October is Italian-American Heritage and Culture Month. In Connecticut, more than 584,000 Italian-Americans call the state home, according to World Population Review 2023. They make up 16-percent of the population, making Connecticut the state with the highest percentage of Italian-Americans in the country. Over the decades, Italian immigrants and their descendants are also responsible for many contributions to Connecticut.

With rolling hills, winding vines, and luscious fruit, there is a corner of Connecticut that looks like the Italian countryside. “Apples, peaches, pears, blueberries, sweet cherries,” said Ben LaRose, Belltown Hill Orchards Pick Your Own manager. The family behind Belltown Hill Orchards: Italian-Americans. They have been running the farm and market in Glastonbury for four generations.