Is Leichhardt even Sydney’s Little Italy anymore?

The inner-west suburb was synonymous with Italian culture for decades but demographic changes have altered its makeup and some shop owners are worried it’s losing its identity.

It is widely known as Sydney’s “Little Italy”, but just how ­Italian is the inner west suburb of Leichhardt these days?

The answer, according to the data, is that Leichhardt definitely used to be Sydney’s Little Italy – back in the 1960s.

But these days less than 1000 of the suburb’s residents were born in the Mediterranean country, while only a small fraction of its residents even have parents who were born there.

Despite these declining numbers, residents say Leichhardt has still retained some of its warm Italian vibe along the main drag of Norton St after a surge of Italian migrants moved into the area in the middle of last century.

Italian culture has been a part of Leichhardt’s identity since the 1960s. Picture: AAP IMAGE / MONIQUE HARMER)

In 1961, there were 6000 Italian-born residents in Leichhardt. Dozens of Italian businesses sprung up in the suburb, including restaurants, cafes, bridal shops, butchers and delicatessens.

However, the latest census data shows only 755 Italian-born people remain in ­Leichhardt – just 1.3 per cent of the suburb’s residents.

Meanwhile, 1875 Leichhardt residents have a father who was born in Italy and 1570 ­people have a mother who was born there, according to the census numbers.

Ernesto Meduri, 63, was born in Salerno, Italy, and is the owner of ITASPORT, a sportswear store in Norton St’s Italian Forum complex that is decorated with Italian football memorabilia and ­jerseys.

On the wall next to the cash register is a picture of Mr Meduri wearing an Italian football jacket and holding the FIFA World Cup – a trophy Italy last won in 2006.

“Leichhardt for me was one of the best suburbs – Little Italy, full of Italian restaurants and people came from everywhere,” he said.

“People used to say, ‘we want Italian, where do we go?’

“I’d say, go to Leichhardt.

“But, over the last five or six years, we’ve lost our identity – the good Italian restaurants go away.”

Andre Portelli, owner of Mezzania Cakes in Leichhardt, says there is still an Italian core to the suburb. Picture: Thomas Lisson

Andre Portelli, 39, is a first-generation Italian and owner of Mezzapica Cakes, also on Norton St, a store that was opened by his father’s uncle in 1952.

“I always remember around the 2006 World Cup where it was just packed every day,” he said. “The whole street was just a bit more busy – there were a few less closed storefronts.”

Mr Portelli said while he felt the Italian influence in the area had somewhat declined, “everything is still here” if you knew where to look.

“It’s still pretty Italian … we still have that core Italian base,” he said.

“I know the nearby suburbs – Haberfield and Five Dock – are also very Italian and have a good claim to be Little Italy.

Ernesto Meduri owns ITASPORT on Norton Street and says that in the past five years Leichhardt has lost its Italian identity. Picture Thomas Lisson

“But (Leichhardt) is the original Little Italy and if you’re still after that Italian experience there are still a lot of nice restaurants and cafes available.”

Mr Portelli suggested the generation gap from the original Italian migrants was a ­factor in the changing face of the suburb. “A lot of Italians now aren’t migrants – they’re first and second generation like myself – so they aren’t necessarily married to the suburb,” he said.

Originally published as Is Leichhardt even Sydney’s Little Italy anymore?