A man sits outside at Shaw’s cafe with some friends as a white convertible drives up to a stop sign next to coffee shop. The man calls out to his friends in the car and they wave him over. He gets up, walks to the car and gives them handshakes and pleasantries. It turns out that he also knows the people in a black car behind his friends in the convertible and moves a step back to greet them. The whole time he is temporarily impeding the flow of traffic. No one seems to get angry or honk at them. Everyone seems to simply smile and watch. This is the kind of sight that can be seen in St. Louis’s own version of Little Italy known as The Hill.   

The Hill is one of St. Louis’ main attractions, bringing in tourists from all over. The Hill was the starting place for quality Italian food in the St. Louis area and while many of the restaurants have expanded they have not left their roots behind.

“The restaurants, or the authentic Italian restaurants in St. Louis, came from the Hill,” son of Giovanni’s owner Carmelo Gabriele said. “That’s why it’s such a draw to the Hill because it’s the founders of the Italian restaurants in St. Louis. Now the kids have come in and expanded to West County and North County and all that. This is where it originated.”

The Hill is full of restaurants, delis, bakeries and homes. It is well known for its Italian heritage that dates back to the 1800s and is named The Hill because the neighborhood contains the highest point inside city limits and looks off onto semi-sloping streets. It wasn’t until the beginning of the 20th century that it really kicked off. This was due to the proximity of their homes to the clay mines that many of them worked. Others brought over their craftsman skills and imported their foods. Now, generations later, the Hill still stands and the people have clung to their Italian heritage. Many restaurant owners have stories to tell of their own establishment in the area, such as Gabriele, who was originally from Italy, or Guido’s Pizzeria and Tapas’ Miguel Carretero from Spain. Many of these restaurants, such as Amighetti’s Cafe and Bakery, still use traditional recipes passed down and brought from overseas.

“My family is just one of the many that have been here for a very long time where generation after generation has been here,” Amighetti’s owner Dominic Consolino said. “It’s what makes the Hill.”

St. Ambrose Church, many locals will say, is another large part of the community.

“In Italy, in the towns, the social life centered around the local church and here on the Hill over the generations again the social life is centered around St. Ambrose church,” Consolino said. “So, St. Ambrose church will have different events that kind of keep the community together.”

The family atmosphere is not lost in the swarm of fancy dine-in eateries. On a nice day, many people prefer outside dining. Many people are smiling and walking their dogs.

“We have a mixture of clientele,” a manager of Charlie Gitto’s, Todd Newman said. “It’s a family and a business clientele mixture. Actually, we have all walks of life here so it’s kind of a new thing every day you know you never know what you’re gonna have. It’s always changing and it’s always exciting. We’re always busy here.”

There are a variety of restaurants ranging from white tablecloth dining, to more casual seat-yourself cafes.

“[It’s] like when you go on vacation and all the souvenir shops sell the same T-Shirt,” Consolino said. “That’s not the case on the Hill. We all kind of specialize in different things and it works.”

Many shop owners and employees like the location for its accessibility and attraction to customers.

“I think it’s a perfect location,” Jenifer Gunter, manager of Guido’s Pizzeria and Tapas, said. “I couldn’t imagine it any other place.”