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Italian
London
A history
Italians have been coming to live in London
for hundreds of years, including Canaletto,
the famous Renaissance Artist whose works
can be seen in the National Gallery and
Buckingham Palace. In the first half of the
19th century, there was an influx of
political refugees into London. By
1854 London's first Italian community of
about 2000 was formed in Clerkenwell. Many
opened businesses in the catering industry,
or worked as artisans, street vendors or
street musicians.
There is still a large Italian community in
Clerkenwell, and this area is also home to
the Italian Church, St.Peters, which holds
Italian events and youth clubs for the
Italian community. It is also the area of
London that has most of the original Italian
businesses, shops and cafes. Other 'Italian
areas' of London now include
Islington,Battersea, and in particular
Kensington and Chelsea.
St.Peter's Italian Church (St.Pietro)
 When
Italian immigrants formed the first Italian
community in London over 150 years ago, they
had no official church of their own, and
used to attend prayer at the Royal
Sardinian Chapel at Lincoln's Inn
Fields. The 1st Archbishop of westminster,
Cardinal Wiseman, invited St.Vincent
Pallotti to establish an Italian Church in
London. Helping in the task, were
Fr.Raffaele Melia, the Italian chaplin
to the Sardinian Church, and Fr.Giuseppe
Faa' di Bruno, a priest from Turin.
By 1853,
enough funds had been raised to buy a site
for the Italian Church of St.Peter's in
London's 'Little
Italy'.
St.Peter's
opened in 1863, and at that time, was the
only church in Roman Basilican style.
It remains an
important focal point for the Italian
community in London, and many regularly
attend prayers and mass, as well as
celebrating important events in the church's
calendar.
Visit the website of St.Pietro
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