Comune

The comune (Italian pronunciation: [koˈmuːne]; plural: comuni [koˈmuːni]) is a local administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality.[1] It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions (regioni) and provinces (province).

"Comunes" redirects here. For the non-profit collective, see Comunes Collective.
For other uses, see Commune (disambiguation).
Municipalities of Italy
Comuni  (Italian)
CategoryRegionalised unitary state
LocationItalian Republic
Number7,904
Populations32 (Morterone) – 2,758,454 (Rome)
Areas0.1206 km2 (0.0466 sq mi) (Atrani) –
1,287.36 km2 (497.05 sq mi) (Rome)
Government
Subdivisions
Administrative divisions of Italy:
- Regions (black borders)
- Provinces (dark gray borders)
- Comuni (light grey borders)

Overview

The comune provides essential public services: registry of births and deaths, registry of deeds, and maintenance of local roads and public works.[2][3][4] Many comuni have a Polizia Comunale, which is responsible for public order duties.[5]

All comunal structures or schools, sports and cultural structures such as comunal libraries, theaters, etc. are managed by the comuni.[6] Comuni must have their own comunall statute and have a climatic and seismic classification of their territory for the purposes of prevention and civil protection.[7]

It is headed by a mayor (sindaco or sindaca) assisted by a legislative body, the consiglio comunale (communal council), and an executive body, the giunta comunale (communal committee).[8] The mayor and members of the 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 consiglio's seats.[9]

The giunta comunale is chaired by the mayor, who appoints others members, called assessori, one of whom serves as deputy mayor (vicesindaco).[10] The offices of the comune are housed in a building usually called the municipio, or palazzo comunale.[11]

As of January 2021, there were 7,904 comuni in Italy;[12] they vary considerably in size and population. For example, the comune of Rome, in Lazio, has an area of 1,287.36 km2 (497.05 sq mi) and a population of 2,758,454 inhabitants, and is both the largest and the most populated.[13]

Atrani in the province of Salerno (Campania) was the smallest comune by area, with only 0.1206 km2 (0.0466 sq mi),[14] and Morterone (Lombardy) is the smallest by population.[15] Many present day's comuni trace their roots along timescales spanning centuries and at times millennia.[16][17]

The population density of the comuni varies widely by province and region: the province of Barletta-Andria-Trani, for example, has 381,091 inhabitants in 10 comuni,[18] or over 39,000 inhabitants per comune; whereas the province of Isernia has 81,415 inhabitants in 52 comuni,[19] or 1,640 inhabitants per comune – roughly twenty-four times more communal units per inhabitant.

Number of comuni and population in Italy[12][20]
YearNumberPopulationPop/Comune
18617,72022,171,9462,872
18718,38327,295,5093,256
18818,26028,951,5463,505
19018,26332,963,3163,989
19118,32435,841,5634,306
19219,19539,396,7574,285
19317,31141,043,4895,614
19367,33942,398,4895,777
19517,81047,515,5376,084
19618,03550,623,5696,300
19718,05654,136,5476,720
19818,08656,556,9116,994
19918,10056,885,3367,023
20018,10156,995,7447,036
20118,09259,433,7447,345
20217,90459,236,2137,494

The coats of arms of the comuni are assigned by decree of the President of the Council of Ministers of the Italian Republic 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, suppressed pursuant to the provisions final of the Constitution of the Italian Republic).[21]

Subdivisions

Administrative subdivisions within comuni vary according to their population size.

Comuni with at least 250,000 residents are divided into circoscrizioni[22] (roughly equivalent to French arrondissements or London boroughs) to which the comune delegates administrative functions like the running of schools, social services and waste collection; the delegated functions vary from comune to comune. These bodies are headed by an elected president and a local council.

Smaller comuni usually comprise:

  • A main city, town or village, that almost always gives its name to the comune; such a place is referred to as the capoluogo ("head-place" or "capital"; cf. the French chef-lieu) of the comune; the word comune is also used in casual speech to refer to the city hall.
  • Outlying areas often called frazioni (singular: frazione, abbreviated: fraz., literally "fraction"), each usually centred on a small town or village. These frazioni usually never had a past as independent settlement, but occasionally are former smaller comuni consolidated into a larger one. They may also represent settlements which predate the capoluogo: the ancient town of Pollentia (today Pollenzo), for instance, is a frazione of Bra. In recent years the frazioni have become more important thanks to the institution of the consiglio di frazione (fraction council), a local form of government which can interact with the comune to address local needs, requests and claims. Even smaller places are called località ("localities", abbreviated: loc.).
  • Smaller administrative divisions called municipi[23], rioni, quartieri, terzieri, sestieri or contrade, which are similar to districts and neighbourhoods.

