North Beach is the Italian area of San Francisco, known for restaurants, bakeries, gelato parlors, espresso bars, and coffee shops and roasteries. It is a very popular area for young professionals and folks looking for great Italian food and popular night spots.

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Popular sights to see in North Beach include Washington Square, the Church of Saints Peter and Paul, and St. Francis of Assisi Church, dedicated as a shrine to San Francisco's namesake, St. Francis. The Church of St Peter and Paul is the location of Marilyn Munroe and Joe DiMaggio's wedding photographs.

Originally, North Beach was the Italian quarter with 60,000 Italians living here in the 1940's. In the 1950's many of the figures of the Beat movement gathered in the area in places such as Vesuvios and City Lights Bookstore. The City Lights Bookstore is a literary landmark, owned by Lawrence Ferlinghetti.

North Beach is also home to the Barbary Coast area with adult entertainment. Coit Tower, located atop Telegraph Hill, is one of the city's most recognizable landmarks. Coit Tower was named for Lillie Hitchcock Coit. When she died, she left funds to create a memorial to volunteer firemen in this city that burned to the grounds of a number of occasions before a paid fire department was finally established. The Coit Tower offers panoramic views of the city from the observation deck, and the lobby is filled with Depression area murals.

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If you would like more information, please email tours@alcatraz.us or call us toll free at 866-268-8729. For local information, please call 415-461-4608.