For a long time, Clerkenwell\u00a0was\u00a0home to London\u2019s \u2018Little Italy\u2019. Back in the 1800s, the area\u2019s Italian population was booming but in the latter part of the 20th century, gentrification kicked in and locals\u00a0began 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Built in 1863, St Peter\u2019s Italian Church still stands on Saffron Hill and continues to host the annual\u00a0Procession 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\u00a0political revolutionary Giuseppe Mazzini and Terroni, the oldest Italian deli in the city (established in 1878).\u00a0<\/p>\n
At the heart of the area is\u00a0social club Casa Italiana\u00a0S. Vincenzo Pallotti<\/a>\u00a0on Clerkenwell Road, known locally as \u2018the Club\u2019. It\u2019s London\u2019s oldest Italian club, having opened in 1960,\u00a0but last year it was\u00a0at risk of closure.\u00a0The Club\u2019s clientele had become\u00a0largely 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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 \u00a35,000 and helped the club launch a crowdfund, which raised \u00a316,000. 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<\/a> in to do a fundraiser and now hosts regular language\u00a0bars for people looking to keep up their Italian.\u00a0<\/p>\n Mario Zeppetelli, a volunteer\u00a0at the club and a regular since the 1960s, told Time Out: \u2018We 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 \u201980s.\u00a0Needless to say, in this past year we never got round to redecorating because everybody, especially\u00a0Gen Z,\u00a0just loved the decor.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u2018But we still need to raise more funds. The lift isn\u2019t working right now and that\u2019s very important. It’s ongoing but we\u2019re getting there. After one year, it\u2019s completely turned around.<\/p>\n There\u2019s 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\u2019s looking good but there\u2019s still a lot of work to be done.\u2019<\/p>\n London\u2019s best Italian restaurants<\/a>.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Get the latest and greatest from the Big Smoke \u2013 from news and reviews to events and trends. Just\u00a0follow our Time Out London WhatsApp channel<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n Stay in the loop: sign up for our\u00a0free Time Out London newsletter<\/a>\u00a0for the best of the city, straight to your inbox<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n
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