Sometimes a frazione might be more populated than the capoluogo; and rarely, owing to unusual circumstances (like depopulation), the town hall and its administrative functions can be moved to one of the frazioni: but the comune still retains the name of the capoluogo.

In some cases, a comune might not have a capoluogo but only some frazioni. In these cases, it is a comune sparso ("dispersed comune") and the frazione which hosts the town hall (municipio) is a sede municipale (compare county seat).

Homonymy
Mural crown for the title of comune. It is located in the upper part of the coat of arms of the comune

There are not many perfect homonymous comuni. There are only six cases in 12 comuni:[24]

This is mostly due to the fact the name of the province or region was appended to the name of the comune in order to avoid the confusion. Remarkably two provincial capitals share the name 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).

Title of city
Mural crown for the title of città ("city").

The title of città ("city") in Italy is granted to 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 Italian Republic (after 1948), on the proposal of the Ministry of the Interior, to which the comune concerned sends an application for a concession, by virtue of their historical, artistic, civic or demographic importance.[25]

The comuni endowed with the title of città usually carry the golden crown due to them above the coat of arms, except for exceptions (or 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".[26]

Statistics

First comuni by area

The following is a list of the largest comuni in Italy, in descending order of surface area, according to ISTAT data referring to 9 October 2011.[27] The provincial capitals are highlighted in bold.

Rome
RankComuneRegionProvinceArea (km²)
1RomeLazioRome1,287.36 km2 (497.05 sq mi)
2RavennaEmilia-RomagnaRavenna653.82 km2 (252.44 sq mi)
3CerignolaApuliaFoggia593.93 km2 (229.32 sq mi)
4NotoSicilySyracuse554.99 km2 (214.28 sq mi)
5SassariSardiniaSassari547.04 km2 (211.21 sq mi)
6MonrealeSicilyPalermo530.18 km2 (204.70 sq mi)
7GubbioUmbriaPerugia525.78 km2 (203.00 sq mi)
8FoggiaApuliaFoggia509.26 km2 (196.63 sq mi)
9L'AquilaAbruzzoL'Aquila473.91 km2 (182.98 sq mi)
10GrossetoTuscanyGrosseto473.55 km2 (182.84 sq mi)
11PerugiaUmbriaPerugia449.51 km2 (173.56 sq mi)
12RagusaSicilyRagusa444.67 km2 (171.69 sq mi)
13AltamuraApuliaBari431.38 km2 (166.56 sq mi)
14CaltanissettaSicilyCaltanissetta421.25 km2 (162.65 sq mi)
15VeniceVenetoVenice415.90 km2 (160.58 sq mi)
16ViterboLazioViterbo406.23 km2 (156.85 sq mi)
17FerraraEmilia-RomagnaFerrara405.16 km2 (156.43 sq mi)
18AndriaApuliaBarletta-Andria-Trani402.89 km2 (155.56 sq mi)
19MateraBasilicataMatera392.09 km2 (151.39 sq mi)
20Città di CastelloUmbriaPerugia387.32 km2 (149.55 sq mi)
21Gravina in PugliaApuliaBari384.74 km2 (148.55 sq mi)
22ArezzoTuscanyArezzo384.70 km2 (148.53 sq mi)
23OlbiaSardiniaSassari383.64 km2 (148.12 sq mi)
24CaltagironeSicilyCatania383.38 km2 (148.02 sq mi)
25MancianoTuscanyGrosseto372.51 km2 (143.83 sq mi)
26EnnaSicilyEnna358.75 km2 (138.51 sq mi)
27ManfredoniaApuliaFoggia354.54 km2 (136.89 sq mi)
28SpoletoUmbriaPerugia348.14 km2 (134.42 sq mi)
29Corigliano-RossanoCalabriaCosenza346.56 km2 (133.81 sq mi)
30CortonaTuscanyArezzo342.97 km2 (132.42 sq mi)

Last comuni by area

The following is a list of the smallest comuni in Italy, in ascending order of surface area, according to ISTAT data referring to 9 October 2011.[27]

