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The (; plural: ) is a local
administrative division Administrative division, administrative unit,Article 3(1). country subdivision, administrative region, subnational entity, constituent state, as well as many similar terms, are generic names for geographical areas into which a particular, ind ...
of
Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
, roughly equivalent to a
township A township is a kind of human settlement or administrative subdivision, with its meaning varying in different countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, that tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Ca ...
or
municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...
. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions ('' regioni'') and provinces (''
province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''Roman province, provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire ...
''). The can also have the title of ('
city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...
'). Formed ''
praeter legem In Legal Latin, the phrase ''praeter legem'' ("outside of the law") "refers to an item that is not regulated by law and therefore is ''not illegal''". It is thus distinct from the phrase contra legem, which refers to something that is directly aga ...
'' according to the principles consolidated in medieval municipalities, the is provided for by art. 114 of the
Constitution of Italy The Constitution of the Italian Republic ( it, Costituzione della Repubblica Italiana) was enacted by the Constituent Assembly on 22 December 1947, with 453 votes in favour and 62 against. The text, which has since been amended sixteen times, ...
. It can be divided into ''
frazioni A ''frazione'' (plural: ) is a type of subdivision of a ''comune'' (municipality) in Italy, often a small village or hamlet outside the main town. Most ''frazioni'' were created during the Fascist Italy (1922–1943), Fascist era (1922–1943) as ...
'', which in turn may have limited power due to special elective assemblies. In the autonomous region of the
Aosta Valley , Valdostan or Valdotainian it, Valdostano (man) it, Valdostana (woman)french: Valdôtain (man)french: Valdôtaine (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = Official languages , population_blank1 = Italian French ...
, a ''comune'' is officially called a ''commune'' in French.


