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 era (1922–1943) as a way to consolidate territorial subdivisions in the country.
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 ''frazione'' is officially called an ''hameau'' in French.
Description
Typically the term ''frazioni'' applies to the villages surrounding the main town (''
capoluogo
The (; plural: ) is a local administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions ('' regioni'') and provinces (''province''). The can also ...
'') of a ''
comune''. Subdivision of a ''comune'' is optional; some ''comuni'' have no ''frazioni'', but others have several dozen. The ''comune'' usually has the same name of the ''capoluogo'', but not always, in which case it is called a ''comune sparso''.
In practice, most ''frazioni'' are small
villages or
hamlets, occasionally just a clump of houses. Not every hamlet is classified as a ''frazione''; those that are not are often referred to as ''
località
A ''località'' is an inhabited place in Italy that is not accorded a more significant distinction in administrative law such as a ''frazione'', ''comune'', ''municipio'', ''circoscrizione'', or ''quartiere''. The word is cognate to English ''loc ...
'', for example, in the telephone book. In some cases, ''frazioni'' are more populous than the ''capoluogo'' of the ''comune''. Due to unusual circumstances or to the depopulation of the ''capoluogo'', the town hall and its administrative functions can move to one of the ''frazioni'': the ''comune'' still retains the name of the ''capoluogo''.
History
Historically, many ''frazioni'' came into being during the Fascist era, when a major effort was made to consolidate and rationalize the territorial subdivisions of the country. Sometimes, a ''frazione'' represents a former ''comune'' that was believed to be no longer viable.
Until 2000, the central government established the frazioni and defined their borders, except in the case of the five
autonomous regions
An autonomous administrative division (also referred to as an autonomous area, entity, unit, region, subdivision, or territory) is a subnational administrative division or internal territory of a sovereign state that has a degree of autonomy— ...
(see
Regions of Italy), where this was controlled at the
regional level. By the Legislative Decree 267/2000 to implement amendments to Title V of the Italian Constitution, the individual ''comuni'' now define the ''frazioni'' within their borders.
Officers
Under the former legislation, a ''frazione'' had the option of having a ''prosindaco'' (submayor), who was appointed by the
mayor (''il sindaco'') of the ''comune'', often on the recommendation of deliberative bodies such as the communal council (''consiglio'') or the ''giunta'', or as a result of a petition by enough residents of the ''frazione'' involved; although there was no official provision for ''frazioni'' to group together with the appointment of a single ''prosindaco'', this did happen quite often. Under current law, however, Article 54 of the d.lgs. 267/2000 provides that a mayor may delegate mayoral functions at the ''frazione'' level to a councillor of the ''comune''.
In many ''comuni'', in addition to their advisory function, the ''frazioni'' have their clerks and recorders of deeds, but they do not maintain their own civil records.
See also
*
Circoscrizione
''Circoscrizione'' (; plural: ''circoscrizioni'') can refer to two different administrative units of Italy. One is an electoral district approximating to the English ''constituency'' but typically the size of a province or region, depending on th ...
*
Contrada
A (plural: ) is a subdivision (of various types) of Italian city, now unofficial. Depending on the case, a will be a ''località'', a ''rione'', a ''quartiere'' (''terziere'', etc.), a '' borgo'', or even a suburb. The best-known are the 1 ...
*
Località
A ''località'' is an inhabited place in Italy that is not accorded a more significant distinction in administrative law such as a ''frazione'', ''comune'', ''municipio'', ''circoscrizione'', or ''quartiere''. The word is cognate to English ''loc ...
*
Rione
A (; plural: ) is a neighbourhood in several Italian cities. A is a territorial subdivision. The larger administrative subdivisions in Rome are the , with the being used only in the historic centre. The word derives from the Latin , the 14 su ...
**
Rioni of Rome
*
Quartiere
A (; plural: ) is a territorial subdivision of certain Italian towns. The word derives from (‘fourth’) and was thus properly used only for towns divided into four neighborhoods by the two main roads. It has been later used as a synonymous ...
*
Sestiere
A (plural: ) is a subdivision of certain Italian towns and cities. The word is from (‘sixth’), so it is thus used only for towns divided into six districts. The best-known example is the ''sestieri'' of Venice, but Ascoli Piceno, Genoa, Mi ...
*
Terziere
A (plural: ) is a subdivision of several towns in Italy. The word derives from (‘third’) and is thus used only for towns divided into three neighborhoods. ''Terzieri'' are most commonly met with in Umbria, as for example at Trevi, Spello, ...
{{Types of administrative country subdivision
Types of administrative division
Italian words and phrases