Italian Style Street

Introduction 

Located on Marco Polo Square the street is one of the eight concessions built in Tianjin in the early 20th century. The concession lasted between 1901-1947. In June 7, 1902, Mr. Tong Zhaoyi with Tianjin Customs and a new Italian Minister signed the "Articles of Tianjin Italian National Concession Contract" scoped to be the Italian Concession area in Tianjin. In 1946 the construction of the Italian concession resumed by the local government. In 2002 the Tianjin Municipal Government and the Tianjin Haihe Construction Development company set up protective development to the original concession area and gave its current name which is the "Italian Style Street". In 2005, renovations of the street were completed and it was opened to the public in 2008.

The location of the street is between where the Tianjin Russia Concession and Tianjin Australia Concession. This street is a tourist resort with what used to be known as the only concession outside of Italy.  The street is formed by major streets in Tianjin including Boai road, Wujing road, Jianguo road and Shenguo road in addition to a few other streets carrying over 200 years old Italian buildings. The design of the street looks like a chess board with both sides of the street lined with street lights and green trees in conjunction with very well preserved fences.

Major attractions and activities to do on a visit

Former residences 

The town offers a plethora of activities ranging from westernized restaurants, bars, boutique shops, and outdoor bazaars. Visitors can also see the renowned Marco Polo Square and former residences of Chinese celebrities like Cao Yu, the president of the warlord era, Liang Qichao, Feng Guofan, Hua Shikui and the Italian military camp. 

Eat

The street is also the only place where tourists get to taste the most original Italian Pizza, Pasta, noodles and a collection of many other Italian snacks. In addition to this, there are also French and German restaurants transporting visitors all the way to Europe. While dining, visitors can also enjoy live Italian performances. 

Shop

This street wouldn’t be complete without selling authentic Italian handicrafts and clothes where visitors can buy souvenirs among a collection of other goodies. At night the buildings get lit up and the shops become lively adding even more flavor to the area with a 24 hour economy of bars, coffee shops and restaurants.