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Comune

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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)

Acomune(Italian:[koˈmuːne];pl.:comuni,Italian:[koˈmuːni]) is anadministrative divisionofItaly,roughly equivalent to atownshipormunicipality.[1]It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions (regioni) and provinces (province). Thecomunecan also have thetitle ofcittà(lit.'city').[2]

Formedpraeter legemaccording to the principles consolidated inmedieval municipalities,[3]thecomuneis provided for by art. 114 of theConstitution of Italy.[4]It can be divided intofrazioni,which in turn may have limited power due to special elective assemblies.[5]

In the autonomous region of theAosta Valley,acomuneis officially called acomunein French.

Overview

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Thecomuneprovides essential public services:registryof births and deaths,registry of deeds,and maintenance of local roads and public works.[6][7][8]Manycomunihave aPolizia Comunale(lit.'Communal Police'), which is responsible for public order duties.[9]Thecomunealso deal with the definition and compliance with thepiano regolatore generale(lit.'general regulator plan'), a document that regulates the building activity within the communal area.[10]

All communal structures or schools, sports and cultural structures such as communal libraries, theaters, etc. are managed by thecomuni.[11]Comunimust have their own communal statute and have a climatic and seismic classification of their territory for the purposes of hazard mitigation andcivil protection.[12]Comunialso deal with thewaste management.[13]

It is headed by amayor(sindacoorsindaca) assisted by a legislative body, theconsiglio comunale(lit.'communal council'), and an executive body, thegiunta comunale(lit.'communal committee').[14]The mayor and members of theconsiglio comunaleare 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 theconsiglio's seats.[15]

Thegiunta comunaleis chaired by the mayor, who appoints others members, calledassessori,one of whom serves as deputy mayor (vicesindaco).[16]The offices of thecomuneare housed in a building usually called themunicipio,orpalazzo comunale(lit.'town hall').[17]

As of January 2021, there were 7,904comuniin Italy;[18]they vary considerably in size and population. For example, thecomuneofRome,inLazio,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.[19]

Mural crownfor the title ofcomune.It is located in the upper part of the coat of arms of thecomune.

Atraniin theprovince of Salerno(Campania) was the smallestcomuneby area, with only 0.1206 km2(0.0466 sq mi),[20]andMorterone(Lombardy) is the smallest by population.[21]Many present-daycomunitrace their roots along timescales spanning centuries and at times millennia.[22][23]

The northernmostcomuneisPredoi,the southernmost oneLampedusa e Linosa,the westernmostBardonecchiaand the easternmostOtranto.[24]Thecomunewith the longest name isSan Valentino in Abruzzo Citeriore,[25]while thecomuniwith the shortest name areLu,Ro,Ne,ReandVo'.[26]

The population density of thecomunivaries widely byprovinceandregion.Theprovince of Barletta-Andria-Trani,for example, has 381,091 inhabitants in 10comuni,[27]or over 39,000 inhabitants percomune;whereas theprovince of Iserniahas 81,415 inhabitants in 52comuni,[28]or 1,640 inhabitants percomune– roughly 24 times more communal units per inhabitant.

The coats of arms of thecomuniare assigned by decree of thePrime Minister of Italyby the Office of State Ceremonial and Honors, Honors and Heraldry Service (division of the Presidency of the Council born from the transformation of the RoyalConsulta Araldica,eliminated pursuant to the provisions final of theConstitution of Italy).[29]

Subdivisions

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Number ofcomuniand population in Italy[18][30]
Year Number Population Pop/Comune
1861 7,720 22,171,946 2,872
1871 8,383 27,295,509 3,256
1881 8,260 28,951,546 3,505
1901 8,263 32,963,316 3,989
1911 8,324 35,841,563 4,306
1921 9,195 39,396,757 4,285
1931 7,311 41,043,489 5,614
1936 7,339 42,398,489 5,777
1951 7,810 47,515,537 6,084
1961 8,035 50,623,569 6,300
1971 8,056 54,136,547 6,720
1981 8,086 56,556,911 6,994
1991 8,100 56,885,336 7,023
2001 8,101 56,995,744 7,036
2011 8,092 59,433,744 7,345
2021 7,904 59,236,213 7,494

Administrative subdivisions withincomunivary according to their population size.

Comuniwith at least 250,000 residents are divided intocircoscrizioni[31](roughly equivalent to FrencharrondissementsorLondon boroughs) to which thecomunedelegates administrative functions like the running of schools, social services and waste collection; the delegated functions vary fromcomunetocomune.These bodies are headed by an elected president and a local council.

