Custom-tailored & personalized just for you.
Explore New York City through the lens of its most notorious criminal organization. Walk the streets of New York and uncover its dark secrets. This is a private tour just for you.
Your own personal tour guide and host will weave together the fascinating history of New York with the captivating story of the New York Italian mafia. The history of New York City is intertwined with the history and legends of the five “families” of New York. A history that has inspired some of your favorite movies like The Godfather, Goodfellas and Donnie Brasco.
Be your own detective and come with us on a journey. Think of this as your chance to create your own New York City adventure. There’s a story to be told here. A story you won’t want to miss.
Hungry for the tastes and smells of New York? Along the way try some of the best cannolis in New York along with some traditional Italian favorites such as fresh mozzarella and imported prosciutto from Italy. Choose between a NYC-style pizza lunch or a sit-down lunch in Little Italy where a gangland hit took place.
If you’re fascinated by the New York mafia like we are you’re going to be in for a real treat. This is a tour unlike any other.
My family and I took the Mafia tour with Jason. He took care of us from soup to nuts! The way he shared his knowledge and stories of the Mob felt like he lived through it himself. It was clear he has a great passion and knowledge of NYC. Highly recommend!
Our tour starts uptown at East 118th Street and Pleasant Avenue, in what used to be the old Italian neighborhood of East Harlem. This avenue isn’t so pleasant if the Genovese family has a beef with you.
East Harlem is where Giuseppe Morello, the first real godfather of a family in NYC first settled when arriving from the town of Corleone, Sicily. It’s no coincidence that it is here in East Harlem where we link together the original godfather, Giuseppe Morello, from the town of Corleone, Sicily… with our perhaps more famous Godfather, Don Corleone played by the great Marlon Brando.
Francis old Coppola came here to shoot the famous scene in first The Godfather movie where Sonny (played by James Caan) kicks the you know what out of his sister’s husband with a trashcan for hitting her.
A few blocks away is the famous Rao’s Restaurant, a landmark in the neighborhood since 1896. The site of a famous murder as well as the location for a scene with Leonardo di Caprio in Wolf of Wall Street, Rao’s is in a world of the its own.
Get ready… because we’re just getting started.
Next, you’ll listen to your host weave together the stories and history of NYC and the mob as you head downtown on the FDR Drive with amazing views of Queens, Brooklyn and New York’s famous bridges.
Things are about to get real interesting as the story begins to unfold. Is that The Godfather theme you hear playing in the background?
Our next stop is the beautiful Woolworth Building, tallest building in the world from 1913 to 1930.
In the 1980s and ‘90s NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani probably did more to take down organized crime in NY than anyone in history. In the 1930s, it was special prosecutor Thomas E. Dewey who held that title. From the 14th floor here at the famous Woolworth Building sat the special prosecutor’s office complete with un-tappable phone lines and tamper-proof filing cabinets.
From this building came the strategizing and the guts to take down the most notorious mobster in history, Lucky Luciano. Lucky (or not so lucky) was the only major New York mafia leader of his era convicted of a serious felony.
Nearby the Woolworth Building we’ll see St. Paul’s Chapel and City Hall park, both of which have fascinating history related to George Washington and the Revolutionary War.
This is where a lot of the action takes place. We’re going to see the childhood home of Lucky Luciano – the most important figure in New York’s criminal underworld. Just down the block we’ll discover the site of one of Luciano’s murders which also happens to be a location used in both Boardwalk Empire and The Sopranos.
Next, we’ll stop for a drink (or soda) in a notorious former speakeasy, try some fresh mozzarella and imported prosciutto from an old-school traditional Italian deli, check out the former site of John Gotti’s Ravenite Social Club and grab an authentic cannoli and cappuccino.
You’ll take a stroll along Mulberry Street and soak up the history of the neighborhood while your guide explains the story of New York’s 5 families, why they were formed and who was involved. This is your opportunity to grab a sit-down lunch in Little Italy at the restaurant where Crazy Joe Gallo got whacked during a late night dinner with friends and family.
From the Financial District, we head uptown to the neighborhood of Greenwich Village where we’ll uncover the rise to power of Vito Genovese, the namesake of the powerful Genovese crime family that still exists to this day.
The winding, tree-lined streets of Greenwich Village has a darker side to it. The dark underbelly of New York’s criminal underworld hides many secrets here. You’ll hear the strange story of a godfather of more recent times. Known as “The Oddfather”, Vincent “The Chin” Gigante walked around this neighborhood in his bathrobe and slippers pretending to be crazy so the Feds wouldn’t catch him. You’re going to walk the very streets he walked and see his old social club where he ran his operations.
While we’re here, you’ll have an opportunity for a NYC-style pizza lunch at the famous Joe’s Pizza.
From Greenwich Village we head up to Midtown Manhattan where the most significant event in the history of the New York mafia took place: the final murder of the 2 old-school Sicilian bosses which led to the establishment of The Commission and the founding of the 5 New York crime families that still exist today.
Next, we visit the murder sites of 4 key figures: Arnold Rothstein & Albert “The Mad Hatter” Anastasia at the old Park Central Hotel, the boss of the Colombo family, Joe Colombo at Columbus Circle, and godfather of the Genovese family Paul Castellano at Spark’s Steakhouse.
From here we head on over to Hell’s Kitchen where we uncover the link between the Italian mob and The Westies, a brutal Irish gang. We’ll check out the club where one of its leaders kept the severed fingers of his victims behind the bar.
For the final part of our tour we continue uptown to Central Park West to see the former home of Frank Costello, godfather of the Genovese family. Vincent “The Chin” Gigante tried to kill Costello here at this building, with the bullet only grazing Costello’s head.
You’ll end your tour with a nice walk through Central Park with your guide to discuss the days events and answer any questions you may have.
Your private car will drop you back off at your hotel.