Atrani
RankComuneRegionProvinceArea (km²)
1AtraniCampaniaSalerno0.1206 km2 (0.0466 sq mi)
2MiaglianoPiedmontBiella0.6678 km2 (0.2578 sq mi)
3Fiorano al SerioLombardyBergamo1.0601 km2 (0.4093 sq mi)
4Conca dei MariniCampaniaSalerno1.1281 km2 (0.4356 sq mi)
5RoccafioritaSicilyMessina1.1682 km2 (0.4510 sq mi)
6SolzaLombardyBergamo1.2278 km2 (0.4741 sq mi)
7MaslianicoLombardyComo1.2885 km2 (0.4975 sq mi)
8San Lorenzo al MareLiguriaImperia1.2886 km2 (0.4975 sq mi)
9Crosio della ValleLombardyVarese1.4407 km2 (0.5563 sq mi)
10Ferrera di VareseLombardyVarese1.5265 km2 (0.5894 sq mi)
11CasavatoreCampaniaNaples1.5267 km2 (0.5895 sq mi)
12PiarioLombardyBergamo1.5451 km2 (0.5966 sq mi)
14VajontFriuli-Venezia GiuliaPordenone1.5860 km2 (0.6124 sq mi)
15ArizzanoPiedmontVerbano-Cusio-Ossola1.5995 km2 (0.6176 sq mi)
16Longone al SegrinoLombardyComo1.6045 km2 (0.6195 sq mi)
17ViganòLombardyLecco1.6049 km2 (0.6197 sq mi)
18BrunelloLombardyVarese1.6200 km2 (0.6255 sq mi)
19CamparadaLombardyMonza e Brianza1.6337 km2 (0.6308 sq mi)
20CainesTrentino-Alto AdigeSouth Tyrol1.6345 km2 (0.6311 sq mi)
21CurtiCampaniaCaserta1.6894 km2 (0.6523 sq mi)
22Castel RozzoneLombardyBergamo1.7066 km2 (0.6589 sq mi)
23LozzaLombardyVarese1.7100 km2 (0.6602 sq mi)
24Aci BonaccorsiSicilyCatania1.7243 km2 (0.6658 sq mi)
25CalvignascoLombardyMilan1.7272 km2 (0.6669 sq mi)
26VentoteneLazioLatina1.7454 km2 (0.6739 sq mi)
27LirioLombardyPavia1.7457 km2 (0.6740 sq mi)
28Masciago PrimoLombardyVarese1.8082 km2 (0.6981 sq mi)
29MontelloLombardyBergamo1.8156 km2 (0.7010 sq mi)
30CarzanoTrentino-Alto AdigeTrentino1.8202 km2 (0.7028 sq mi)

First comuni by altitude

The following is a list of the first comuni by altitude, in descending order.[28] The indicated altitude coincides with the height above sea level of the town hall.

Sestriere
RankComuneRegionProvinceAltitude
(Meters above
the sea level)
1SestrierePiedmontTurin2,035 m (6,677 ft)
2ChamoisAosta Valley—1,818 m (5,965 ft)
3LivignoLombardySondrio1,816 m (5,958 ft)
4ClavierePiedmontTurin1,760 m (5,770 ft)
5Rhêmes-Notre-DameAosta Valley—1,725 m (5,659 ft)
6AyasAosta Valley—1,699 m (5,574 ft)
7ArgenteraPiedmontCuneo1,684 m (5,525 ft)
8ValgrisencheAosta Valley—1,664 m (5,459 ft)
9La MagdeleineAosta Valley—1,644 m (5,394 ft)
10ElvaPiedmontCuneo1,637 m (5,371 ft)
11Gressoney-La-TrinitéAosta Valley—1,635 m (5,364 ft)
12Ceresole RealePiedmontTurin1,620 m (5,310 ft)
13PontechianalePiedmontCuneo1,614 m (5,295 ft)
14BionazAosta Valley—1,606 m (5,269 ft)
15BellinoPiedmontCuneo1,572 m (5,157 ft)
16Corvara in BadiaTrentino-Alto AdigeSouth Tyrol1,568 m (5,144 ft)
17Selva di Val GardenaTrentino-Alto AdigeSouth Tyrol1,563 m (5,128 ft)
18Sauze di CesanaPiedmontTurin1,560 m (5,120 ft)
19CogneAosta Valley—1,544 m (5,066 ft)
20ValsavarencheAosta Valley—1,541 m (5,056 ft)
21ValtournencheAosta Valley—1,528 m (5,013 ft)
22PragelatoPiedmontTurin1,524 m (5,000 ft)
23Curon VenostaTrentino-Alto AdigeSouth Tyrol1,520 m (4,990 ft)
24Saint-Rhémy-en-BossesAosta Valley—1,519 m (4,984 ft)
25Sauze d'OulxPiedmontTurin1,509 m (4,951 ft)
26FoppoloLombardyBergamo1,508 m (4,948 ft)
27TorgnonAosta Valley—1,489 m (4,885 ft)
28PredoiTrentino-Alto AdigeSouth Tyrol1,475 m (4,839 ft)
29Livinallongo del Col di LanaVenetoBelluno1,475 m (4,839 ft)
30CanazeiTrentino-Alto AdigeTrentino1,465 m (4,806 ft)

