A first-timer's half-day walking loop of Little Italy

If this is your first stay near Corydon Avenue, you don't need a car or a bus pass to see the neighbourhood — just a few hours and a pair of comfortable shoes. Little Italy sits along one straight stretch of Corydon, roughly from Osborne Street on one end to Cambridge Street on the other, so a there-and-back walk covers almost everything worth seeing without any planning beyond picking a direction.

Start near the Osborne end

Set out from the Osborne side of Corydon and you'll pass a run of restaurants within the first few blocks, including The Roost (651 Corydon Ave), Sushi Ya (659 Corydon Ave), and Colosseo Ristorante Italiano (670 Corydon Ave), a longstanding Italian dining room that's been on the avenue since the 1970s. No need to stop yet — this end is worth noting for later, especially if you want a sit-down dinner on a different day.

Coffee about a third of the way in

Keep walking west and you'll reach Thom Bargen Coffee Roasters (743 Corydon Ave), a good spot to pause for a proper coffee before continuing. It's an easy landmark to use as a "you're about a third of the way through" marker on the walk.

A slow browse before lunch

A little further on, The Cheesemongers Fromagerie (839 Corydon Ave) is worth ducking into even if you're not buying anything — it's a specialty cheese and deli shop that rewards a slow look around, and a good place to pick up something to bring home for later.

Lunch, then dessert to finish

For a sit-down lunch partway through the loop, Bar Italia (737 Corydon Ave) or Passero Restaurant (774 Corydon Ave) both sit close together near the middle of the strip. Once you're ready to turn back or keep going toward Cambridge, Sugar + Salt Bakeshoppe (897 Corydon Ave) is the natural place to end on something sweet before heading home.