ABSTRACT
The modern State is a democratic republic in which sovereignty pertains to the people, the idea that sovereignty is the property of the people is one which is followed through into the political and legislative processes with considerable thoroughness in modern Italy. The national territory is divided into twenty regions, which regions are then subdivided into provinces and the provinces into communes. In fact, the division of the State into provinces is an older division than that into regions, the regionalisation being the creation of the modern republic. There are two kinds of region in modern Italy: the special and the ordinary. The Italian parliament is a bicameral legislature, that is to say it is composed of two chambers or camere. Unlike the British House of Lords and House of Commons, the two chambers of the Italian parliament are of equal status, despite being termed the upper and lower chambers.
