2. Italy in brief
• Location: Southern Europe
• Official name: Italian
Republic (Repubblica
italiana)
• Capital (and largest city):
Rome
• Official language: Italian
• Demonym: Italian
3. Geography of Italy
• Italy borders France, Austria, Slovenia
and Switzerland on its north.
• To the south, Italy is made up of
entirety of Italian Peninsula, Sicily
and Sardina – two biggest islands in
Mediterranean Sea – and numerous
other islands.
• Independent countries of San Marino
and Vatican City are enclaves inside
Italy; Campione d’Italia is Italian
exclave in Switzerland.
• Italy’s territory covers about 301,338
km 2 (116,347 sq mi) and is inspired
by temperate seasonal climate.
• Fifth most populous country in
Europe and 23rd most populous in the
world, with 60.6 million people.
5. Religion in Italy
• Even though the Roman Catholic
Church no longer has status of
state religion, it is by far Italy’s
biggest religious denomination.
• Catholics account for 87.8% of the
population; 36.8% regard
themselves as practicing Catholics
and 30.8% regularly attend
Church on Sundays.
• There are important religious
minorities, which include Eastern
Orthodox and Protestant
denominations, Jehovah’s
Witnesses, Latter-day Saints,
Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus,
Sikhs, Jews, Bahá'ís, and
Federation of Damanhur.
6. Italy’s membership in world organizations
• Founding member of what
is today the European
Union and part of
Eurozone.
• Also member of G8, G20,
NATO, Organization for
Economic Co-operation
and Development, World
Trade Organization,
Council of Europe,
Western European Union
(formerly) and United
Nations.
7. Government of Italy
• Government (Governo): Unitary
parliamentary constitutional republic
• President (Presidente della
Repubblica Italiana): Giorgio
Napolitano
• Prime Minister (Presidente del
Consiglio dei Ministri della
Repubblica Italiana): Mario Monti
• Legislature: Parliament (Parlamento
Italiano)
• Upper house: Senate of the Republic
(Senato della Repubblica)
• Lower house: Chamber of Deputies
(Camera dei Deputati)
8. Parliamentary parties
• The People of Freedom (Il Popolo della
Libertà, PdL)
• Democratic Party (Partito
Democratico, PD)
• Northern League (Lega Nord, LN)
▫ Lombard League (Lega Lombarda,
LL), Venetian League (Liga Veneta,
LV)
• Union of the Centre (Unione di Centro,
UdC)
▫ Union of Christian and Centre
Democrats (Unione dei Democratici
Cristiani e di Centro, UDC)
• Future and Freedom for Italy (Futuro e
Libertà per l'Italia, FLI)
• Italy of Values (Italia dei Valori, IdV)
9. Parliament of Italy
• Italy’s national parliament and bicameral
legislature with 945 elected members,
referred to as parlamentari.
• Made up of Chamber of Deputies, with 630
members (deputati) and Senate of the
Republic with 315 members (senatori); both
houses exercise same duties and powers,
and the Constitution does not make
differences between them.
• However, as President of the Senate is Head
of State when the president needs to be
replaced in case of illness, death,
resignation, or removal from office, Senate
by tradition is regarded as upper house.
• Party list electoral law is in use in both
houses since 2005.
• A majority prize is presented to coalition
after securing plurality: at national level for
Chamber and at regional level for Senate.
10. Giorgio Napolitano
• 11th and current President of Italy since
15 May 2006.
• Born 29 June 1925.
• Long-time member of Italian Communist
Party (1945-1991) and subsequently, for
much shorter time, member of
Democrats of the Left (1991-2006).
• Served as President of the Chamber of
Deputies from 1992-1994 and also as
Minister of the Interior from 1996-1998.
• Appointed as Senator for life in 2005;
was elected President of Italy on 10 May
2006, and was sworn in five days later.
• First Italian president to have formerly
been member of Italian Communist
Party.
11. Mario Monti
• 54th and current PM of Italy and Minister of
Economy and Finance since 16 November
2011.
• Born 19 March 1943 in Varese.
• Previously served as European
Commissioner from 1995-2004, with
liability for Internal Market, Services,
Customs and Taxation from 1995-1999 and
for Competition from 1999-2004.
• Was also Rector and President of Bocconi
University in Milan.
• Was called by President Giorgio Napolitano
on 12 November 2011, in midst of European
sovereign debt crisis, to form new
technocratic government (Italian: governo
tecnico) after prior resignation of Silvio
Berlusconi.
• Sworn in as PM on 16 November 2011,
exactly a week after being nominated
Senator for Life.
12. The People of Freedom
• Centre-right party and one of two important
parties of current Italian political system.
• Launched by ex-PM Silvio Berlusconi on 18
November 2007; was officially founded in
party congress held between 27 and 29 March
2009, when Forza Italia and National Alliance
merged.
• Other than Berlusconi, PdL is led by
secretary, Angelino Alfano, and three
coordinators: Sandro Bondi, Ignazio La Russa
and Denis Verdini.
• Leading members include Giulio Tremonti,
Roberto Formigoni, Franco Frattni, Maurizio
Sacconi, Gianni Alemanno, Mariastella
Gelmini and Giancarlo Galan.
• Formed Berlusconi IV Cabinet in Italian
government, in coalition with Lega Nord,
from May 2008 until Berlusconi’s resignation
in November 2011.
13. Democratic Party
• Social-democratic party and Italy’s second-
largest, behind rival The People of Freedom.
• Led by Pier Luigi Bersani, who was elected in
2009 leadership election.
• Founded 14 October 2007 as union of several
left-wing and centrist parties, previously part
of The Union in 2006 general election.
• Its bulk was created by Democrats of the Left
(successor of Italian Communist Party) and
Democracy is Freedom – The Daisy.
• Significant role is also played by the Christian
left, within the party, who are direct
successors of late Christian Democracy party’s
left.
• Has backed PM Mario Monti’s government
since its formation following November 2011
resignation of Silvio Berlusconi, alongside
Berlusconi’s The People of Freedom, Union of
the Centre, and Future and Freedom.
