YOU CAN NOW EXPLORE the seamier — and saucier — side of Providence and the legacy of the RISDIC scandal , mob bosses and the Buddy Cianci era with Providence Tour Company ’ s Crime and Cuisine on Federal Hill tour . The tour winds through the neighborhood with several historical and tasty stops along the way , packed with tidbits about the area ’ s legacy as a haven for the Italian-American community and as ground zero for the machinations of the Patriarca

Venda Ravioli is a stop on the Crime and Cuisine tour on Federal Hill .

crime family .

The tour is an offshoot of the company ’ s first tour , called Welcome to Providence . It was interesting enough — offering guests an overview of the capital city , from Roger Williams to present-day happenings — but only tourists were taking it , says Bradly VanDerStad , Providence Tour Company ’ s founder .

In brainstorming ways to improve the tour , VanDerStad kept coming back to Providence ’ s history with organized crime .

“ People are just allured by true crime — it ’ s a very successful form of literature ,” he says . “ I thought , what a great way to turn something that was historically a liability for Providence tourism — now its legacy — into a tourism driver .”

The tour leaves from La Pigna , the pine cone arch at the beginning of Atwells Avenue . ( Fun fact : Although it seems like it ’ s been there for ages , the arch was dedicated during Cianci ’ s first run as mayor in 1981 .) In between lore dropped by knowledgeable tour guides , guests stop into Venda Ravioli for savory Italian nibbles and gaze at the old Coin-O-Matic building where Raymond

Patriarca , ahem , conducted business . A visit to Napolitano ’ s Brooklyn Pizza for authentic thin-crust pie is juxtaposed with a stroll to the old Heritage Loan & Investment bank , where former president Joe Mollicone launched the state ’ s credit union crisis after embezzling $ 15 million and fleeing to Utah .

The tour is by far the company ’ s most popular , VanDerStad says , and 40 percent of tourgoers are Rhode Island residents . Now in its third season , the newly expanded tour will run on weekdays and six times on Saturdays and Sundays during the summer . Tours run through December . Leave the gun , take the cannoli , indeed . Providence Tour Company ,

405-6608 , pvdtourco . com

PHOTOGRAPHY , THIS PAGE : COURTESY OF PVD TOURS AND LAURA AFONSO OF @ BUNSANDBITES . OPPOSITE PAGE : BOOK COVERS COURTESY OF PUBLISHERS .

74 RHODE ISLAND MONTHLY I MARCH 2025