Crime and Cuisine on Federal Hill

Learning about the history of the Petriarca family. I grew up in RI and knew of the presence of the mob, but not the details and impact it had.

We went on this tour in the pouring rain! It was a food tour of an Italian area, so we stopped at Italian restaurants, bakeries and groceries. I would have enjoyed a bit more historic information, but all in all it was a lot of fun (though my friend and I wound up soaked!) Our guide, Brad, was very good.

This was a pretty fantastic tour. The crime stories were pretty cool. Since I am not from here, I was not familiar with most of them. Our tour guide was amazing, but of course I forgot her name. She does this a retirement gig and she grew up there, so there was definitely a connection to the material. Food was the highlight of the tour. Unfortunately, they started with the best food with the wine first. I wish they would have started with the pizza instead of finishing with it. All in all, excellent tour.

This food and historical tour usually takes place on Saturdays during the warm season in Providence's Federal Hill area. This year the tour will run until the Saturday after Thanksgiving.

The focus of the tour is to learn about the mafia personalities of the 20th century in the Italian section of Providence (Federal Hill).

Pat was our guide and she gave a great summary of the highlights related to Raymond Petrarca and his relationship with the crime lords in the country, not only New England but also along the East Coast, Midwest and West Coast. Another personality that was highlighted was Buddy Cianci, two times mayor of Providence and larger-than-life figure in Rhode Island history.

The tour made a stop at five restaurants for a culinary taste of the Hill...highlighting homemade fresh pasta dishes, meatballs, pizza, eggplant appetizers, mortadella and cheese rolls and dessert. All delicious.

The tour runs for about 3.5 hours for the historical and gastronomical experience.

Very nice for those into history, mafia and crime.

We took the tour on a very hot day and the tour guide offered options for taking our time and staying in the shade. The food was excellent. The information was very interesting and complete. But there was something that made us uncomfortable. At one of the food stops we were joined by a man who said he was Raymond Patriarca's grandson and Raymond Junior's nephew. That is not possible because Raymond Patriarca had only one child. This man was loud and crude and told a lot of stories about being with the mob, but I think he was a con man. He was with the group for an hour or two and mostly hung around the younger women in the tour. He seemed to be friends with the tour guide and acted kind of like a second tour guide. I just think it was unprofessional and I wish we could have had just the official guide and a more peaceful tour.

Kate was excellent but wish there was more characters in the presentation. There has to be more about the corruption and acts of the wise guys.

The tour was so fun with some good history of Patriarca and Cianci. Not to mention the excellent tasty bites and walking off some of the calories. Our guide Kate was very good and had a fun persona.

Great tour! My mom, son and I really enjoyed it and am looking to do it again with my husband. It was our first food tour and our tour guide, Allison, was very good and we were not rushed.

The food and the stories were great! Loved our tour guide she was so fun! I like that we didn’t feel rushed like I have on other tours.

This experience was sooo much fun!!! Cannot say enough about it! Six great places of food and wine and the history of the town is fabulous. Our tour guide was very informative and our group was small so we could enjoy and ask questions. Love love love. Would recommend to all.

We were among the first to take the new tour from Providence Tour Company, Crime and Cuisine on Federal Hill. It was fantastic! The food, unsurprisingly since we were visiting establishments in the noted Federal Hill district, was excellent. We had the best meatballs we’ve ever had at one stop; an eggplant rollatini that I can almost guarantee even people who don’t like eggplant would love; charcuterie and salad at a lovely gourmet shop (we returned here after the tour to purchase some things that had caught our eye); delicious pizza; and even a wine tasting. We ended up taking our chosen dessert, a cannoli, home with us as the portions at the earlier stops were so generous. In addition to the great food, at most stops we were able to interact with the proprietors or employees, which added to our enjoyment. Kate, our guide, was engaging and personable.

If this had just been a food tour, it would have been well worth the money. But we also heard stories of the criminal history of the area; these were so interesting and entertaining. This unique twist really enhanced the tour.

The tour covered about a mile on flat, easy terrain. It was the perfect way to spend an afternoon in Providence.