By Mark Hallum

Ida Albert came to the United States at the age of 3 and, like many immigrants today, settled with her family in Astoria. The Astoria of Albert's time, however, was mostly agricultural land. This illustrates how much the borough has changed during the life of the soon-to-be 107-year-old Italian American and Bayside resident.

Ida, originally born "Aida" in Italy on Aug. 15, 1909, is the third daughter of a farmer who leased a plot of land near Ditmars Boulevard before developers bought the site to build affordable housing. Albert's father, Guisippi Del Pizzo, an Italian nationalist, named three of his daughters after fellow Italian GiuseppeVe­rdi's operas. He was forced to move the family to a farm in New Jersey, only to return to Astoria after a few years. He later became ill with throat cancer and died at the age of 40.

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Source: http://www.timesledger.com/