Smallercomuniusually comprise:

  • A main city, town or village, that almost always gives its name to thecomune;such a place is referred to as thecapoluogo(lit.'head-place'or'capital';cf.Tooltip confertheFrenchchef-lieu) of thecomune;the wordcomuneis also used in casual speech to refer to the city hall.
  • Outlying areas often calledfrazioni(sg.:frazione,abbreviated:fraz.;lit.'fraction'), each usually centred on a small town or village. Thesefrazioniusually never had pasts as independent settlements, but occasionally are former smallercomuniconsolidated into a larger one. They may also represent settlements which predate thecapoluogo.The ancient town ofPollentia(today Pollenzo), for instance, is afrazioneofBra.In recent years thefrazionihave become more important due to the institution of theconsiglio di frazione(lit.'fraction council'), a local form ofgovernmentwhich can interact with thecomuneto address local needs, requests and claims. Even smaller places are calledlocalità(abbreviated:loc.;lit.'localities').
  • Smaller administrative divisions calledmunicipi,[32]rioni,quartieri,terzieri,sestieriorcontrade,which are similar todistrictsandneighbourhoods.

Sometimes afrazionemight be more populated than thecapoluogo;and rarely, owing to unusual circumstances (like depopulation), the town hall and its administrative functions can be moved to one of thefrazioni,but thecomunestill retains the name of thecapoluogo.

In some cases, acomunemight not have the same name ofcapoluogo.In these cases, it is acomune sparso(lit.'dispersedcomune') and thefrazionewhich hosts the town hall (municipio) is asede municipale(comparecounty seat).

Homonymy

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There are not many perfect homonymouscomuni.There are only six cases in 12comuni:[33]

This is mostly due to the fact the name of the province or region was appended to the name of thecomunein order to avoid the confusion. Two provincial capitals share the nameReggio:Reggio nell'Emilia,the capital of theprovince of Reggio Emilia,in theEmilia-Romagnaregion, andReggio di Calabria,the capital of thehomonymous metropolitan city,in theCalabriaregion. Many other towns or villages are likewise partial homonyms (e.g.Anzola dell'EmiliaandAnzola d'Ossola,orBagnara CalabraandBagnara di Romagna).

Title of city

[edit]
Mural crown for the title ofcittà( "city")

The title ofcittà(lit.'city') in Italy is granted tocomunithat have been awarded it by decree of theKing of Italy(until 1946) or of the provisional head of state (from 1946 to 1948) or, subsequently, of thePresident of the Republic(after 1948), on the proposal of theMinistry of the Interior,to which thecomuneconcerned sends an application for a concession, by virtue of their historical, artistic, civic or demographic importance.[2]

Thecomuniendowed with the title ofcittàusually carry the golden crown above their coat of arms, except with 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."[34]

Statistics

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Largestcomuniby area

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The following is a list of the largestcomuniin Italy, in descending order of surface area, according toISTATdata referring to 9 October 2011.[35]Theprovincialcapitals are highlighted in bold.

