| Municipalities of Italy | |
| Category: | Regionalised unitary state |
| Territory: | Italian Republic |
| Current Number: | 7,904 |
| Population Range: | 32 (Morterone) – 2,758,454 (Rome) |
| Area Range: | 0.1206sqkm (Atrani) – 1287.36sqkm (Rome) |
| Government: | Comunal Government, Provincial Government, Regional Government, National Government |
| Subdivision: | Italian: [[Frazione|Frazioni]], and Italian: [[Municipio|municipi]] |
A Italian: comune (pronounced as /it/; : Italian: comuni, pronounced as /it/) is an administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality.[1] It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions (Italian: [[Regions of Italy|regioni]]) and provinces (Italian: [[Provinces of Italy|province]]). The Italian: comune can also have the title of Italian: città .[2]
Formed Italian: [[praeter legem]] according to the principles consolidated in medieval municipalities,[3] the Italian: comune is provided for by art. 114 of the Constitution of Italy.[4] It can be divided into Italian: [[Frazione|frazioni]], which in turn may have limited power due to special elective assemblies.[5]
In the autonomous region of the Aosta Valley, a Italian: comune is officially called a Italian: comune in French.
The Italian: comune provides essential public services: registry of births and deaths, registry of deeds, and maintenance of local roads and public works.[6] [7] [8] Many Italian: comuni have a Italian: [[Municipal police (Italy)|Polizia Comunale]], which is responsible for public order duties.[9] The Italian: comune also deal with the definition and compliance with the Italian: piano regolatore generale, a document that regulates the building activity within the communal area.[10]
All communal structures or schools, sports and cultural structures such as communal libraries, theaters, etc. are managed by the Italian: comuni.[11] Italian: Comuni must have their own communal statute and have a climatic and seismic classification of their territory for the purposes of hazard mitigation and civil protection.[12] Italian: Comuni also deal with the waste management.[13]
It is headed by a mayor (Italian: sindaco or Italian: sindaca) assisted by a legislative body, the Italian: consiglio comunale, and an executive body, the Italian: giunta comunale .[14] The mayor and members of the Italian: consiglio comunale are elected together by resident citizens: the coalition of the elected mayor (who needs a relative majority or an absolute majority in the first or second round of voting, depending on the population) gains three fifths of the Italian: consiglio's seats.[15]
The Italian: giunta comunale is chaired by the mayor, who appoints others members, called Italian: [[assessor (Italy)|assessori]], one of whom serves as deputy mayor (Italian: vicesindaco).[16] The offices of the Italian: comune are housed in a building usually called the Italian: municipio, or Italian: palazzo comunale .[17]
As of January 2021, there were 7,904 Italian: comuni in Italy;[18] they vary considerably in size and population. For example, the Italian: comune of Rome, in Lazio, has an area of 1287.36km2 and a population of 2,758,454 inhabitants, and is both the largest and the most populated.[19]
Atrani in the province of Salerno (Campania) was the smallest Italian: comune by area, with only 0.1206km2,[20] and Morterone (Lombardy) is the smallest by population.[21] Many present-day Italian: comuni trace their roots along timescales spanning centuries and at times millennia.[22] [23]
The northernmost Italian: comune is Predoi, the southernmost one Lampedusa e Linosa, the westernmost Bardonecchia and the easternmost Otranto.[24] The Italian: comune with the longest name is San Valentino in Abruzzo Citeriore,[25] while the Italian: comuni with the shortest name are Lu, Ro, Ne, Re and Vo'.[26]
The population density of the Italian: comuni varies widely by province and region. The province of Barletta-Andria-Trani, for example, has 381,091 inhabitants in 10 Italian: comuni,[27] or over 39,000 inhabitants per Italian: comune; whereas the province of Isernia has 81,415 inhabitants in 52 Italian: comuni,[28] or 1,640 inhabitants per Italian: comune – roughly 24 times more communal units per inhabitant.
