Exclusive | New generation breathes life back into shrinking Little Italy in time for Feast of San Gennaros 100th anniversary: Change is inevitable

There’s a red-sauce-fueled resurgence happening in Little Italy.For decades, the neighborhood seemed to be shrinking. Once a sprawling 30-block enclave of Italian immigrants, the neighborhood has shrunk to five blocks along Mulberry Street between Canal and Broome.Astronomical rents pushed out multigenerational businesses that had been fixtures for a century.Italian families moved elsewhere.Some old-timers even sounded the death knell.But now, as Little Italy celebrates the 100th anniversary of its famed Feast of San Gennaro, a new generation of personalities and businesses is moving in — bringing fresh energy to a neighborhood that many feared was fading away.It might sound like a battle between old and new. Instead, the old guard is holding the door open, hoping newcomers breathe new life into the beloved enclave — and keep Little Italy alive for another generation.“The neighborhood is currently reinventing itself, as it’s done constantly,” Ernest Lepore, 61, whose family has run Grand Street’s Ferrara Bakery and Cafe since 1892, told The Post.“From a businessman’s point of view, the crowds bring a coolness to the neighborhood,” he mused.“I’m thrilled when I see the young people.

We welcome them all; it’s how the neighborhood reinvents itself.It’s an evolution, and I’ve been waiting for the next wave of fun.”Part of that new wave is Massimo Laveglia, whose acclaimed L’Industrie Pizza landed next door to Ferrara Bakery in March.Born in Pistoia, Tuscany, Laveglia brought his viral pizza joint to Grand Street, opening its third location after Williamsburg and the West Village.

Since then, it’s been pizza pandemonium, with hungry fans lining up daily and spilling around the block.“We found an opportunity and took a chance,” says Laveglia of his shop, which slings out $47 pies topped with imported ingredients like prosciutto di Parma and burrata.Regularly voted one of the best pizza shops in the USA, it was awarded the tasty ...