In 1843, Joseph Toronto (born Giuseppe Taranto) became the first known Italian convert to the Church when he was baptized in Boston, Massachusetts. In 1849, Toronto was among the first missionaries to his homeland when he accompanied Apostle Lorenzo Snow and others in opening the mission. This first mission was short-lived; it was closed in 1867.
In 1910, Vincenzo di Francesca gained a testimony of the Book of Mormon while living in New York City; he continued to live by its precepts after he returned to Italy in 1914, though he did not learn for years where the book came from. The Church was not reestablished in Italy until the 1950s, when a number of Italians learned of the gospel in other countries and returned home to share the message with friends and family. The first Italian-speaking branches were formed in Brescia and Palermo.
In 1966, the Italian Mission was reestablished with headquarters in Rome. Over the last 50 years, the Church has made steady progress. The Italian Saints, like their counterparts in former days, are a people who “live by faith” (Romans 1:17) and are “full of goodness” (Romans 15:14). In 2008, when the Church announced a temple would be built in Rome, there were more than 20,000 members in Italy.
In October 2016, Massimo De Feo became the first Italian native called as a General Authority Seventy. On March 9, 2019, President Russell M. Nelson became the first leader of the Church to have a formal audience at the Vatican with the pope. President Nelson was accompanied by Elder De Feo and President M. Russell Ballard, Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
From March 10 to March 12, 2019, the Rome Italy Temple was dedicated in seven dedicatory sessions. President Nelson conducted the symbolic cornerstone ceremony and read the dedicatory prayer. All Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ participated in the dedicatory services. This was the first time the entire First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles gathered in one location outside the United States.