The coats of arms of the Italian: comuni are assigned by decree of the Prime Minister of Italy by the Office of State Ceremonial and Honors, Honors and Heraldry Service (division of the Presidency of the Council born from the transformation of the Royal Italian: [[Consulta Araldica]], eliminated pursuant to the provisions final of the Constitution of Italy).[29]
| Year | Number | Population | Pop/Italian: Comune | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1861 | 7,720 | 22,171,946 | 2,872 | |
| 1871 | 8,383 | 27,295,509 | 3,256 | |
| 1881 | 8,260 | 28,951,546 | 3,505 | |
| 1901 | 8,263 | 32,963,316 | 3,989 | |
| 1911 | 8,324 | 35,841,563 | 4,306 | |
| 1921 | 9,195 | 39,396,757 | 4,285 | |
| 1931 | 7,311 | 41,043,489 | 5,614 | |
| 1936 | 7,339 | 42,398,489 | 5,777 | |
| 1951 | 7,810 | 47,515,537 | 6,084 | |
| 1961 | 8,035 | 50,623,569 | 6,300 | |
| 1971 | 8,056 | 54,136,547 | 6,720 | |
| 1981 | 8,086 | 56,556,911 | 6,994 | |
| 1991 | 8,100 | 56,885,336 | 7,023 | |
| 2001 | 8,101 | 56,995,744 | 7,036 | |
| 2011 | 8,092 | 59,433,744 | 7,345 | |
| 2021 | 7,904 | 59,236,213 | 7,494 |
Italian: Comuni with at least 250,000 residents are divided into Italian: [[Circoscrizione|circoscrizioni]][31] (roughly equivalent to French arrondissements or London boroughs) to which the Italian: comune delegates administrative functions like the running of schools, social services and waste collection; the delegated functions vary from Italian: comune to Italian: comune. These bodies are headed by an elected president and a local council.
Smaller Italian: comuni usually comprise:
Sometimes a Italian: frazione might be more populated than the Italian: capoluogo; and rarely, owing to unusual circumstances (like depopulation), the town hall and its administrative functions can be moved to one of the Italian: frazioni, but the Italian: comune still retains the name of the Italian: capoluogo.
In some cases, a Italian: comune might not have the same name of Italian: capoluogo. In these cases, it is a Italian: comune sparso and the Italian: frazione which hosts the town hall (Italian: municipio) is a Italian: sede municipale (compare county seat).
There are not many perfect homonymous Italian: comuni. There are only six cases in 12 Italian: comuni:[33]
This is mostly due to the fact the name of the province or region was appended to the name of the Italian: comune in order to avoid the confusion. Two provincial capitals share the name Italian: Reggio: Reggio nell'Emilia, the capital of the province of Reggio Emilia, in the Emilia-Romagna region, and Reggio di Calabria, the capital of the homonymous metropolitan city, in the Calabria region. Many other towns or villages are likewise partial homonyms (e.g. Anzola dell'Emilia and Anzola d'Ossola, or Bagnara Calabra and Bagnara di Romagna).
The title of Italian: città in Italy is granted to Italian: comuni that have been awarded it by decree of the King of Italy (until 1946) or of the provisional head of state (from 1946 to 1948) or, subsequently, of the President of the Republic (after 1948), on the proposal of the Ministry of the Interior, to which the Italian: comune concerned sends an application for a concession, by virtue of their historical, artistic, civic or demographic importance.[2]
The Italian: comuni endowed with the title of Italian: città usually carry the golden crown above their coat of arms, except with different provisions in the decree approving the coat of arms or in the presence). "The crown of the city ([...]) is formed by a golden circle opened by eight city gates (five visible) with two cordoned walls on the margins, supporting eight towers (five visible) joined by curtain walls, all in gold and black walled."[34]
The following is a list of the largest Italian: comuni in Italy, in descending order of surface area, according to ISTAT data referring to 9 October 2011.[35] The provincial capitals are highlighted in bold.
