San Francisco's Italian Heritage Parade creates a massive public party in North Beach every October.

Streets are blocked off from Fisherman's Wharf to Washington Square Park on Columbus Day weekend.

Bystanders wave many Italian flags and eat gelato as they watch the fancy floats and trolleys go by.

At St. Peter and Paul Church, people play a salami toss game.

Word is, this is the longest-running Italian parade in the country, started back in 1869.

Our question asker this week, Grant Struther, says he's not Italian, but he's walked these streets since he was a teenager.

I do remember in high school, which was early 2000s, you would still hear some Italian conversations on the street.

I remember hearing that at Mario's and Trieste.

Now as an adult, he works in the financial district

and sometimes walks to North Beach for lunch

to grab a capraise sandwich at Molinari's deli.

But during one of those walks, he wondered,

do Italian people still live in North Beach?

Or is it all just a tourist trap?

Obviously, immigration patterns have undoubtedly changed since North Beach was populated.

But I was just interested kind of how Italian North Beach really is, aside from a lot of the restaurants that are still there.

Obviously, there are some great legacy businesses.

I'm Olivia Allen Price, and today on Bay Curious, we'll look at the Italian roots of North Beach,

track how things have changed, and learn about some of the efforts to keep this history alive.

Located on San Francisco's northeast side, North Beach is one of the oldest neighborhoods

in the city and has been home to immigrants from many backgrounds over the years.

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