Federal Hill Neighborhood in Providence, Rhode Island

Two daughters of the original owner run Scialo's today. A tour stop here leads straight to the back room lined with three brick ovens from the early 1900s. Fired once in the morning and then shut down, the retained heat throughout the day bakes Italian breads, biscotti, the bakery's renown butter rum cake, cookies and more. Carol (Scialo) Gaeta tells the family's tale while her helpers demonstrate how to make confectionery flowers and roll out bread dough. Scialo's is the only original Federal Hill bakery left. And they still make cannoli shells by hand. The front part of the store is fairy-tale-like with its drawers of Italian candies and cases of pastries. 

Family-owned for three generations and 110 years old, Gasbarro's Wines was instrumental in introducing Italian wines into Rhode Island and beyond. Today, the store has the country's largest selection of Italian wines. Italian producers, such as Lazzaroni, rub elbows with the Gasbarros when they visit the store to thank the family for supporting their brand. And the only U.S. distributor of 90-proof Punch Abruzzo, a favorite of older Italians and used often as an after-dinner digestivo, hails from Cleveland. He loads up his car and drives to Gasbarro's to hand-deliver the cases. A Gasbarro wine specialist  helps describe the selections.

Trip Advisor raves about historic Federal Hill.  For the state's official tourism information, contact Visit Rhode Island or call toll free to 800-556-2484. There's more to Providence than Federal Hill. The award-winning state capital at the top of Narragansett Bay has four centuries of history. The city is believed to have a larger percentage of buildings on the National Historic Register than any other U.S. city representing immaculately preserved Colonial, Federal, Greek Revival and Victorian homes and buildings.