Little Italy is the stretch of College Street west of Bathurst Street where Italian immigrants and their families built shops, churches, and social clubs from the early 1900s onward. Heritage Toronto records that by 1926 more than 60 percent of the businesses along that part of College were Italian, and that the community arrived in three waves between roughly the 1880s and the 1960s. Most Italian Canadians have since moved to other parts of the Toronto region, but the name and several landmarks remain.
From The Ward to College Street
The first Italians to settle in Toronto in numbers lived in The Ward, a crowded immigrant district near the present Queen Street and Bay Street. Heritage Toronto dates this first wave from about the 1880s to the 1910s. Some of the newcomers found work through labor brokers known as padroni. Two are named in the Heritage Toronto account: Salvatore Turano, who ran a grocery, boarding house, and labor agency on Mansfield Street, and Francesco Tomaiuolo, who built the Venezia Hotel and published an early Italian-language newspaper.
By the 1900s, according to the same source, Italians were also settling on College Street west of Bathurst. A second wave arrived between the two world wars, and the third came after the Second World War, especially in the 1950s and 1960s. For the wider picture of who arrived in the city and when, see the page on immigration and communities in Toronto’s history.
Timeline of the community
- 1900s: Italians begin to settle on College Street west of Bathurst Street.
- 1926: A survey of College Street businesses finds that more than 60 percent are Italian or use Italian terms in their names.
- June 10, 1940: Italy declares war on Britain and France. Italian nationals in Canada are classed as “enemy aliens” under the War Measures Act, and about 600 Italian men and some women are interned.
- 1947: Diplomatic relations between Italy and Canada resume. From 1947 to 1971, about 20,000 Italians arrive in Canada each year, helped by a family reunification program.
- 1952: The Italian Immigrant Aid Society is founded. It merges with COSTI in 1981.
- 1959: Four Galipo brothers found the Sicilian Sidewalk Cafe at College and Montrose.
- 1962: A statue of Christ found at St. Agnes church leads to the Good Friday procession.
- 1966: Johnny Lombardi and Ted Rogers launch CHIN, described as Ontario’s first fully multilingual radio station.
- 1968: Rocco Mastrangelo opens Cafe Diplomatico at 594 College Street.
- 1970: Forty-eight percent of College Street businesses identify with Italy or use Italian names.
- 2005: The Royal Theatre at 608 College Street receives heritage status from the City.
The war years and the postwar boom
The Second World War broke the community’s momentum. After Italy declared war on June 10, 1940, Italian nationals in Canada were treated as enemy aliens. Heritage Toronto puts the number of people interned at about 600 and adds that thousands more were placed under surveillance. Relations between the two countries resumed in 1947, and immigration then rose sharply: roughly 20,000 Italians came to Canada every year until 1971, according to the same source.
The new arrivals leaned on family networks and on institutions built for them. The Italian Immigrant Aid Society began in 1952, and the International Institute of Metropolitan Toronto operated at 709 College Street from 1954 to 1974. Heritage Toronto also notes that many families planted gardens to save on groceries.
Cafes, shops, radio, and church
Daily life centred on a few places. Johnny Lombardi, born in The Ward in 1915, opened a grocery at Dundas and Manning streets and co-founded CHIN radio with Ted Rogers in 1966. By the 1970s the station broadcast in more than 30 languages. Rocco Mastrangelo opened Cafe Diplomatico in 1968, a venue credited with introducing espresso and patio culture to the street. Severino and Giovanna Manni established Festival Fine Foods at 649 College Street in the mid-1970s.
St. Agnes church at 15 Grace Street offered Mass in Italian, patron saint celebrations, and community gatherings. In 1962 the sacristan, Vito Telesa, found a statue of Christ, which led to a Good Friday procession. Heritage Toronto says that at its height the procession had more than 500 volunteers and drew crowds above 100,000, and that it is now among the largest Easter processions in North America.
Why many Italian families moved away
By the late 1960s many Italian families had left for Corso Italia, Woodbridge, Vaughan, and other suburbs. The share of College Street businesses with Italian ties, above 60 percent in 1926, stood at 48 percent in 1970, and Heritage Toronto reports a further drop of 29 percent by 2000. The Royal Theatre shows the change. Rocco Mastrangelo bought it after the owner, Ray Lewis, died in 1954, and the Piccolo Teatro Italiano used it for over a decade. From 1983 to 1992 it screened Chinese films under the name Golden Princess.
The label “Little Italy” is later than the neighborhood. Heritage Toronto notes that the local business improvement area proposed the name in the 1980s. After Italy won the 1982 World Cup, a crowd of more than 250,000 celebrated on St. Clair Avenue in Corso Italia rather than on College Street, a sign of where the larger Italian population then lived.
Where the boundaries lie
Readers often ask for the exact borders of Little Italy. No single official boundary appears in the sources checked for this page, and descriptions vary. Heritage Toronto describes the commercial core as College Street west of Bathurst, and the 1926 business survey it cites covered the section from Bathurst to Grace Street. The Kensington Market and Annex pages, linked below, describe the districts that lie to the east and north.
Frequently asked questions
When did Italians first settle in Toronto’s Little Italy?
Italians began settling on College Street west of Bathurst in the 1900s, after an earlier foothold in The Ward. The main growth came in the 1950s and 1960s.
Why is the area called Little Italy?
The street had many Italian businesses, churches, and clubs. Heritage Toronto notes that the business improvement area proposed the formal name in the 1980s.
Where did many Italians in Toronto move after the 1960s?
Many moved to Corso Italia, Woodbridge, Vaughan, and other suburbs, according to Heritage Toronto.
Is the Good Friday procession still held?
Heritage Toronto describes it as continuing, with at least eight statues and about 200 characters. Dates and routes change, so the parish or the organizers should be asked for current details.
Last verified: October 2026
Sources
- Heritage Toronto, “Little Italy on College Street”
Related reading
- Immigration and communities in Toronto history
- Kensington Market, the district to the east
- How the Annex developed north of College
- Overview of Toronto history
- How Toronto neighborhoods grew
Cite this page
APA: History of Toronto. (2026, October 23). Little Italy, Toronto: The Italian Community on College Street. https://historyoftoronto.ca/blog/the-fascinating-history-of-little-italy-toronto-from-immigrant-enclave-to-vibrant-cultural-hub
MLA: “Little Italy, Toronto: The Italian Community on College Street.” History of Toronto, 23 Oct. 2026, https://historyoftoronto.ca/blog/the-fascinating-history-of-little-italy-toronto-from-immigrant-enclave-to-vibrant-cultural-hub. Accessed .
Chicago: History of Toronto. “Little Italy, Toronto: The Italian Community on College Street.” Last modified October 23, 2026. https://historyoftoronto.ca/blog/the-fascinating-history-of-little-italy-toronto-from-immigrant-enclave-to-vibrant-cultural-hub.
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