by Julie Besonen

The Italian heritage of Brooklyn's Homecrest is evinced by the Virgin Mary statuettes on the block that is home to the Enrico Caruso Museum of America. A tidy house at 1942 East 19th Street, owned by Aldo Mancusi since 1956, doubles as a shrine to the opera icon. "A hobby gone crazy," Mr. Mancusi said, his silver mustache as neatly pruned as the yard's hedges.

On a spring Saturday afternoon, Mr. Mancusi, 84, spryly led a dozen visitors upstairs to the museum. His flame-haired wife of 60 years, Lisa, stood sentry, collecting the $10 admission fee. When the earsplitting doorbell rang, she bounced, her hand flying to her heart.

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Source: http://www.nytimes.com/