Italian Leeds

When Alex Galantino visited Leeds back in 1997 he was only supposed to stay for a few months. But he’s still very much here and running La Bottega Milanese, a welcome alternative to the proliferation of coffee chains. ‘It’s a modern take on an old tradition,’ says Alex, who learned his trade as a teenager working in Milan’s espresso bars. Serving pastries, snacks, beer and wine as well as lovely coffee and tea, it's open until 8pm most nights (9pm on Friday) and there’s a second branch in Bond Court.

Unit A11A
The Light
The Headrow
LS1 8TL

Tel: 0113 245 4242
www.labottegamilanese.co.uk

A recent-ish addition to Leeds’s burgeoning independent bar scene, this cosy Sicilian-run ‘wine café’, with branches in York and Manchester, serves traditional spuntini (appetisers) and sources its extensive list of wines from the family vineyard, Caruso & Minini, in Marsala, western Sicily. There are regular wine and food pairing events and an Italian-style buffet on Wednesday evenings – and if you’ve never experienced a limoncello cocktail before, now’s your chance.

7 Duncan St
LS1 6DQ

Tel: 01132 433 401
www.theveenocompany.com

In among the rare vodkas and whiskies is a substantial collection of Italian wines. Owner Chris Hill buys boutique products that ‘taste good rather than those that sell simply because they’re packaged and marketed well’. To which end, you’ll find around 85 labels such as Alpha Zeta R Ripasso, made according to a traditional Veronese practice known as ‘ripasso’, which involves fermenting the wine with dried grapes to give it more body and depth.

5 Cherry Tree Walk
LS2 7EB

Tel: 0113 245 3393
www.latitudewine.co.uk

Mattia Boldetti, the man behind Livin’Italy in Granary Wharf, knows his stuff. A member of the Italian Sommelier Association, he imports directly from the producers and, along with a stock of around 42 wines and ten vintage labels, is constantly on the hunt for new products. There’s an Aperitivo Milanese Hour every Friday (4pm-7pm), when you can get your hands on some free Italian nibbles if you order an Aperol spritz, made with prosecco, Aperol and soda.

Granary Wharf
LS1 4BR

Tel: 0113 243 0090
www.livinitaly.com

Using Venetian beading and lace and silks from Lake Como, Anita Massarella has been designing outlandishly beautiful clothes since 1990. Based in Moortown, she has an international clientele who come to her for individually designed dresses and bridal wear, as well as one-off couture pieces, the cheapest of which will set them back around £4,000. Anita designs all the pieces herself and employs a small team of trusted seamstresses.

490 Harrogate Rd
LS17 6DL

Tel: 01132 687 783
www.anitamassarella.co.uk

Dolce & Gabbana, Giuseppi Zanotti, Moschino, Valentino and Prada are among the Italian labels on sale at Flannels, arguably Leeds’s premier men’s and women’s clothes shop. Rail upon rail of designer togs (there’s also an in-house tailor) occupy acreage of blonde wooden flooring over three storeys, topped by a fine-dining restaurant, The Man Behind the Curtain, on the fourth.

68-78 Vicar Lane
LS1 7JH

Tel: 0844 332 5791
www.flannels.com

Vanessa Grasse is a dance and multidisciplinary artist, who moved to Leeds in 2008 after training in Austria and her hometown of Catania in Sicily. ‘I’d heard about Leeds’s contemporary dance scene,’ says Vanessa, a teacher at the Northern School of Contemporary Dance. ‘It’s vibrant but small enough to be supportive rather than competitive.’ She also works with clients such as Yorkshire Dance and the University of Leeds, as well as in the wider community.

Tel: 07925 648 029
vanessagrasse.wordpress.com

This brainchild of Dr Gigliola Sulis, an associate professor at the University of Leeds, was set up to ‘bring Italian culture to Yorkshire’. In collaboration with Italian writers, artists and academics, Dr Sulis organises events around the city, open to students and the general public. Typical events include screenings of Antonioni films, live Italian jazz and opera evenings, and performances by singer-songwriters such as Vinicio Capossela.

Cultures and Societies
University of Leeds
LS2 9JT

Tel: 01133 433 6339
www.leeds.ac.uk/arts/livitaly

After Cambridge, the University of Leeds has the most acclaimed Italian department in the UK, so it’s no surprise that it has a lively Italian Society. Whether you fancy improving your rusty Italiano or immersing yourself in Italian culture by way of readings, pizza-making lessons and film screenings, the society will be admitting non-students from September 2015.

Leeds University Union
Lifton Place
LS2 9JZ

Tel: 0113 380 1400
www.leedsuniversityunion.org.uk/groups/Italian