The 7 Biggest Italian Communities in the UK

Though sources vary, the Italian General Consulate in London estimated that there were 446,971 living in England and Wales in 2021. This likely puts the UK total at just under 500,000 Italian-born UK residents.

In addition to this, there are many British people have Italian heritage. From the Italians that brought ice cream to the streets of Victorian Britain to the post-war industrial workers, the UK has seen two centuries of significant migration from Italy to the UK.

But where are the biggest Italian communities in the UK? Some cities and towns have historical Italian communities and others have surprisingly high populations of Italians today. In addition, across the UK there are Italian restaurants, an Italian radio station, books in Italian and more.

The data used for Italian registered citizens by city in this blog post is from a 2021 report published by Consolato Generale d’Italia Londra.

Registered Italian residents: 149,823 (2021)

Italian settlement of London dates back to the early 1800’s, when skilled craftsman from the North of Italy settled in the neighbourhood of Clerkenwell. This area of London maintains a deep connection to Italian culture with the biggest Catholic Italian community in London at St Peter’s Italian Church.

Saffron Hill was the birthplace of the UK ice cream trade with Italian street vendors bringing the popular dessert to the London population. The area around Clerkenwell Road and Saffron Hill became known as Little Italy. It still has roots to Italian culture but the Italian population is now quite spread out around London.

One in three Italians in the UK live in London. It is a significantly bigger Italian community than any other city in the UK. London One Radio is a 24 hour London-based radio station in Italian.

Registered Italian residents: 11,278 (2021)

A city increasingly popular with young people because it has a fast growing economy with a lower cost of living than London. Manchester is now attracting international talent during its technological revolution but historically it was the industrial revolution that brought many Italians to the city in the 19th century

Officially recognised as “Little Italy” in 2021, the suburb of Ancoats has been popular with Italians since the late 19th century, especially in the parish of St Michael’s. Manchester is the second largest Italian community in the UK.

Registered Italian residents: 8,766 (2021)

In the late 19th century the area around Fazeley Street, Digbeth became the home of many Italians and earned the nickname Little Italy. The migrants were mostly organ grinders and ice cream makers. The community was dispersed by slum clearance policies and World War Two.

Birmingham is still home to a significant Italian population and it is the third biggest Italian community in the UK.

Registered Italian residents: 5,330 (2021)

Despite being the smallest settlement on this list, Bedford is home to the fourth biggest Italian community in the UK. There are many Italian born residents living here and an even greater number of residents have Italian heritage. Bedford has the highest concentration of Italians relative to its population compared to any UK town or city.

After World War Two, the London Brick Company and Marston Valley Brick Company ran a recruitment campaign from Naples. This brought approximately 7,500 men from Puglia, Campania, Sicily, Abruzzo and Calabria. They typically settled around Queen’s Park and Castle Road.

St Francesca Cabrini Church has a mass in Italian every Sunday and there is is an active Bedford Italians Facebook group.

Registered Italian residents: 3,902 (2021)

Following the trend of many parts of the UK, the ice cream trade brought many Italians to Leeds, primarily from the south of Italy. There was an Italian prisoner of war camp near Leeds during World War 2, which led to some of those prisoners of war settling in Leeds after the war finished.

In modern times, Leeds is home to many Italians due to the city’s thriving city centre and lower cost of living than southern parts of England.

Registered Italian residents: 3,364 (2021)

During the late 19th century and early 20th century, an Italian community formed around the Scotland Road area. They were predominantly terrazzo craftsman from the cities surrounding Rome and their work can still be seen in their contributions to civic buildings like William Brown Street.

In the present day, the small Italian community is spread throughout the city.

Registered Italian residents: 2,137 (2021)

Whilst Cardiff historically saw the most Italian migration, South Wales saw widespread Italian migration during the late 19th century to the 20th century. Overwhelmingly from Bardi, Italians opened cafés and ice cream parlours throughout South Wales’ mining valleys and coastal towns. Many of these cafés survive as family businesses today.

An example is Sidoli’s Ice Cream, an ice cream manufacturer that was founded over 100 years ago in South Wales. In 1922 Benedetto began producing ice cream in his café in Ebbw Vale town and selling the ice cream on the streets of the town. Today the family business continues in its fourth generation and has an impressive range of products.

London is the biggest Italian community in the UK by far but Bedford has the highest population of Italians relative to its population. Whilst the concentrated Little Italy communities of the 19th and 20th century are largely dispersed across cities now, there are still large Italian communities in the UK.

Through social media, Italian festivals, ice cream businesses, restaurants and small businesses, Italian culture is still present in the UK today.