How London’s ‘Little Italy’ is making a comeback

For a long time, Clerkenwell was home to London’s ‘Little Italy’. Back in the 1800s, the area’s Italian population was booming but in the latter part of the 20th century, gentrification kicked in and locals began to be priced out of the area. These days, there are only a few traces left but there are signs of a slow revival, with a new generation of Italians flocking to the area for a sense of community. 

Built in 1863, St Peter’s Italian Church still stands on Saffron Hill and continues to host the annual Procession of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, drawing in Italians from all over the capital. Other reminders of the formerly thriving Italian locale include a plaque in tribute to political revolutionary Giuseppe Mazzini and Terroni, the oldest Italian deli in the city (established in 1878). 

At the heart of the area is social club Casa Italiana S. Vincenzo Pallotti on Clerkenwell Road, known locally as ‘the Club’. It’s London’s oldest Italian club, having opened in 1960, but last year it was at risk of closure. The Club’s clientele had become largely older first-generation Italian immigrants and, unable to attract a younger crowd, it began to struggle to cover its running costs. So, its committee gathered together to find a solution and get down with the kids. 

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In a stroke of luck, Casa Italiana was spotted by fragrance company Ffern and featured in its campaign for a new Italian-inspired scent. From there, the company donated £5,000 and helped the club launch a crowdfund, which raised £16,000. It enjoyed even more Gen-Z exposure thanks to a Guardian feature and a visit from Arsenal player Riccardo Calafiori. It had chefs from the Big Mamma Group in to do a fundraiser and now hosts regular language bars for people looking to keep up their Italian. 

Mario Zeppetelli, a volunteer at the club and a regular since the 1960s, told Time Out: ‘We wanted this club to survive, so we wanted to get the youngsters involved. Rewind a year and we were about to redecorate the club because it was like stepping back in the ’80s. Needless to say, in this past year we never got round to redecorating because everybody, especially Gen Z, just loved the decor. 

‘But we still need to raise more funds. The lift isn’t working right now and that’s very important. It's ongoing but we’re getting there. After one year, it’s completely turned around.

There’s definitely been a revival [of Little Italy] but the important thing now is to have that committee of younger people. We'd like to slowly pass things on to them. The future’s looking good but there’s still a lot of work to be done.’

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