ABSTRACT
Italy's history has been marked by the widespread transatlantic and European migration of its citizens. By contrast, it is only in the last 30 years that Italy has been defined as a country of immigration. Italy's immigration picture has remained far from static. Indeed, a snapshot perspective of the situation in the mid-1970s would be profoundly different to the snapshot picture taken today. The current immigration situation is characterised by its diversity. Contemporary migrants vary considerably, in terms of nationality, regional settlement and employment location. Despite the fact that both the political elite and the media continue to focus on the latest waves of migrants, there are in fact some settled ethnic minority communities who have moved on to a 'second generation'.