Overview

The provides essential public services:
registry Registry may refer to: Computing * Container registry, an operating-system-level virtualization registry * Domain name registry, a database of top-level internet domain names * Local Internet registry * Metadata registry, information system for re ...
of births and deaths,
registry of deeds Recorder of deeds or deeds registry is a government office tasked with maintaining public records and documents, especially records relating to real estate ownership that provide persons other than the owner of a property with real rights over ...
, and maintenance of local roads and public works. Many have a '' Polizia Comunale'' (communal police), which is responsible for public order duties. The also deal with the definition and compliance with the (general regulator plan), a document that regulates the building activity within the communal area. All communal structures or schools, sports and cultural structures such as communal libraries, theaters, etc. are managed by the . must have their own communal statute and have a climatic and seismic classification of their territory for the purposes of prevention and
civil protection Civil defense ( en, region=gb, civil defence) or civil protection is an effort to protect the citizens of a state (generally non-combatants) from man-made and natural disasters. It uses the principles of emergency operations: prevention, miti ...
. also deal with the
waste management Waste management or waste disposal includes the processes and actions required to manage waste from its inception to its final disposal. This includes the collection, transport, treatment and disposal of waste, together with monitoring ...
. It is headed by a
mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...
( or ) assisted by a legislative body, the (communal council), and an executive body, the (communal committee). The mayor and members of the 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 's seats. The is chaired by the mayor, who appoints others members, called , one of whom serves as deputy mayor (). The offices of the are housed in a building usually called the , or ("
town hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or a municipal building (in the Philippines), is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses ...
"). As of January 2021, there were 7,904 in Italy; they vary considerably in size and population. For example, the of
Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...
, in
Lazio it, Laziale , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...
, has an area of and a population of 2,758,454 inhabitants, and is both the largest and the most populated.
Atrani Atrani is a city and ''comune'' on the Amalfi Coast in the province of Salerno in the Campania region of south-western Italy. It is located to the east of Amalfi, several minutes drive down the coast. The municipality of Atrani has a surface area ...
in the
province of Salerno The Province of Salerno ( it, Provincia di Salerno) is a province in the Campania region of Italy. __TOC__ Geography The largest towns in the province are: Salerno, the capital, which has a population of 131,950; Cava de' Tirreni, Battipagli ...
(
Campania Campania (, also , , , ) is an administrative Regions of Italy, region of Italy; most of it is in the south-western portion of the Italian peninsula (with the Tyrrhenian Sea to its west), but it also includes the small Phlegraean Islands and the i ...
) was the smallest by area, with only , and
Morterone Morterone ( Valassinese lmo, Murterun) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Lecco in the Italian region Lombardy, located about northeast of Milan and about northeast of Lecco. With a population of 33 persons, it was considered the ...
(
Lombardy Lombardy ( it, Lombardia, Lombard language, Lombard: ''Lombardia'' or ''Lumbardia' '') is an administrative regions of Italy, region of Italy that covers ; it is located in the northern-central part of the country and has a population of about 10 ...
) is the smallest by population. Many present-day trace their roots along timescales spanning centuries and at times millennia. The northernmost is
Predoi Prettau (; it, Predoi ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in South Tyrol, a province in northern Italy, located about northeast of Bolzano, on the border with Austria. Geography As of 31 December 2015, it had a population of 571 and an area of .Al ...
, the southernmost one
Lampedusa e Linosa Lampedusa e Linosa ( scn, Lampidusa e Linusa) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Agrigento in the Italy, Italian Regions of Italy, region of Sicily. Located about southwest of Agrigento and about southeast of Tunis, it is the sout ...
, the westernmost
Bardonecchia Bardonecchia (; french: Bardonèche or ; pms, Bardonecia ; oc, Bardonescha ) is an Italian town and ''comune'' located in the Metropolitan City of Turin, in the Piedmont region, in the western part of Susa Valley. It grew out of a small village ...
and the easternmost
Otranto Otranto (, , ; scn, label= Salentino, Oṭṛàntu; el, label=Griko, Δερεντό, Derentò; grc, Ὑδροῦς, translit=Hudroûs; la, Hydruntum) is a coastal town, port and ''comune'' in the province of Lecce (Apulia, Italy), in a fertil ...
. The with the longest name is
San Valentino in Abruzzo Citeriore San Valentino in Abruzzo Citeriore is a mountain hill town in the province of Pescara, part of the Abruzzo region in central Italy. Nestled in the Apennines, less than from the Adriatic coast, the medieval town lies on the northern edge of the Na ...
, while the with the shortest name are Lu, Ro, Ne, Re and
Vo' Vo' (or Vo' Euganeo; sometimes incorrectly spelled Vò or Vò Euganeo) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Padua in the Italian Veneto region, located about west of Venice and about southwest of Padua, in the western end of the Euga ...
The population density of the varies widely by
province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''Roman province, provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire ...
and
region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and the interaction of humanity and t ...
. The
province of Barletta-Andria-Trani The Province of Barletta-Andria-Trani is a province of Italy in the Apulia region. The establishment of the province took effect in June 2009, and Andria was appointed as its seat of government on 21 May 2010. It was created from 10 municipalitie ...
, for example, has 381,091 inhabitants in 10 , or over 39,000 inhabitants per ; whereas the
province of Isernia The province of Isernia ( it, provincia di Isernia) is a province in the region of Molise in Italy. The provincial capital is the city Isernia and the president of the province is Alfredo Ricci. The province of Isernia has an area of and a popul ...
has 81,415 inhabitants in 52 , or 1,640 inhabitants per – roughly 24 times more communal units per inhabitant. The coats of arms of the are assigned by decree of the
Prime Minister of Italy The Prime Minister of Italy, officially the President of the Council of Ministers ( it, link=no, Presidente del Consiglio dei Ministri), is the head of government of the Italian Republic. The office of president of the Council of Ministers is ...
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 ''
Consulta Araldica The ''Consulta Araldica'' ( en, College of Arms) was a college instituted by royal decree on 10 October 1869 to advise the Italian government on noble titles, coats of arms and related matters. It was a department of the Ministry of the Interior, co ...
'', suppressed pursuant to the provisions final of the
Constitution of Italy The Constitution of the Italian Republic ( it, Costituzione della Repubblica Italiana) was enacted by the Constituent Assembly on 22 December 1947, with 453 votes in favour and 62 against. The text, which has since been amended sixteen times, ...
).