Rome
Rank Comune Region Province Area (km2)
1 Rome Lazio Rome 1,287.36 km2(497.05 sq mi)
2 Ravenna Emilia-Romagna Ravenna 653.82 km2(252.44 sq mi)
3 Cerignola Apulia Foggia 593.93 km2(229.32 sq mi)
4 Noto Sicily Syracuse 554.99 km2(214.28 sq mi)
5 Sassari Sardinia Sassari 547.04 km2(211.21 sq mi)
6 Monreale Sicily Palermo 530.18 km2(204.70 sq mi)
7 Gubbio Umbria Perugia 525.78 km2(203.00 sq mi)
8 Foggia Apulia Foggia 509.26 km2(196.63 sq mi)
9 L'Aquila Abruzzo L'Aquila 473.91 km2(182.98 sq mi)
10 Grosseto Tuscany Grosseto 473.55 km2(182.84 sq mi)
11 Perugia Umbria Perugia 449.51 km2(173.56 sq mi)
12 Ragusa Sicily Ragusa 444.67 km2(171.69 sq mi)
13 Altamura Apulia Bari 431.38 km2(166.56 sq mi)
14 Caltanissetta Sicily Caltanissetta 421.25 km2(162.65 sq mi)
15 Venice Veneto Venice 415.90 km2(160.58 sq mi)
16 Viterbo Lazio Viterbo 406.23 km2(156.85 sq mi)
17 Ferrara Emilia-Romagna Ferrara 405.16 km2(156.43 sq mi)
18 Andria Apulia Barletta-Andria-Trani 402.89 km2(155.56 sq mi)
19 Matera Basilicata Matera 392.09 km2(151.39 sq mi)
20 Città di Castello Umbria Perugia 387.32 km2(149.55 sq mi)
21 Gravina in Puglia Apulia Bari 384.74 km2(148.55 sq mi)
22 Arezzo Tuscany Arezzo 384.70 km2(148.53 sq mi)
23 Olbia Sardinia Sassari 383.64 km2(148.12 sq mi)
24 Caltagirone Sicily Catania 383.38 km2(148.02 sq mi)
25 Manciano Tuscany Grosseto 372.51 km2(143.83 sq mi)
26 Enna Sicily Enna 358.75 km2(138.51 sq mi)
27 Manfredonia Apulia Foggia 354.54 km2(136.89 sq mi)
28 Spoleto Umbria Perugia 348.14 km2(134.42 sq mi)
29 Corigliano-Rossano Calabria Cosenza 346.56 km2(133.81 sq mi)
30 Cortona Tuscany Arezzo 342.97 km2(132.42 sq mi)

Smallestcomuniby area

[edit]

The following is a list of the smallestcomuniin Italy, in ascending order of surface area, according toISTATdata referring to 9 October 2011.[35]

Atrani
Rank Comune Region Province Area (km2)
1 Atrani Campania Salerno 0.1206 km2(0.0466 sq mi)
2 Miagliano Piedmont Biella 0.6678 km2(0.2578 sq mi)
3 Fiorano al Serio Lombardy Bergamo 1.0601 km2(0.4093 sq mi)
4 Conca dei Marini Campania Salerno 1.1281 km2(0.4356 sq mi)
5 Roccafiorita Sicily Messina 1.1682 km2(0.4510 sq mi)
6 Solza Lombardy Bergamo 1.2278 km2(0.4741 sq mi)
7 Maslianico Lombardy Como 1.2885 km2(0.4975 sq mi)
8 San Lorenzo al Mare Liguria Imperia 1.2886 km2(0.4975 sq mi)
9 Crosio della Valle Lombardy Varese 1.4407 km2(0.5563 sq mi)
10 Ferrera di Varese Lombardy Varese 1.5265 km2(0.5894 sq mi)
11 Casavatore Campania Naples 1.5267 km2(0.5895 sq mi)
12 Piario Lombardy Bergamo 1.5451 km2(0.5966 sq mi)
14 Vajont Friuli-Venezia Giulia Pordenone 1.5860 km2(0.6124 sq mi)
15 Arizzano Piedmont Verbano-Cusio-Ossola 1.5995 km2(0.6176 sq mi)
16 Longone al Segrino Lombardy Como 1.6045 km2(0.6195 sq mi)
17 Viganò Lombardy Lecco 1.6049 km2(0.6197 sq mi)
18 Brunello Lombardy Varese 1.6200 km2(0.6255 sq mi)
19 Camparada Lombardy Monza e Brianza 1.6337 km2(0.6308 sq mi)
20 Caines Trentino-Alto Adige South Tyrol 1.6345 km2(0.6311 sq mi)
21 Curti Campania Caserta 1.6894 km2(0.6523 sq mi)
22 Castel Rozzone Lombardy Bergamo 1.7066 km2(0.6589 sq mi)
23 Lozza Lombardy Varese 1.7100 km2(0.6602 sq mi)
24 Aci Bonaccorsi Sicily Catania 1.7243 km2(0.6658 sq mi)
25 Calvignasco Lombardy Milan 1.7272 km2(0.6669 sq mi)
26 Ventotene Lazio Latina 1.7454 km2(0.6739 sq mi)
27 Lirio Lombardy Pavia 1.7457 km2(0.6740 sq mi)
28 Masciago Primo Lombardy Varese 1.8082 km2(0.6981 sq mi)
29 Montello Lombardy Bergamo 1.8156 km2(0.7010 sq mi)
30 Carzano Trentino-Alto Adige Trentino 1.8202 km2(0.7028 sq mi)

Highestcomuniby altitude

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The following is a list of the firstcomuniby altitude, in descending order.[36]The indicated altitude coincides with the height abovesea levelof the town hall.

