Italy is a country with more than 60 millions inhabitants divided into 20 regions. With such a large number, understanding exactly what market to invest in can be quite difficult. As a result, DAG Communication has created the following ‘quick guide’ to assist your organization in understanding the best investment opportunities
available in Italy.
Understanding Italy, as a Country
Italy is currently listed as the 23rd largest nation in the world and the 4th most populous country in Europe, following Germany (80 millions), France (65 millions) and the UK (63 millions), making up 13% of the European population (source: United Nations).
Italy, as a country is not very wide, however it makes up for this in its length of territory measuring 1,700 km from North to South. In addition, Italy differentiates itself from other European countries through its division into 20 regions and its history. Italy was unified as a single Nation only in 1861. In the 19th century some ancient States like Republic of Venice, the Reign of Two Sicilies, the Papal States ended their millennial history and were united by Vittorio Emanuele II of Savoy-Piedmont, the first king of Italy.
In the following chart you can find a list of the largest cities in both Italy and the 20 Regions.
| Largest cities of Italy | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | City | Region | Pop. | Rank | City | Region | Pop. | ||
| 1 | Rome | Lazio | 2,761,477 | 11 | Venice | Veneto | 270,884 | ||
| 2 | Milan | Lombardy | 1,324,110 | 12 | Verona | Veneto | 263,964 | ||
| 3 | Naples | Campania | 963,357 | 13 | Messina | Sicily | 242,503 | ||
| 4 | Turin | Piedmont | 907,563 | 14 | Padua | Veneto | 214,198 | ||
| 5 | Palermo | Sicily | 655,875 | 15 | Trieste | Friuli-Venezia Giulia | 205,535 | ||
| 6 | Genoa | Liguria | 607,906 | 16 | Brescia | Lombardy | 193,879 | ||
| 7 | Bologna | Emilia-Romagna | 380,181 | 17 | Taranto | Apulia | 191,810 | ||
| 8 | Florence | Tuscany | 371,282 | 18 | Prato | Tuscany | 188,011 | ||
| 9 | Bari | Apulia | 320,475 | 19 | Parma | Emilia-Romagna | 186,690 | ||
| 10 | Catania | Sicily | 293,458 | 20 | Reggio Calabria | Calabria | 186,547 | ||
The Italian Market: Becoming Involved
In order to start marketing in Italy, your products characteristics must first be considered as a way of finding a suitable starting point. If your product or service is targeted to a mass market and is very inexpensive, it is best to form your marketing strategy around the most populated regions and cities (i.e. Lombardia in Milano, Lazio in Roma, or Campania in Naples). If your target is medium to high, you may want to form your strategy around areas with the highest nominal GDP in Italy and all of Europe (i.e. Lombardia, Emilia Romagna, Veneto, or Piemonte).
At DAG Communication, we have worked to understand the history of Italy, and how it has affected our present market over the years. With our vast knowledge and experience in this area, we are able to assist your company in ensuring visibility and success of your products within the Italian market.
Source of data and images: Istat
