Vesuvio Bakery

Opened in New York City’s SoHo neighborhood in 1920 by Neopolitan immigrants Nunzio and Jennie Dapolito, Vesuvio Bakery offered fresh bread and biscuits from within its now-iconic lime green storefront for more than 90-years.

In the basement, the Dapolitos baked their goods using coal ovens. Their son Anthony – born the year the Bakery was opened – became a staple of the neighborhood, delivering bread on his horse-drawn wagon.

Anthony went on to take over the Bakery. In the decades that followed, he became a tireless community activist as the unofficial “Mayor of Greenwich Village.” In the 1960s, he worked alongside Eleanor Roosevelt and Jane Jacobs to save Washington Square Park from the controversial freeway proposed by city official Robert Moses.

Anthony passed away in 2003, leaving a legacy of delicious baked goods and commitment to his community. Shortly before his passing, Anthony sold the Bakery and it became the Birdbath Green Bakery. The new baker operated for a short while, but was permanently closed in 2009.

Now owned by restaurateur Adam Block, the beloved Italian bakery is experiencing a renaissance of its own. With the intent to preserve its origins, Block reopened Vesuvio Bakery in 2020 and restored its original storefront and signage. Open daily, the Bakery will serve simple, quality baked goods – just as the Dapolitos did many years ago.