| Rank | Italian: Comune | Region | Province | Area (km2) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rome | align=right | 1287.36km2 | |||
| 2 | Ravenna | align=right | 653.82km2 | |||
| 3 | align=right | 593.93km2 | ||||
| 4 | align=right | 554.99km2 | ||||
| 5 | Sassari | align=right | 547.04km2 | |||
| 6 | align=right | 530.18km2 | ||||
| 7 | align=right | 525.78km2 | ||||
| 8 | Foggia | align=right | 509.26km2 | |||
| 9 | L'Aquila | align=right | 473.91km2 | |||
| 10 | Grosseto | align=right | 473.55km2 | |||
| 11 | Perugia | align=right | 449.51km2 | |||
| 12 | Ragusa | align=right | 444.67km2 | |||
| 13 | align=right | 431.38km2 | ||||
| 14 | Caltanissetta | align=right | 421.25km2 | |||
| 15 | Venice | align=right | 415.9km2 | |||
| 16 | Viterbo | align=right | 406.23km2 | |||
| 17 | Ferrara | align=right | 405.16km2 | |||
| 18 | Andria | align=right | 402.89km2 | |||
| 19 | Matera | align=right | 392.09km2 | |||
| 20 | align=right | 387.32km2 | ||||
| 21 | align=right | 384.74km2 | ||||
| 22 | Arezzo | align=right | 384.7km2 | |||
| 23 | 383.64km2 | |||||
| 24 | align=right | 383.38km2 | ||||
| 25 | align=right | 372.51km2 | ||||
| 26 | Enna | align=right | 358.75km2 | |||
| 27 | align=right | 354.54km2 | ||||
| 28 | align=right | 348.14km2 | ||||
| 29 | align=right | 346.56km2 | ||||
| 30 | align=right | 342.97km2 |
The following is a list of the smallest Italian: comuni in Italy, in ascending order of surface area, according to ISTAT data referring to 9 October 2011.[35]
| Rank | Italian: Comune | Region | Province | Area (km2) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0.1206km2 | ||||
| 2 | 0.6678km2 | ||||
| 3 | 1.0601km2 | ||||
| 4 | 1.1281km2 | ||||
| 5 | 1.1682km2 | ||||
| 6 | 1.2278km2 | ||||
| 7 | 1.2885km2 | ||||
| 8 | 1.2886km2 | ||||
| 9 | 1.4407km2 | ||||
| 10 | 1.5265km2 | ||||
| 11 | 1.5267km2 | ||||
| 12 | 1.5451km2 | ||||
| 14 | 1.586km2 | ||||
| 15 | 1.5995km2 | ||||
| 16 | 1.6045km2 | ||||
| 17 | 1.6049km2 | ||||
| 18 | 1.62km2 | ||||
| 19 | 1.6337km2 | ||||
| 20 | 1.6345km2 | ||||
| 21 | 1.6894km2 | ||||
| 22 | 1.7066km2 | ||||
| 23 | 1.71km2 | ||||
| 24 | 1.7243km2 | ||||
| 25 | 1.7272km2 | ||||
| 26 | 1.7454km2 | ||||
| 27 | 1.7457km2 | ||||
| 28 | 1.8082km2 | ||||
| 29 | 1.8156km2 | ||||
| 30 | 1.8202km2 |
The following is a list of the first Italian: comuni by altitude, in descending order.[36] The indicated altitude coincides with the height above sea level of the town hall.
