The Paul Revere House and the Old North Church are the best-known buildings in the North End, Boston's "Little Italy" (although it's never called that). Home to natives of Italy and their assimilated children, numerous Italian restaurants and private social clubs, and many historic sights, this is one of the oldest neighborhoods in the city. It was home in the 17th century to the Mather family of Puritan ministers, who certainly would be shocked to see the merry goings-on at the festivals and street fairs that take over different areas of the North End on weekends in July and August.

The Italians (and their yuppie neighbors who have made inroads since the 1980s) are only the latest immigrant group to dominate the North End. In the mid-19th century, this was an eastern European Jewish enclave and later an Irish stronghold. In 1894, Rose Fitzgerald, mother of President John F. Kennedy, was born on Garden Court Street and baptized at St. Stephen's Church.

Modern visitors might be more interested in a Hanover Street caffè, the perfect place to have coffee or a soft drink and feast on sweets. Mike's Pastry, 300 Hanover St. (tel. 617/742-3050), is a bakery that does a frantic takeout business and has tables where you can sit down and order one of the confections on display in the cases. Mike's claim to fame is its cannoli (tubes of crisp-fried pastry filled with sweetened ricotta cheese); the cookies, cakes, and other pastries are excellent, too. You can also sit and relax at Caffè dello Sport or Caffè Vittoria, on either side of Mike's.