is there a large italian community in the city? are there any clubs or associations that patron italian & italian-american culture?

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aaaa....try that little area south of washington north of the stadiums.

If this burg has anything, it has Italians. (Have you seen Rocky?)

Once you get out here, one of the first places you need to visit is the Italian Market. You will find yourself face to face with an amazing variety of Italian and Italian-American favorites. In Philly, it's as easy to find gelato as it is to find ice cream.

You'll soon learn you can't throw a rock around here without hitting an Italian. (But don't, 'cause it's not nice.)

any favourite gelato places i should check out, or specific vendors at the italian market i should patron?

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"A great many people think they are thinking when they are merely reorganizing their prejudices"
~William James

The one gelateria I can think of is actually not in the Italian Market, but rather in Center City - Capogiro, at 13th & Sansom (with another outlet due to open soon at 20th & Sansom, supposedly).

Everybody has their favorites in the IM. I would recommend either Talluto's on 9th or Superior Pasta on Christian for fresh pasta & sauces - both excellent. We usually go to Claudio for cheese rather than DiBruno - not sure why, exactly. And of course Esposito's for meats.

I would suggest Caffe Carmen for the best Gelati that I've found so far in the city. It's on Moyamensing near Snyder. It is homemade and it is delicious. Try the pistachio or the lemon or the choc....you get the idea. Very good stuff.

If you start at one end of the Italian Market, you will walk past DiBruno's, Claudio's and Esposito's. (The first two have all kinds of Italian food, the last is a butcher that makes a fantastic Italian sausage.)

Claudio's is almost like going to school. I've asked questions there, and before I knew it, there were samples in front of me and a lesson about the history of a variety of cheese or the delights of white anchovies. DiBruno's is a local institution and just opened a big new place near Rittenhouse Square in Center City, which I compare to an Italian food amusement park.

I'm with Neil on Capogiro, but I haven't tried Caffe Carmen yet.

The other great place for food is Reading Terminal Market. There you'll find all kinds of food, both fresh and prepared, including an Italian bakery called Termini Brothers. Their main shop is a short walk from the Italian Market (just ask). Among the many choices at the Terminal Market are several Amish places, including cheese shops, butchers, bakeries (those pies!), and an unbelievable lunch counter.

The other surprising thing to a newcomer is the number of carts located around the where you can get a sandwich, Asian food or a variety of other things. For some of the sandwiches, the prices are almost ridiculously low, and the sandwiches are often really good.

Of course, you will have to get a cheesesteak sandwich, too, but that's a discussion that deserves its own post.

I'm a very recent transplant to Philly, and the food scene here has been one of the thing I've liked most about the city.

Philly actually has an Italian-American newspaper. It's a free weekly, but interesting none-the-less. I've seen it around churches in South Philly. That would probably have info on clubs and stuff.

I'd have to say that Capegiro and Caffe Carmen are different animals (never been to CC yet). I'd venture to say that Capegiro is more adventurous in terms of flavors (it seems they are a veritable gelatto laboratory) and Carmen is probably more traditional. Just a guess though. Anyways, everyone has a different favorite. Claudio's has the best fresh mozzarella (although it's not like DiBruno's is bad). When I buy sauce, it's usually superior but I get fresh ravioli at Talluto's. D'angelo's sells amazing sausage (although Philly is more of a great sausage town than even a cheesteak town).

Also, I'm sure there are local branches of the Italian American club.

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Don't know about Caffe Carmen, but Capogiro is also very expensive - I got gelati for my wife, daughter & myself and was stunned at the total cost ($15-20 maybe?).

Does anybody know the name of the old-fashioned little market on East Passyunk that is renowned for making its own ricotta? I've been there once but can't say what it's called. It's a great place - a real time capsule.