Sestriere
Rank Comune Region Province Altitude
(meters above
thesea level)
1 Sestriere Piedmont Turin 2,035 m (6,677 ft)
2 Chamois Aosta Valley 1,818 m (5,965 ft)
3 Livigno Lombardy Sondrio 1,816 m (5,958 ft)
4 Claviere Piedmont Turin 1,760 m (5,770 ft)
5 Rhêmes-Notre-Dame Aosta Valley 1,725 m (5,659 ft)
6 Ayas Aosta Valley 1,699 m (5,574 ft)
7 Argentera Piedmont Cuneo 1,684 m (5,525 ft)
8 Valgrisenche Aosta Valley 1,664 m (5,459 ft)
9 La Magdeleine Aosta Valley 1,644 m (5,394 ft)
10 Elva Piedmont Cuneo 1,637 m (5,371 ft)
11 Gressoney-La-Trinité Aosta Valley 1,635 m (5,364 ft)
12 Ceresole Reale Piedmont Turin 1,620 m (5,310 ft)
13 Pontechianale Piedmont Cuneo 1,614 m (5,295 ft)
14 Bionaz Aosta Valley 1,606 m (5,269 ft)
15 Bellino Piedmont Cuneo 1,572 m (5,157 ft)
16 Corvara in Badia Trentino-Alto Adige South Tyrol 1,568 m (5,144 ft)
17 Selva di Val Gardena Trentino-Alto Adige South Tyrol 1,563 m (5,128 ft)
18 Sauze di Cesana Piedmont Turin 1,560 m (5,120 ft)
19 Cogne Aosta Valley 1,544 m (5,066 ft)
20 Valsavarenche Aosta Valley 1,541 m (5,056 ft)
21 Valtournenche Aosta Valley 1,528 m (5,013 ft)
22 Pragelato Piedmont Turin 1,524 m (5,000 ft)
23 Curon Venosta Trentino-Alto Adige South Tyrol 1,520 m (4,990 ft)
24 Saint-Rhémy-en-Bosses Aosta Valley 1,519 m (4,984 ft)
25 Sauze d'Oulx Piedmont Turin 1,509 m (4,951 ft)
26 Foppolo Lombardy Bergamo 1,508 m (4,948 ft)
27 Torgnon Aosta Valley 1,489 m (4,885 ft)
28 Predoi Trentino-Alto Adige South Tyrol 1,475 m (4,839 ft)
29 Livinallongo del Col di Lana Veneto Belluno 1,475 m (4,839 ft)
30 Canazei Trentino-Alto Adige Trentino 1,465 m (4,806 ft)

Largestcomuniby population

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List of the firstcomuniby population in descending order, according toISTATdata updated to 28 February 2022.[37]Theregionalcapitals are in bold.

Milan
Rank Comune Region Province Inhabitants
1 Rome Lazio Rome 2,758,454
2 Milan Lombardy Milan 1,371,606
3 Naples Campania Naples 912,954
4 Turin Piedmont Turin 846 067
5 Palermo Sicily Palermo 628 883
6 Genoa Liguria Genoa 560 155
7 Bologna Emilia-Romagna Bologna 392,593
8 Florence Tuscany Florence 367,051
9 Bari Apulia Bari 316,113
10 Catania Sicily Catania 297,761
11 Verona Veneto Verona 257,176
12 Venice Veneto Venice 254,367
13 Messina Sicily Messina 219,565
14 Padua Veneto Padua 208,561
15 Prato Tuscany Prato 200,647
16 Trieste Friuli-Venezia Giulia Trieste 200,454
17 Parma Emilia-Romagna Parma 196,982
18 Brescia Lombardy Brescia 196,727
19 Taranto Apulia Taranto 188,848
20 Modena Emilia-Romagna Modena 185,628
21 Reggio Calabria Calabria Reggio Calabria 171,546
22 Reggio Emilia Emilia-Romagna Reggio Emilia 169,100
23 Perugia Umbria Perugia 163,614
24 Ravenna Emilia-Romagna Ravenna 155,968
25 Livorno Tuscany Livorno 153,901
26 Rimini Emilia-Romagna Rimini 150,068
27 Cagliari Sardinia Cagliari 148,697
28 Foggia Apulia Foggia 146,213
29 Ferrara Emilia-Romagna Ferrara 131,066
30 Salerno Campania Salerno 127,840

Comuniby demographic ranges

[edit]