Subdivisions

Administrative subdivisions within vary according to their population size. with at least 250,000 residents are divided into (roughly equivalent to French
arrondissements An arrondissement (, , ) is any of various administrative divisions of France, Belgium, Haiti, certain other Francophone countries, as well as the Netherlands. Europe France The 101 French departments are divided into 342 ''arrondissements'', ...
or
London borough The London boroughs are the 32 local authority districts that together with the City of London make up the administrative area of Greater London; each is governed by a London borough council. The present London boroughs were all created at ...
s) to which the delegates administrative functions like the running of schools, social services and waste collection; the delegated functions vary from to . These bodies are headed by an elected president and a local council. Smaller usually comprise: * A main city, town or village, that almost always gives its name to the ; such a place is referred to as the ('head-place' or 'capital'; the
French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
) of the ; the word is also used in casual speech to refer to the city hall. * Outlying areas often called (singular: , abbreviated: , literally 'fraction'), each usually centred on a small town or village. These usually never had pasts as independent settlements, but occasionally are former smaller consolidated into a larger one. They may also represent settlements which predate the . The ancient town of
Pollentia 250px, Church of San Vittore at Pollenzo. Pollentia, known today as Pollenzo ( pms, Polèns), was an ancient city on the left bank of the Tanaro. It is now a ''frazione'' (parish) of Bra in the Province of Cuneo, Piedmont, northern Italy. In an ...
(today Pollenzo), for instance, is a of
Bra A bra, short for brassiere or brassière (, or ; ), is a form-fitting undergarment that is primarily used to support and cover breasts. It can serve a range of other practical and aesthetic purposes, including enhancing or reducing the appear ...
. In recent years the have become more important due to the institution of the (fraction council), a local form of
government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is a ...
which can interact with the to address local needs, requests and claims. Even smaller places are called ('localities', abbreviated: ). * Smaller administrative divisions called , , , , or , which are similar to
district A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...
s and
neighbourhood A neighbourhood (British English, Irish English, Australian English and Canadian English) or neighborhood (American English; see spelling differences) is a geographically localised community within a larger city, town, suburb or rural are ...
s. Sometimes a might be more populated than the ; and rarely, owing to unusual circumstances (like depopulation), the town hall and its administrative functions can be moved to one of the , but the still retains the name of the . In some cases, a might not have a but only some . In these cases, it is a (' dispersed comune') and the which hosts the town hall () is a (compare
county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...
).


