St. Clair Avenue, between Lansdowne and Westmount Ave. TTC: St. Clair West, then streetcar westbound

This part of town is known for its fashionable shops that reflect what's hot in Europe. Top-of-the-line Italian fashion shops draw crowds, as do a multitude of cafés and restaurants offering the cuisines of various Italian regions.

The Details

Italians have played an important role in Canadian history ever since Giovanni Caboto (John Cabot) explored and claimed Newfoundland for England in 1497. But the first real wave of immigration to Canada was between 1885 and 1924, when Italian men left their villages in southern Italy to work as seasonal labourers.

After World War II, another wave of Italians arrived, this time settling around College St. – our first “Little Italy.” They were displacing Jewish residents of the area, who were migrating north. As the community matured, however, they too moved north, to the “Corso Italia” area – and to the suburbs as well. (Woodbridge, Richmond Hill and Mississauga are home to thousands of Italian families).

Here the streets are lined with fashionable, high-end Italian shops, Italian lampposts, and trendy gelaterias and cappuccino houses. If Little Italy represents the “heart” of Italy, then Corso Italia is the “skin” – exquisite, fashionable, with just enough attitude to be seductive.

Of Interest
With such a large Italian population, needless to say Toronto has excellent Italian restaurants, reflecting the various regional cuisines and current culinary trends. It’s difficult to go wrong when choosing an Italian eatery in the city, as chefs are kept authentic by the demanding expectations of local residents!