Italy has an administrative structure made up of different levels of government, each with specific functions and responsibilities. The main elements of this division are: comune, fraction, province and region. To understand how these levels work, it is worth comparing them with the administrative structure of Brazil.
Comune: the basis of the Italian administrative system
The comune is the smallest administrative unit in Italy and can be compared to a municipality in Brazil. It is responsible for local administration and essential services, such as education, health, public safety and urban planning. The main difference is that Italian comuni have greater autonomy than Brazilian municipalities, in the sense that they have more decision-making power over various local administrative issues.
Each comune has a mayor (sindaco) and a municipal council (consiglio comunale) elected by the population. The size and population of a comune can vary enormously. There are very small comuni, with only a few hundred inhabitants, and large comuni, with millions of people, such as Rome and Milan.
Comparison with Brazil: In Brazil, the comune is equivalent to a municipality. As in Italy, Brazilian municipalities are responsible for local administration, with an elected mayor and councilors. However, the autonomy of an Italian municipality tends to be greater, with more responsibilities attributed to the local level.
Frazione: the internal division of the comune
A frazione (fraction) is a subdivision within the comune, something similar to districts or neighborhoods in Brazil.
Frazioni can be urban neighborhoods or rural villages, depending on the geographical configuration of the comune. They do not have their own political autonomy, but in some cases they may have representatives on local councils or advisory bodies within the comune.
Comparison with Brazil: In Brazil, the internal divisions of municipalities are more commonly called neighborhoods, towns or districts. However, Italian frazioni have a more formalized administrative character, while neighborhoods in Brazil generally do not have decision-making power or their own government structure, unless they are considered municipal districts in larger cities.
Province: the intermediate level between comune and region
A province is an administrative unit that is superior to a comune but inferior to a region. A province is generally composed of several comuni and has an administration responsible for coordinating and supervising functions such as transport, education and regional infrastructure. However, with the 2014 local government reform, some functions of the provinces were transferred to the regions and other bodies.
Before this reform, the provinces had their own local government, with an elected president. Today, they act more as a planning and coordination area, but do not have the same political autonomy as the regions.
Comparison with Brazil: In Brazil, the Italian province can be compared to the state. Both have an intermediate level between the smallest unit (municipality/comune) and the highest level (Union/region), and both deal with issues of regional planning and coordination. However, the Italian provinces lost some of their executive functions with the 2014 reform, while the Brazilian states remain autonomous entities with greater political independence.
Region: the administrative unit with the largest scope
The region is the largest administrative unit in Italy, consisting of several comuni and provinces. The country is divided into 20 regions, each of which has a regional government with an elected president and council. The regions have legislative and administrative autonomy, especially in the areas of health, education and transport.
Although the Italian regions have a high degree of autonomy, they are still subject to the National Constitution, which defines the competences that are exclusive to the central government. Some regions, such as Lombardy and Veneto, have a greater level of autonomy due to specific agreements with the central government.
Comparison with Brazil: In Brazil, Italian regions are more or less equivalent to states. Both have administrative and political autonomy, with their own powers defined by the Constitution. However, while Brazil has 26 states and a Federal District, Italy has 20 regions, which encompass a smaller number of political and geographic divisions. Furthermore, the autonomy of some Italian regions may be greater than that of Brazilian states, depending on specific agreements.
Italy has the following administrative division:
Fractions: approximately 35.000 (number varies, as fractions do not have an official centralized registry)
Regions: 20
Provinces: 109 (110 also considering Aosta Valley as a province)
Common: 7.904 (in 2021, according to the Istat)
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