Melbourne’s Italian renaissance: how next-generation migrants are changing the city

A new wave of young Italians are moving to Melbourne, joining established second- and third-generation communities for a taste of la dolce vita

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It’s happy hour at Carlton’s historic King & Godfree in inner-north Melbourne. Two preppy, 30-something Romans are chatting visas, doctorates and the maddening weather over Campari sodas. Across Lygon Street at cafe Brunetti Classico, gluttons devour dolci to the sounds of singer-songwriter Jovanotti, while a few doors down at DOC Delicatessen – where giant wheels of Parmigiano Reggiano gleam behind the window – regulars pick up their prosciutto di San Daniele, thinly sliced, per favore.

Scenes like this make chef Andrea Vignali wonder whether he’s even left home. “I remember asking myself ‘Is this Australia?’. I felt like I was back in Italy,” says Vignali. He co-owns Al Dente, a Carlton enoteca, with fellow countryman Davide Bonadiman.

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