Corso Italia is Toronto’s second little Italy, spread across a strip of St. Clair West from Lansdowne to Dufferin. The neighbourhood is big on local flare and flavours, hosting an annual summer festival that celebrates its vibrant culture, featuring some of the city’s best pizza, espresso and gelato. At a remove from the clustered architecture of downtown, residents enjoy a tremendous amount of green space, tree lined streets with wider lots, and great public sports facilities. While the neighbourhood is identified as Italian by name, it’s a great place for anyone to live. 

Earlscourt Park features an Olympic track for jogging enthusiasts, four tennis courts and a huge soccer pitch that lights up at night. The park is also home to a massive public swimming pool with an awesome water slide – cool off in the summertime, swim some laps or lounge around and catch some summer sun. North of St. Clair, Caledonia-Fairbank Park stretches up to the north if you’re looking for an aimless ramble or a romantic walk.

Lifestyle in Corso Italia tends to revolve around food, owing to the strong contributions from several family-run restaurants such as La Bruschetta and Pizza e Pazzi. In addition to Italian and Portuguese food, the neighbourhood is home to Earlscourt BBQ, where the meat platters are smoked for a minimum or four hours. The underground space has tons of seating and an impressive list of craft beers. When soccer’s on – especially during the world cup – there is a convivial buzz about the neighbourhood and on the patios of the numerous cafés.

A quiet neighbourhood (except when a soccer match gets heated), you’ll love Corso Italia’s colourful culture, delicious food and real estate price points that are reasonable relative to more central neighbourhoods. A brief trip east will take you to the Wychwood farmers market on Saturdays in the beautiful Artscape Barns. At Mindful Bodyworks on St Clair West you can reset yourself with  yoga and meditation instruction should you find yourself too hopped up on espresso.

Most of the properties in the area are sturdy post WW2 semi-detached houses, with fully detached houses making up 37% of the market. Many houses have been renovated and modernized as developers discover the value in this flamboyant midtown neighbourhood; townhouses account for 6% of the properties in the neighbourhood.

The current average cost of a house in Corso Italia is $807,385 – up 20% from 2016. Bachelor basement apartment rentals are listing for between $1200-$1400 with small family homes in the $2,000 range.

Populated by a large number of Italian, Portuguese and Latin American families, Corso Italia is a prime example of Toronto’s melting pot culture. Over the years many starving artists and students have taken refuge in the neighbourhood’s rentals, which are reasonable due to the distance from campus and the downtown core. Family values and inclusiveness are a big part of Corso Italia’s draw, and because of the excellent public parks and facilities it’s easy to get out and mingle with your neighbours.

Corso Italia makes up the eastern half of what was once the settlement of Earlscourt. Earlscourt was a British community founded in 1906, annexed by the city of Toronto in 1910. After World War 2, many Italian immigrants settled in the area, as well as Italian families relocating from College Street. According to the local BIA, when Italy won the world cup in 1982, half a million Torontonians celebrated in the streets of Corso Italia. 

The St Clair 512 streetcar is a bit more reliable than other streetcar lines, with dedicated lanes it doesn’t get held up by traffic like on Queen or College Street. The 512 services subway stations on the Yonge-University line at Bathurst and Yonge streets, and the commute to Union Station will take roughly 40 minutes by TTC. A bike ride to the same destination is about 35 minutes – mercifully downhill on the way there, mercilessly uphill on the return; 30 minutes by vehicle.

Uchenna Academy (10-12) is a private high school in the heart of Corso Italia with an emphasis on project-based learning, global impact and helping students get into their university of choice. There are a few Catholic schools including Stella Maris (JK-8) and Loretto College (9-12) for young women, as well as several secular public schools on the fringes of the area.

The aesthetic and general culture in Corso Italia is predominantly old school with a European influence, so if you’re looking for single origin espresso or vegan brunch, you may be out of luck.

Corso Italia is quite a distance from major subway lines, and while the 512 car may be reliable, it can still take a long time to get downtown – something to consider if you commute daily by transit.