Administrative Structure Of Italy

Main contributor: Natalie Webb

Italy's twenty regions have had varied historical backgrounds. Before unification in the 19th century, the Italian peninsula was a patchwork of duchies, kingdoms, republics, Papal States and foreign territories . Each of these left behind unique administrative traditions and archival legacies. For genealogists, this means that tracing Italian ancestry requires not only understanding Italian records in general but also the specific histories of the regions where one’s ancestors lived.

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Northern ItalyNorthern Italy

Northern Italy encompasses Liguria, Piedmont, Valle d’Aosta, Lombardy, Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, Veneto, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, and Emilia-Romagna.

Historical overview of Northern ItalyHistorical overview of Northern Italy

Roman Era: These regions were part of Cisalpine Gaul and later Regio Italiae under Augustus. Cities like Milan, Verona, and Aquileia became Roman administrative and military centers.
Middle Ages: After the fall of Rome, Lombards, Franks, and later the Holy Roman Empire shaped the north. Free communes and city-states flourished, especially Milan, Venice, Genoa, and Bologna.
Early Modern Period: Venice built a maritime empire, while Genoa thrived as a commercial republic. Lombardy and much of Veneto passed into Spanish, then Austrian Habsburg hands Piedmont-Savoy grew steadily in power, laying the foundation for Italian unification.
19th Century: The north was economically advanced compared to the south leading into the Risorgimento and became the financial and industrial core of the new Kingdom of Italy (1861).

Central ItalyCentral Italy

Central Italy includes Tuscany, Umbria, Marche, Lazio (Rome) and Sardinia.

Historical overview of Central ItalyHistorical overview of Central Italy

Ancient and Medieval: Rome’s legacy dominates Lazio, while Tuscany preserves deep Etruscan and Roman roots. During the Middle Ages, Tuscany’s city-states became centers of art, banking, and trade.
Papal States: Much of Lazio, Umbria, and Marche were governed by the Papacy from the early Middle Ages until Italian unification. Church authority shaped administration and recordkeeping.
Early Modern Period: Tuscany was unified under the Medici Grand Duchy (16th century). Meanwhile, the Papal States enforced ecclesiastical control but also preserved centralized notarial and parish documentation.
Unification: Tuscany joined the new Kingdom of Italy in 1860, while Rome and the Papal States were annexed in 1870.

Southern ItalySouthern Italy

Southern Italy covers Abruzzo, Molise, Campania, Apulia (Puglia), Basilicata, Calabria and Sicily.

Historical overview of Southern ItalyHistorical overview of Southern Italy

Antiquity: Colonized by Greeks (“Magna Graecia”), later integrated into Rome. Naples, Taranto, and Paestum preserve classical roots.
Middle Ages: A mix of Lombard duchies, Byzantine holdings, and Muslim incursions. By the 11th century, Normans established the Kingdom of Sicily, which united the south and Sicily.
Kingdom of Naples / Two Sicilies: From the 13th to 19th centuries, the south was ruled by foreign dynasties including French and Spanish. It became the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies in 1816.
Unification: Conquered by Garibaldi and annexed to Italy in 1861. The south remained poorer and more rural than the north, fueling massive emigration.

Regions of ItalyRegions of Italy

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