Bella Vista, Philadelphia

Do you have a passion for cooking with fresh ingredients? Are you an aficionado for open air markets? Then the Bella Vista also known as the Italian Market District would be the place for you to make a home. Fresh air markets operate from mid-week to the weekend offering the essential goods and exotic accents.

Traditionally, it has been home to the immigrants from Italy providing everything from hand-made wedding cakes to live turkeys. Stores supplying cooking utensils are plentiful. More recently, it has become home to newer immigrants from Asia and India bringing their spices and delicacies for sale.

The area is populated with row homes of 4 stories and trinities of 3 stories with one room per floor. Blocks contain homes of family and extended family. There are several public schools and playgrounds which field sports teams that play during the evening hours.

Transportation is excellent with buses running to and from Center City. On pleasant days, a brisk walk will carry you to the major hubs. Medical students from Thomas Jefferson and Pennsylvania Hospitals populate the area because of the close proximity.

South Street, a major entertainment corridor, is a few blocks away. En route, there are small café’s for coffee or light snacks.

One of the first things many people new to Philadelphia may think of when they hear “South Philadelphia” is “Italians”. Of all of the neighborhoods in South Philadelphia few display Italian pride as well as Bella Vista.

The first Philadelphia neighborhood to be settled by Italian immigrants, Bella Vista has annual festivals like the Italian Market festival and Bella Vista festival which celebrate Italian culture. These festivals blocks of the streets and attract crowds. When there are not festivals the Italian Market is still pretty crowded during the day with people shopping for cheap produce and specialty meats and cheeses. So be prepared to get stuck in a few mini traffic jams or change lanes often.

Over all Bella Vista is a nice neighborhood and relatively inexpensive to live in. The more distance you put between your home and the Italian Market the better as far as aesthetics and smell. The area tends to get dirty and in the summer smells terrible because of the leftovers from the Italian Market stands.

Bella Vista is also within walking distance of a lot of other great neighborhoods and public transportation is easy to access. And if you’re driving, aside from the traffic from the market, it’s pretty easy to get around.

Bella Vista, which means “beautiful sight” in Italian, is a neighborhood in South Philadelphia that is situated between South Street to the north, Washington Avenue to the South, 11th Street to the West and 6th Street to the east. It is one of the most beautiful sections of the city and is home to the Italian Market, which runs up 9th Street. The Italian Market features many grocers, restaurants, cafes and bakeries. One of its most famous stores is De Buno Brothers Cheese.
It was one of the first neighborhoods in the city to be settled by Italian immigrants and continues to be one of Philly’s prominent Italian American neighborhoods.
Bella Vista is considered the brunch capital of Philadelphia and features many great restaurants to dine in, including Sabrina’s, 12 Steps Down, and Little Bar. It also features some of the prettiest parks in the city including Washington Square Park and Bardascino Park.
If you own a car, be prepared to spend some extra time looking for parking. Due to Bella Vista being one of the more popular residential areas of the city, many people want to live there and parking is always difficult to find.
If you want to live in a quiet and clean section of South Philadelphia, then Bella Vista is definitely perfect for you. There are many hidden gems to discover in this delightful neighborhood including the free library located on 10th Street and Carpenter Street.