The data is updated as of 1 January 2021.[38]

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 by macroregion

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The data is updated as of 1 January 2021.[38]

Demographic range Number ofcomuni 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

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References

[edit]
  1. ^"Italian communes ordered alphabetically".Retrieved3 May2022.
  2. ^ab"Testo unico delle leggi sull'ordinamento degli enti locali"(in Italian).Retrieved4 May2022.
  3. ^"CONSUETUDINE"(in Italian).Retrieved6 May2022.
  4. ^"La Costituzione - Articolo 114"(in Italian).Retrieved6 May2022.
  5. ^"DECRETO N. 15 DEL 14/11/2019"(PDF)(in Italian).Retrieved6 May2022.
  6. ^"Gli adempimenti degli uffici Anagrafe"(in Italian).Retrieved3 May2022.
  7. ^"Poteri e compiti degli enti proprietari delle strade"(in Italian).Retrieved3 May2022.
  8. ^"Settore Lavori pubblici e manutenzione della città"(in Italian).Retrieved3 May2022.
  9. ^"Cosa fa polizia locale"(in Italian).Retrieved3 May2022.
  10. ^"Che cos'è un piano regolatore?"(in Italian).Retrieved6 May2022.
  11. ^"Cultura"(in Italian).Retrieved3 May2022.
  12. ^"Protezione Civile del Comune di Prato"(in Italian).Retrieved3 May2022.
  13. ^"I Comuni, per i rifiuti prodotti nel proprio territorio, a quali vincoli normativi sono soggetti in merito a raccolta e trasporto?"(in Italian).Retrieved6 May2022.
  14. ^"Funzioni e competenze del consiglio comunale"(in Italian). Archived fromthe originalon 26 August 2022.Retrieved3 May2022.
  15. ^"SISTEMA ELETTORALE COMUNI"(in Italian).Retrieved3 May2022.
  16. ^"Funzioni della Giunta"(in Italian).Retrieved3 May2022.
  17. ^"Municipio"(in Italian).Retrieved3 May2022.
  18. ^ab"Regioni italiane"(in Italian).Retrieved30 April2022.
  19. ^"Alcune curiosità sui comuni italiani"(in Italian).Retrieved3 May2022.
  20. ^"Atrani: le tante facce del più piccolo comune italiano"(in Italian). Archived fromthe originalon 8 February 2022.Retrieved3 May2022.
  21. ^"Comune che" vince "non si cambia: 29 abitanti, Morterone è ancora il più piccolo d'Italia"(in Italian).Retrieved3 May2022.
  22. ^"I comuni nel Medioevo: nascita e sviluppo tra 1200 e 1300"(in Italian).Retrieved3 May2022.
  23. ^"Il modello cittadino in epoca romana"(in Italian).Retrieved3 May2022.
  24. ^"Luoghi d'Italia da primato"(in Italian).Retrieved6 May2022.
  25. ^"Comuni con i nomi più lunghi".Archivedfrom the original on 12 April 2019.Retrieved1 April2020.
  26. ^"Curiosità e nomi particolari"(in Italian).Retrieved6 May2022.
  27. ^"Provincia di Barletta-Andria-Trani"(in Italian).Retrieved3 May2022.
  28. ^"Provincia di Isernia"(in Italian).Retrieved3 May2022.
  29. ^"Ufficio del cerimoniale di Stato e per le Onorificenze"(in Italian).Retrieved4 May2022.
  30. ^"Comuni dal 1861".www.comuniverso.it.Retrieved19 March2017.
  31. ^"Circoscrizioni di decentramento comunale"(in Italian).Retrieved3 May2022.
  32. ^"L'affluenza, municipio per municipio, a Milano, Roma e Napoli: ecco quali zone hanno votato di più"(in Italian).Retrieved3 May2022.
  33. ^(in Italian)Complete list and infos on Comuni-italiani.it
  34. ^"Caratteristiche tecniche degli emblemi araldici"(in Italian).Retrieved4 May2022.
  35. ^ab"La superficie dei comuni, delle province e delle regioni italiane"(in Italian).Retrieved4 May2022.
  36. ^"Comuni italiani per altitudine"(in Italian).Retrieved4 May2022.
  37. ^"Statistiche demografiche ISTAT".Archived fromthe originalon 6 October 2021.Retrieved3 May2022.
  38. ^ab"Comuni per fasce demografiche"(in Italian).Retrieved4 May2022.
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