| Rank | Italian: Comune | Region | Province | Altitude (meters above the sea level) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NaNm (-2,147,483,648feet) | ||||
| 2 | — | NaNm (-2,147,483,648feet) | |||
| 3 | NaNm (-2,147,483,648feet) | ||||
| 4 | NaNm (-2,147,483,648feet) | ||||
| 5 | — | NaNm (-2,147,483,648feet) | |||
| 6 | — | NaNm (-2,147,483,648feet) | |||
| 7 | NaNm (-2,147,483,648feet) | ||||
| 8 | — | NaNm (-2,147,483,648feet) | |||
| 9 | — | NaNm (-2,147,483,648feet) | |||
| 10 | NaNm (-2,147,483,648feet) | ||||
| 11 | — | NaNm (-2,147,483,648feet) | |||
| 12 | NaNm (-2,147,483,648feet) | ||||
| 13 | NaNm (-2,147,483,648feet) | ||||
| 14 | — | NaNm (-2,147,483,648feet) | |||
| 15 | NaNm (-2,147,483,648feet) | ||||
| 16 | NaNm (-2,147,483,648feet) | ||||
| 17 | NaNm (-2,147,483,648feet) | ||||
| 18 | NaNm (-2,147,483,648feet) | ||||
| 19 | — | NaNm (-2,147,483,648feet) | |||
| 20 | — | NaNm (-2,147,483,648feet) | |||
| 21 | — | NaNm (-2,147,483,648feet) | |||
| 22 | NaNm (-2,147,483,648feet) | ||||
| 23 | NaNm (-2,147,483,648feet) | ||||
| 24 | — | NaNm (-2,147,483,648feet) | |||
| 25 | NaNm (-2,147,483,648feet) | ||||
| 26 | NaNm (-2,147,483,648feet) | ||||
| 27 | — | NaNm (-2,147,483,648feet) | |||
| 28 | NaNm (-2,147,483,648feet) | ||||
| 29 | NaNm (-2,147,483,648feet) | ||||
| 30 | NaNm (-2,147,483,648feet) |
List of the first Italian: comuni by population in descending order, according to ISTAT data updated to 28 February 2022.[37] The regional capitals are in bold.
| Rank | Italian: Comune | Region | Province | Inhabitants | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rome | ||||
| 2 | Milan | ||||
| 3 | Naples | ||||
| 4 | Turin | 846 067 | |||
| 5 | Palermo | 628 883 | |||
| 6 | Genoa | 560 155 | |||
| 7 | Bologna | ||||
| 8 | Florence | ||||
| 9 | Bari | ||||
| 10 | |||||
| 11 | |||||
| 12 | Venice | ||||
| 13 | |||||
| 14 | |||||
| 15 | |||||
| 16 | Trieste | ||||
| 17 | |||||
| 18 | |||||
| 19 | |||||
| 20 | |||||
| 21 | |||||
| 22 | |||||
| 23 | Perugia | ||||
| 24 | |||||
| 25 | |||||
| 26 | |||||
| 27 | Cagliari | ||||
| 28 | |||||
| 29 | |||||
| 30 |
The data is updated as of 1 January 2021.[38]
| Demographic range | Italian: Comuni | Population | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | % | Residents | % | ||
| more than inhab. | 6 | 0.08% | 12.10% | ||
| from to inhab. | 6 | 0.08% | 3.16% | ||
| from to inhab. | 32 | 0.40% | 8.02% | ||
| from to inhab. | 58 | 0.73% | 7.50% | ||
| from to inhab. | 404 | 5.11% | 22.37% | ||
| from to inhab. | 698 | 8.83% | 16.31% | ||
| from to inhab. | 1,179 | 14.92% | 14.06% | ||
| from to inhab. | 1,087 | 13.75% | 7.13% | ||
| from to inhab. | 921 | 11.65% | 3.81% | ||
| from to inhab. | 1,520 | 19.23% | 3.74% | ||
| from 500 to 999 inhab. | 1,101 | 13.93% | 1.37% | ||
| less than 500 inhab. | 892 | 11.29% | 0.44% | ||
| Total | 100.00% | 100.00% | |||
The data is updated as of 1 January 2021.[38]
| Demographic range | Number of Italian: comuni | Resident population | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Centre | South | North | Centre | South | |||
| more than inhab. | 3 | 1 | 2 | ||||
| from to inhab. | 3 | 1 | 2 | ||||
| from to inhab. | 17 | 5 | 10 | ||||
| from to inhab. | 16 | 16 | 26 | ||||
| from to inhab. | 158 | 78 | 168 | ||||
| from to inhab. | 353 | 115 | 230 | ||||
| from to inhab. | 672 | 155 | 352 | ||||
| from to inhab. | 620 | 141 | 326 | ||||
| from to inhab. | 501 | 100 | 320 | ||||
| from to inhab. | 793 | 182 | 545 | ||||
| from 500 to 999 inhab. | 627 | 110 | 364 | ||||
| less than 500 inhab. | 622 | 64 | 206 | ||||
| Total | 968 | ||||||