Homonymy

There are not many perfect homonymous . There are only six cases in 12 : * Calliano:
Calliano, Piedmont Calliano is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Asti in the Italian region Piedmont, located about east of Turin and about northeast of Asti. Calliano borders the following municipalities: Alfiano Natta, Asti, Castagnole Monferra ...
and
Calliano, Trentino Calliano (''Caliam'' or ''Calian'' in local dialect) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in Trentino in the northern Italian region Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, located about south of Trento. Calliano borders the following municipalities: Besenel ...
* Castro:
Castro, Apulia Castro (Salentino: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the Italian province of Lecce in the Apulia region of south-eastern Italy. History Castro derives its name from ''Castrum Minervae'' (Latin for "Athena's castle"), which was an ancient town of th ...
and
Castro, Lombardy Castro (Bergamasque: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Bergamo in the Italian region of Lombardy, located about northeast of Milan and about northeast of Bergamo on the western side of the lake Iseo. As of 31 December 2019, ...
* Livo:
Livo, Lombardy Livo (Comasco: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Como in the Italian region Lombardy, located about north of Milan and about northeast of Como, on the border with Switzerland. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 212 ...
and
Livo, Trentino Livo (''Liu'' or ''Lio'' in local dialect) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in Trentino in the northern Italian region Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, located about north of Trento. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 903 and an area of ...
* Peglio:
Peglio, Lombardy Peglio ( Comasco: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Como in the Italian region Lombardy, located about north of Milan and about northeast of Como. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 209 and an area of .All demogr ...
and
Peglio, Marche Peglio is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Pesaro and Urbino in the Italian region Marche, located about west of Ancona and about southwest of Pesaro. Peglio borders the following municipalities: Lunano, Sant'Angelo in Vado, Sa ...
* Samone:
Samone, Piedmont Samone is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Turin in the Italian region Piedmont, located about north of Turin. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 1,513 and an area of .All demographics and other statistics: Ital ...
and
Samone, Trentino Samone (''Samón'' in local dialect) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in Trentino in the northern Italian region Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, located about east of Trento. Samone is an enclave in the Castel Ivano Castel Ivano is a ''comune'' ( ...
* San Teodoro:
San Teodoro, Sardinia San Teodoro (Gallurese: ''Santu Diadòru'', sc, Santu Tiadòru) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Sassari in the Italian region Sardinia, located about northeast of Cagliari and about southeast of Olbia. As of 31 December 2004 ...
and
San Teodoro, Sicily San Teodoro ( Sicilian: ''U Casali'') is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Messina in the Italian region Sicily, located about east of Palermo and about southwest of Messina. San Teodoro borders the following municipalities: Cesar ...
This is mostly due to the fact the name of the province or region was appended to the name of the in order to avoid the confusion. Remarkably two provincial capitals share the name :
Reggio nell'Emilia Reggio nell'Emilia ( egl, Rèz; la, Regium Lepidi), usually referred to as Reggio Emilia, or simply Reggio by its inhabitants, and known until Unification of Italy, 1861 as Reggio di Lombardia, is a city in northern Italy, in the Emilia-Romag ...
, the capital of the
province of Reggio Emilia The Province of Reggio Emilia ( it, Provincia di Reggio nell'Emilia, Emilian: ''pruvînsa ed Rèz'') is one of the nine provinces of the Italian Region of Emilia-Romagna. The capital city, which is the most densely populated comune in the provin ...
, in the
Emilia-Romagna egl, Emigliàn (man) egl, Emiglièna (woman) rgn, Rumagnòl (man) rgn, Rumagnòla (woman) it, Emiliano (man) it, Emiliana (woman) or it, Romagnolo (man) it, Romagnola (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title ...
region, and
Reggio di Calabria Reggio di Calabria ( scn, label= Southern Calabrian, Riggiu; el, label=Calabrian Greek, Ρήγι, Rìji), usually referred to as Reggio Calabria, or simply Reggio by its inhabitants, is the largest city in Calabria. It has an estimated popula ...
, the capital of the homonymous metropolitan city, in the
Calabria , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...
region. Many other towns or villages are likewise partial homonyms (e.g.
Anzola dell'Emilia Anzola dell'Emilia ( Western Bolognese: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Bologna in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about northwest of Bologna. It is an important area of industries and Habanero's crops near ...
and
Anzola d'Ossola Anzola d'Ossola is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola in the Italian region Piedmont, located about northeast of Turin and about northwest of Verbania. It occupies a small alluvial plain near the Toce river: its ...
, or
Bagnara Calabra Bagnara Calabra (or simply Bagnara) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Reggio Calabria in Calabria, southern Italy. It is located in the hills facing the Tyrrhenian Sea on the southern tip of the region, about southwest of Catanza ...
and
Bagnara di Romagna Bagnara di Romagna ( rgn, Bagnêra) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Ravenna in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about southeast of Bologna and about west of Ravenna. Bagnara di Romagna borders the following municipa ...
).


Title of city

The title of ('
city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...
') in Italy is granted to that have been awarded it by decree of the
King of Italy King of Italy ( it, links=no, Re d'Italia; la, links=no, Rex Italiae) was the title given to the ruler of the Kingdom of Italy after the fall of the Western Roman Empire. The first to take the title was Odoacer, a barbarian military leader, ...
(until 1946) or of the provisional head of state (from 1946 to 1948) or, subsequently, of the
President of Italy The president of Italy, officially denoted as president of the Italian Republic ( it, Presidente della Repubblica Italiana) is the head of state of Italy. In that role, the president represents national unity, and guarantees that Italian poli ...
(after 1948), on the proposal of the
Ministry of the Interior An interior ministry (sometimes called a ministry of internal affairs or ministry of home affairs) is a government department that is responsible for internal affairs. Lists of current ministries of internal affairs Named "ministry" * Ministry ...
, to which the concerned sends an application for a concession, by virtue of their historical, artistic, civic or demographic importance. The endowed with the title of 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".


