The vault at Hudson Fur Storage on Cranston Street in Providence .
A rift between the thieves led to their eventual arrest and a blockbuster trial in Rhode Island ’ s Superior Court . Law enforcement officials have long suspected Patriarca of ordering the theft , but he was never charged in connection with the crime .
ANDINO ’ S
ANDINO ’ S , with its long list of pasta entrees and its Rat Pack vibes , has long been a Federal Hill favorite . It also has the closest mob ties among any of its peers : Its founder , Andino Merola , did time for the mob killing of Joseph “ Joe Onions ” Scanlon in 1978 before launching the restaurant a decade later . Today , the restaurant is run by his son , Anthony , and revered for its Federal Hill adoration . Check out the beautiful mural on the wall , a tribute to the Hill we ’ ll always know and love , and be sure to order the calamari , snail salad and one of the many chicken or veal specialties .
CAMILLE ’ S
A FAVORITE OF POLITICOS and crime bosses alike , Camille ’ s has been serving up Italian food on the Hill
since 1914 . Operating as a speakeasy early on , the restaurant has hosted celebrities the likes of John F . Kennedy Jr ., Jane Fonda and Yoko Ono in its richly decorated dining room . In 2011 , the business was named to The Daily Meal ’ s list of famous “ Mobster Restaurants Around the Country .”
MARIA ’ S CUCINA
MARIA ’ S CUCINA might be a relatively recent addition to Providence ’ s dining scene , but its Broadway digs boast more than a century of history . Located inside the Italo American
Club of Rhode Island , the restaurant features historical scenes from Greece and Italy painted on the walls of the 1890s-era Victorian home . In 2022 , a state police investigation into a State House employee accused the restaurant of having Mafia ties , including an alleged mobster Christmas party two years earlier .
HERITAGE LOAN AND INVESTMENT CO .
THIS GRAND STONE bank on Federal Hill had plenty of high-profile customers , including , allegedly , Patriarca . In 1990 , President Joe Mollicone Jr . kicked off the state ’ s banking crisis when he embezzled approximately $ 15 million of investors ’ money , fleeing the state and leaving the Rhode Island Share and Deposit Indemnity Corporation in shambles . A third of Rhode Islanders lost access to their cash , and Mollicone enjoyed an eighteen-month sojourn in Utah before turning himself in . Today , the bank is a lounge and hookah bar , and Mollicone makes monthly restitution payments in $ 70 installments . The tab ? $ 12 million . — L . C .
FROM TOP : Cianci celebrates his fifty-eighth birthday at the Providence Biltmore . Cianci ’ s Table No . 5 at Joe Marzilli ’ s Old Canteen .
What to Do About Buddy ?
If you ’ ve walked , talked or turned on a radio or TV in Rhode Island , you ’ ve heard his name : Buddy Cianci , the six-time former Providence mayor Rhode Islanders love to hate , and hate to love . A popular local radio host with a flair for theatrics , Buddy was never one to let a scandal get in the way of a good campaign . While his supporters attribute him with resurrecting Providence ( can he really take credit for WaterFire ?), critics point to decades of City Hall corruption and a federal racketeering probe that cemented Providence ’ s reputation for generations — plus there was that little incident of a local contractor and a fireplace log at the end of his first mayoral run . An old-school politician to the end , Buddy might have something to teach us yet about the power of personality in politics . So why is he in this story ? Buddy ’ s career coincided with Providence ’ s organized crime machine , from his initial run as the “ anti-corruption candidate ” to the system of political ( and , according to a federal investigation , monetary ) favors that made his administration run , and eventually proved its downfall . Idolize him or despise him — he may have been gone these past nine years , but Buddy ’ s legacy in Providence is forever .
THIS PAGE : ( VAULT ) DESIGN IMAGING STUDIOS INC ./ CHRISTIAN SCULLY ; ( CIANCI ) CONNIE GROSCH-USA TODAY NETWORK ; ( TABLE ) STEVE SZYDLOWSKI-USA TODAY NETWORK .