Italian Peruvians

Between 1532 and 1560, 50 Italians established in Lima (Viceroyalty of Peru) and Callao, mostly from Liguria and Tuscany, such as Martin from Florence, Pietro Catagno, Pietro Martín from Sicily (all of them involved in Atahualpa's capture), Juan Bautista Pastene, born in Genoa in 1505 and also present since the beginning of the Spanish Conquest of the Inca Empire.

Radicati di Primeglio has done extensive research about Italians in Lima and he found the well-documented existence of 343 Italians in Lima between 1532 and 1650 (this number can vary because many Italians were not registered). From these 343 Italians: 124 were from Genoa, 28 from Venice, 28 from Corsica, 15 from Naples, 11 from Milan, 10 from Rome, 5 from Sicily and the rest from other Italian states. Italians from Genoa used to work in the transport of passengers and merchandises between Callao and other Viceroyalty harbors to Panama. We can mention to Captains Giustiniani y Vicenzo Pascuale, who founded many navigation and trade enterprises between Callao and Valparaiso; Giovanni di Malta, Nicolo da Bonifilio, Alvaro Pastrello, Giovanni Gaetano; Enrique Porri from Milan, Lucas de Astra from Genoa; Nicoroso y Marcos Corso, captain Alessandro Malaspina.

Research done by historian Alberto Boscolo in his work Presencia italiana en Andalucía: Siglos XIV-XVII.[3] revealed that during the time of Pizarro these Italians were present in Peru Jeronimo Bacarel (Sicily)merchant cattleman, Francisco de Bolonia (Bologna, Nicolao del Benino (Florence) merchant, Francisco Rosso (Naples) conquistador, Sebastino Castro (Sicily), Pedro Catano (Italy) merchant), Juan antonio Corso (Corsica) merchant, Bartolome Ferrer (Genoa) mariner merchant, Martin de Florencia (Italy) conquistador, Antonio Genoves (Genoa, Catalina la Genovesa (Valdepenaa), Esteban Genoves (Genoa) conquistador, Jacomo Genoves (Genoa), Rostran Genoves (Genoa) carpenter, Simon Genoves (Genoa) conquistador, Isabella Gentil (Seville), Cesare Maneo (Naples), Pedro Milanes (Milan) conquistador, Marco Negro (Venice), Francisco Neri (Florence) merchant, Juan de Niza (Nizza aka Nice) conquistador, Jacome Pablo (Venice), Pedro Pinelo (Italy) merchant, Diego de Pisa (Pisa) conquistador, Antonio del Solar (Median del Campo), Alonso Toscano (Tuscany) merchant, Juan Toscano (Tuscany) religious, Pedro Toscano (Tuscany) merchant, Fray Francisco Martinez (Tuscany) religious,

Italians who participated in the Rebellion of Gonzalo Pizarro

Juan Bautista (Genoa) mariner, Francisco Bonifacio (Savoy), Baptista Calvo (Genoa),

Other Italians Urbano Centurione (Genoa) merchant, Estebano Cintana (Italy) mariner, Antonio de Ecogua (Genoa) mariner, Lorenzo Fabiano (Italy), Tomas Farco (Italy), Nicolas Feo (Savoy), Bernardo Genoves (Genoa), Leon Pancaldo (Savoy) mariner, Bartolome Rabano (Italy) boatswain, Francisco Ragano (Italy), Tommaso Risso (Florence) nobleman, Juan Bautista Troche (Ventimiglia) Juan Pedro de Vivaldo (Genoa) sailing master.

There were also marines from Venice and from the Aegean Islands, like Pedro from [[Heraklion] AKA Crete] and Francisco from Cyprus (these places were under the Venetian dominion from 1204 to 1669); Anello Oliva, Ludovico Bertonio, Francesco Carletti, and the Prince of Santo Buono and Viceroy of Peru; Carmine Nicolao Caracciolo, born in Naples and Dr. Federico Bottoni who published a treaty about sanguineous circulation, in 1723.

During the last decades of Spanish dominion in Perú, the number of Italians in Peru grew faster than in previous centuries (most of them came from Genoa). The richest ones were related to the marine commerce while the rest of Italians worked at small family-run business (such as grocery stores) or in larger enterprises along with their fellow Italians, as they were relatively skilled.

While most Italians settled in the main cities, a group of Sicilian and Genovese fishers established in Chucuito, Callao

The pioneers of the Italian immigration to Peru were Antonio Dagnino, who established in Callao in 1802 and Felix Valega, who arrived, in 1806. The same ship brought to the musician Andrea Bolognesi, father of the Peruvian National Hero "Francisco Bolognesi".

The first wave of Italian immigration to Peru occurred during the period 1840–1866 (the "Guano" Era): not less than 15,000 Italians arrived to Peru during this period (without counting the non-registered Italians) and established mainly in the coastal cities, especially, in Lima and Callao. They came, mostly, from the northern states (Liguria, Piedmont, Tuscany and Lombardy). Giuseppe Garibaldi arrived to Peru in 1851, as well as other Italians who participated in the Milan rebellion like Giuseppe Eboli, Steban Siccoli, Antonio Raimondi, Arrigoni, etc.

In 1872, the Sociedad de Inmigración Europea ("European Immigration Society") was founded in Peru. Its objective was promoting Old World immigration by covering the costs of their journeys and financially supporting them during their first settler years in Peru. Furthermore, many Italians came in search for a better future, upon the arrival they established themselves in small business.

During the second world war waves of Italian families started to immigrate to Peru; these families mainly settled in Lima. (Godbersen, 2006)

• Asociación de descendientes de Italianos en el Perú
• Instituto Cultural Italo-Peruano
• Società Italiana d'IStruzione "Scuola Santa Margherita".
• Associazione Lombardi del Peru
• Associazione Liguri del Peru
• Associazione Siciliani del Peru
• Circolo Sportivo Italiano. Societta Canottieri "ITALIA"
• Circolo Tentrino di Lima
• Associazione Nazionale Alpini
• Associazione Piemontesi del Perú
• Associazione Toscana del Perú
• Associazione Sarda del Perú
• Associazione Veneti nel Mondo
• Camera di Comercio Italiana
• Societá Italiana di Benefincenza e Assitenza (SIBA)
• Asociación Italiana Peruana Monopoli-Bari "Regione Puglia".

Colegio Italiano Antonio Raimondi is an Italian school in Lima.

• Italy-Peru relations
• Immigration to Peru

• Italy-Peru news at ItaliaPeru.com (in Italian)