Giunta Homestead and Farm

Giunta Homestead and Farm. . In 1907, Salvatore and Vittoria Giunta arrived at Ellis Island from Santo Stefano Quisquina, Sicily. Like many other Sicilian immigrants, they left behind peasant farming for a better future in Ybor City, where work was plentiful. They brought little but their strong work ethic and the seeds of the crops that had always sustained their family. Sicilian families settled on the east side of Ybor City, beyond the cigar factories and worker housing. They had a variety of jobs, even as laborers on the local celery farms. , After years of work, Salvatore and Vittoria saved enough to buy land at the corner of 11th Avenue and 24th Street, where they farmed heirloom produce and herbs to supplement their income. They gradually bought more land and, in 1924, built a home for their growing family. Like many of their Sicilian neighbors, the Giuntas grew their own food, raised chickens, baked bread in an outdoor oven, and were largely self-sufficient. The homestead of nearly an entire block contained the house, auxiliary buildings, farm fields, and an orchard. For over a century, the Giunta family has carried on their farming tradition in Ybor City. The Giunta Homestead and Farm tells the story of many early Sicilian immigrants lives in east Ybor City.