Statistics


Largest comuni by area

The following is a list of the largest in Italy, in descending order of surface area, according to
ISTAT The Italian National Institute of Statistics ( it, Istituto nazionale di statistica; Istat) is the main producer of official statistics in Italy. Its activities include the census of population, economic censuses and a number of social, economic ...
data referring to 9 October 2011. The
provincial Provincial may refer to: Government & Administration * Provincial capitals, an administrative sub-national capital of a country * Provincial city (disambiguation) * Provincial minister (disambiguation) * Provincial Secretary, a position in Can ...
capitals are highlighted in bold.


Smallest comuni by area

The following is a list of the smallest in Italy, in ascending order of surface area, according to
ISTAT The Italian National Institute of Statistics ( it, Istituto nazionale di statistica; Istat) is the main producer of official statistics in Italy. Its activities include the census of population, economic censuses and a number of social, economic ...
data referring to 9 October 2011.


Highest comuni by altitude

The following is a list of the first by altitude, in descending order. The indicated altitude coincides with the height above
sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical datuma standardised g ...
of the town hall.


Largest comuni by population

List of the first by population in descending order, according to
ISTAT The Italian National Institute of Statistics ( it, Istituto nazionale di statistica; Istat) is the main producer of official statistics in Italy. Its activities include the census of population, economic censuses and a number of social, economic ...
data updated to 28 February 2022. The
regional In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and the interaction of humanity and t ...
capitals are in bold.


Comuni by demographic ranges

The data is updated as of 1 January 2021.


Demographic ranges by macroregion

The data is updated as of 1 January 2021.


See also

*
Regions of Italy The regions of Italy ( it, regioni d'Italia) are the first-level administrative divisions of the Italian Republic, constituting its second NUTS administrative level. There are twenty regions, five of which have higher autonomy than the rest. U ...
*
Metropolitan cities of Italy The metropolitan cities of Italy (Italian: ''città metropolitane d'Italia'') are administrative divisions of Italy, operative since 2015, which are a special type of sub-provinces (''province''). The metropolitan city, as defined by law, include ...
*
Provinces of Italy The provinces of Italy ( it, province d'Italia) are the second-level administrative divisions of the Italy, Italian Republic, on an intermediate level between a municipality () and a regions of Italy, region (). Since 2015, provinces have been ...
*
List of municipalities of Italy In Italy, municipalities (''comuni'') are the basic administrative division, and may be properly approximated in casual speech by the English word township or municipality. Overall * Alphabetical list of municipalities of Italy Central Italy L ...
*
List of renamed municipalities in Italy The following is a list of settlements in Italy whose name was changed between 1861 and today, sorted by region. This list contains only settlements within the present-day borders of Italy, but omits the German place names in South Tyrol (see Pron ...
*
Alphabetical list of municipalities of Italy Alphabetical order is a system whereby character strings are placed in order based on the position of the characters in the conventional ordering of an alphabet. It is one of the methods of collation. In mathematics, a lexicographical order is ...
*
Fusion of municipalities of Italy The fusion of Italian municipalities (Italian: ''fusione di comuni'') is the physical-territorial union between two or more contiguous ''comuni''. The following list contains only the municipalities that are within the present-day borders of Ital ...
*
Municipalities of Switzerland Municipalities (german: Gemeinden, ' or '; french: communes; it , comuni; rm, vischnancas) are the lowest level of administrative division in Switzerland. Each municipality is part of one of the Swiss cantons, which form the Swiss Confederat ...
– those in Italian-speaking areas of the country are called


References


External links


Associazione Nazionale Comuni Italiani
* * {{authority control Types of administrative division Subdivisions of Italy
Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...