First comuni by population

List of the first comuni by population in descending order, according to ISTAT data updated to 28 February 2022.[29] The regional capitals are in bold.

Milan
RankComuneRegionProvinceInhabitants
1RomeLazioRome2,758,454
2MilanLombardyMilan1,371,606
3NaplesCampaniaNaples912,954
4TurinPiedmontTurin846 067
5PalermoSicilyPalermo628 883
6GenoaLiguriaGenoa560 155
7BolognaEmilia-RomagnaBologna392,593
8FlorenceTuscanyFlorence367,051
9BariApuliaBari316,113
10CataniaSicilyCatania297,761
11VeronaVenetoVerona257,176
12VeniceVenetoVenice254,367
13MessinaSicilyMessina219,565
14PaduaVenetoPadua208,561
15PratoTuscanyPrato200,647
16TriesteFriuli-Venezia GiuliaTrieste200,454
17ParmaEmilia-RomagnaParma196,982
18BresciaLombardyBrescia196,727
19TarantoApuliaTaranto188,848
20ModenaEmilia-RomagnaModena185,628
21Reggio CalabriaCalabriaReggio Calabria171,546
22Reggio EmiliaEmilia-RomagnaReggio Emilia169,100
23PerugiaUmbriaPerugia163,614
24RavennaEmilia-RomagnaRavenna155,968
25LivornoTuscanyLivorno153,901
26RiminiEmilia-RomagnaRimini150,068
27CagliariSardiniaCagliari148,697
28FoggiaApuliaFoggia146,213
29FerraraEmilia-RomagnaFerrara131,066
30SalernoCampaniaSalerno127,840

Comuni by demographic ranges

The data is updated as of 1 January 2021.[30]

Map of Italy's population density at the 2011 census
Demographic range Comuni Population
Number % Residents %
more than 500,000 inhab. 6 0,08% 7,170,310 12.10%
from 250,000 to 499,999 inhab. 6 0.08% 1,874,966 3.16%
from 100,000 to 249,999 inhab. 32 0.40% 4,749,945 8.02%
from 60,000 to 99,999 inhab. 58 0.73% 4,446,634 7.50%
from 20,000 to 59,999 inhab. 404 5.11% 13,253,362 22.37%
from 10,000 to 19,999 inhab. 698 8.83% 9,662,013 16.31%
from 5,000 to 9,999 inhab. 1,179 14.92% 8,331,631 14.06%
from 3,000 to 4,999 inhab. 1,087 13.75% 4,222,171 7.13%
from 2,000 to 2,999 inhab. 921 11.65% 2,258,907 3.81%
from 1,000 to 1,999 inhab. 1,520 19.23% 2,213,443 3.74%
from 500 to 999 inhab. 1,101 13.93% 811,919 1.37%
less than 500 inhab. 892 11.29% 262,265 0.44%
Total 7,904 100.00% 59,257,566 100.00%

Demographic ranges for small comuni

The data is updated as of 1 January 2021.[30]

Demographic range Comuni Population
Number % Residents %
from 4,000 to 4,999 inhab. 5,521 69.85% 9,768,705 16.49%
from 3,000 to 3,999 inhab. 5,063 64.06% 7,719,721 13.03%
from 2,000 to 2,999 inhab. 4,434 56.10% 5,546,534 9.36%
from 1,000 to 1,999 inhab. 3,513 44.45% 3,287,627 5.55%
less than 999 inhab. 1,993 25.22% 1,074,184 1.81%

Demographic ranges by macroregion

The data is updated as of 1 January 2021.[30]

