These are the top 5 most Italian towns in New Jersey — and if you know, you know.
First up: Nutley.
Walk down Franklin Avenue and tell me you don’t feel like you’re in an episode of The Sopranos. Italian flags wave from porches. Older men post up inside pizzerias, talking about everything and nothing. Somewhere in the background, someone’s nonna is hanging laundry behind a brick two-family. This town bleeds red, white, and green.
Next: Toms River.
Half this town feels like it’s fresh out of Brooklyn in 1984. You’ll hear more “yo cuz” than “hello.” Good luck finding a house that doesn’t have a Virgin Mary statue out front. The pizzerias? Everywhere. Backyard bocce ball setups? Standard. This is Italian suburbia at its absolute peak.
Coming in hot: Belleville.
This is the kind of town where your neighbor’s last name ends in a vowel and Sunday gravy still comes with neck bones. Italian culture didn’t just survive here—it dug in its heels and made itself comfortable. If you hear Dean Martin echoing from someone’s garage, don’t even flinch. That’s just Sunday.
Then we’ve got: Lodi.
Every block has a pizza spot, a barber shop, and at least one man with a gold chain who communicates with his hands. Lodi High’s football team has more Italian last names than the Goodfellas cast. You show up here with store-bought sauce? You’re getting roasted on sight.
Finally: Fairfield.
Statistically, the most Italian town in America. Over 50% of the population is Italian American. Every other driveway has a Cadillac. Rosary beads hang from rearview mirrors. The air smells like garlic and espresso. From the family-run delis to the corner bakeries, Fairfield isn’t just Italian. It is Italy, just with more tolls.
Follow for more real-deal New Jersey content. This is for the people who still say “gabagool,” still argue over marinara vs. gravy, and still know that Sunday dinner isn’t just a meal — it’s a ritual.