The Italian Cultural Center set to officially open in Delaware County

TINICUM TOWNSHIP, Pennsylvania (WPVI) -- On Saturday, the doors will open to the Delaware Valley region's first Italian museum.

It was a long road to this moment, and the curated collection is a historical celebration of the area's Italian roots.

"Our goal is to showcase the greatness and the ingenuity of the Italians and what they've brought to America," says historian Michael DiPilla.

The Italian Cultural Center of the Delaware Valley in Tinicum Township, Pennsylvania curated artifacts dating back centuries.

"There was a small Italian community in Philadelphia in the 1700s," DiPilla says. "Some of them were great artists and great sculptors."

They also brought culture and connection to Philadelphia, from the first musical concert in 1757 to the first Italian restaurant, which opened up in 1786.

That restaurant was on Market Street, where there once stood a piece of little-known history in 1783.

"Most people don't realize we had an Arc de Triomphe in Philadelphia," DiPilla says. "It spanned the entire width of Market Street. It was right outside what would become the George Washington White House."

Speaking of the nation's first president, they also boast the George Washington sculpture that would have been inside the White House to greet visitors when they came to see the president.

In the center, you'll also find Thomas Jefferson's original drawing of a macaroni machine.

"He loved macaroni and he loved pasta," DiPilla says. "He had his secretary go throughout Italy. He said, 'Please find me this macaroni machine.'"

The cultural center is inside the Lazaretto, the first quarantine hospital in the United States.

"It predates Ellis Island," DiPilla says. "One in three Americans can trace their heritage back to having come through this quarantine station."

They also have the original records.

"We're going to provide people the capability to trace their heritage back to Italy," DiPilla says.

The Italian Cultural Center of the Delaware Valley took 10 years and millions in grants to create.

To learn more about The Italian Cultural Center of the Delaware Valley, click HERE.

Be sure to check out the Italian-American Heritage Parade in Philadelphia on Sunday for more on Italian culture throughout the city.

You can watch live on 6abc or wherever you stream us from 12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m.