Demographic range Number of comuni Resident population
North Centre South North Centre South
more than 500,000 inhab. 3 1 2 2,804,841 2,783,809 1,581,660
from 250,000 to 499,999 inhab. 3 1 2 907,910 359,755 607,301
from 100,000 to 249,999 inhab. 17 5 10 2,503,474 749,523 1,496,948
from 60,000 to 99,999 inhab. 16 16 26 1,289,906 1,253,707 1,903,021
from 20,000 to 59,999 inhab. 158 78 168 4,974,716 2,647,385 5,631,261
from 10,000 to 19,999 inhab. 353 115 230 4,824,497 1,655,230 3,182,286
from 5,000 to 9,999 inhab. 672 155 352 4,723,268 1,139,230 2,469,133
from 3,000 to 4,999 inhab. 620 141 326 2,404,254 549,864 1,268,053
from 2,000 to 2,999 inhab. 501 100 320 1,229,705 242,581 786,621
from 1,000 to 1,999 inhab. 793 182 545 1,155,222 270,306 787,915
from 500 to 999 inhab. 627 110 364 458,324 82,312 271,283
less than 500 inhab. 622 64 206 175,415 19,431 67,419
Total 4,385 968 2,551 27,451,532 11,753,133 20,052,901

See also

References
  1. "Italian communes ordered alphabetically". Retrieved 3 May 2022.
  2. "Gli adempimenti degli uffici Anagrafe" (in Italian). Retrieved 3 May 2022.
  3. "Poteri e compiti degli enti proprietari delle strade" (in Italian). Retrieved 3 May 2022.
  4. "Settore Lavori pubblici e manutenzione della città" (in Italian). Retrieved 3 May 2022.
  5. "Cosa fa polizia locale" (in Italian). Retrieved 3 May 2022.
  6. "Cultura" (in Italian). Retrieved 3 May 2022.
  7. "Protezione Civile del Comune di Prato" (in Italian). Retrieved 3 May 2022.
  8. "Funzioni e competenze del consiglio comunale" (in Italian). Retrieved 3 May 2022.
  9. "SISTEMA ELETTORALE COMUNI" (in Italian). Retrieved 3 May 2022.
  10. "Funzioni della Giunta" (in Italian). Retrieved 3 May 2022.
  11. "Municipio" (in Italian). Retrieved 3 May 2022.
  12. "Regioni italiane" (in Italian). Retrieved 30 April 2022.
  13. "Alcune curiosità sui comuni italiani" (in Italian). Retrieved 3 May 2022.
  14. "Atrani: le tante facce del più piccolo comune italiano" (in Italian). Retrieved 3 May 2022.
  15. "Comune che "vince" non si cambia: 29 abitanti, Morterone è ancora il più piccolo d'Italia" (in Italian). Retrieved 3 May 2022.
  16. "I comuni nel Medioevo: nascita e sviluppo tra 1200 e 1300" (in Italian). Retrieved 3 May 2022.
  17. "Il modello cittadino in epoca romana" (in Italian). Retrieved 3 May 2022.
  18. "Provincia di Barletta-Andria-Trani" (in Italian). Retrieved 3 May 2022.
  19. "Provincia di Isernia" (in Italian). Retrieved 3 May 2022.
  20. "Comuni dal 1861". www.comuniverso.it. Retrieved 19 March 2017.
  21. "Ufficio del cerimoniale di Stato e per le Onorificenze" (in Italian). Retrieved 4 May 2022.
  22. "Circoscrizioni di decentramento comunale" (in Italian). Retrieved 3 May 2022.
  23. "L'affluenza, municipio per municipio, a Milano, Roma e Napoli: ecco quali zone hanno votato di più" (in Italian). Retrieved 3 May 2022.
  24. (in Italian) Complete list and infos on Comuni-italiani.it
  25. "Testo unico delle leggi sull'ordinamento degli enti locali" (in Italian). Retrieved 4 May 2022.
  26. "Caratteristiche tecniche degli emblemi araldici" (in Italian). Retrieved 4 May 2022.
  27. "La superficie dei comuni, delle province e delle regioni italiane" (in Italian). Retrieved 4 May 2022.
  28. "Comuni italiani per altitudine" (in Italian). Retrieved 4 May 2022.
  29. "Statistiche demografiche ISTAT". Archived from the original on 22 February 2022. Retrieved 3 May 2022.
  30. "Comuni per fasce demografiche" (in Italian). Retrieved 4 May 2022.
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