Italians and those who love them now have a place to gather and experience Italian culture and history.

The Italian Cultural Center of the Delaware Valley has now officially opened at the Lazaretto in Tinicum Township on the Delaware County waterfront, writes Peg DeGrassa for the Daily Times.

“Our goal is to showcase the greatness and the ingenuity of the Italians and what they’ve brought to America,” said author and historian Michael DiPilla of Philadelphia.

The cultural center houses exhibits that show off the vibrant culture and history of Italians and Italian Americans. 

To make the museum a reality, area Italian-American organizations started working with Tinicum commissioners and township officials back in 2013.

Tinicum Board of Commissioner President Pat McCarthy called the Lazaretto a work in progress, providing museum space for both the Italians and the Swedes.

Now he hopes to develop the entire waterfront to show people what a beautiful town Tinicum is.

The Lazaretto was purchased by Tinicum in 2001. It was a quarantine hospital built in 1799 following yellow fever epidemics.  Operating from 1801 to 1895, it protected Philadelphia from imported epidemics.

Read more about the reactions of visitors on opening day and more about the cultural center itself in the Daily Times.