Italian Peruvians (Italian: italo-peruviani; Spanish: ítalo-peruanos) are Peruvian-born citizens who are fully or partially of Italian descent, whose ancestors were Italians who emigrated to Peru during the Italian diaspora, or Italian-born people in Peru. Among European Peruvians, Italians were the second largest group of immigrants to settle in the country. Italian immigration in Peru began in the colonial era, during the Spanish Viceroyalty of Peru.

However, the peak of Italian immigrants occurred after Peruvian independence, between 1840 and 1880, with the guano export boom. In the following years, from 1914 to 1950, waves of Italian immigration followed due to the two world wars, which destroyed most of the Italian cities, while other Italians arrived from Argentina and Brazil, mainly merchants, peasants and technicians, who then formed families in Peru, where they settled permanently.

The Italian community is characterized by having started since the times of the Spanish colony in Peru. Concentrated in and around Lima, these first Italians (a few hundred only) mostly came from the Genoa area. Many of them achieved first-level political-economic positions in colonial and postcolonial Peruvian society. The presence of Ligurians in Peru since the 16th century can be explained by the bond that the Republic of Genoa had with Spain. They settled in Peru mostly to engage in trade and navigation.

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.

Research done by historian Alberto Boscolo in his work Presencia italiana en Andalucía: Siglos XIV-XVII, 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; Sebastiano 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 were Juan Bautista (Genoa, mariner), Francisco Bonifacio (Savoy) and Baptista Calvo (Genoa). Other Italians were 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.

During the last decades of Spanish dominion in Peru, 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. 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 best known Italian Peruvian in this historical period was General Francisco Bolognesi, son of an Italian who emigrated to Lima in the early 19th century, who distinguished himself in the War of the Pacific becoming a national hero of Peru. One of the main squares of the Peruvian capital is named after him.

After the independence of the Spanish colonies, which was caused by the crisis in Spain, the immigration of Italians to Peru increased considerably. Initially Ligurian sailors emigrated to Peru, who founded numerous commercial activities along the coasts of the country. Again from Liguria, many peasants fleeing poverty began to emigrate to Peru. The latter, having arrived in Peru, dedicated themselves to the cultivation of the land and to small trade. This migration of Italians began to be consistent starting from 1840 thanks to the conspicuous economic growth of Peru, which was caused by the export of guano.

Only after the unification of Italy in 1861 was there mass emigration, especially from the impoverished countryside of Veneto and broader Italy. The first wave of Italian immigration to an independent 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 regions (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 and Arrigoni. Subsequently, there was a decline in them, as a result of the war between Chile and Peru. The great wave of Italian migration to Peru ended around 1880, after which Italians began to arrive in Peru in much smaller numbers. From 1880, there was in fact a drastic drop in the export of guano, a situation which continued also in the following decades without ever reaching the previous levels.