ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the environmental crisis in the Bel Paese, as Italy is often referred to with some irony. Epidemiological rates in industrial and formerly industrial areas are the most obvious sign of the magnitude of the problems faced by regions exposed to toxic products. The chapter focuses on some aspects of what can be defined as the environmental question in Italy. The idea behind it, is that this country is witnessing an emergency that strives to be acknowledged as such. From the North to the South, the results of epidemiological investigations are clear: environment-related diseases are, in a large part of Italy, one of the most important causes of mortality. Moreover, in addition to the health crisis, the closure or resizing of many operations has determined a serious social crisis. The industrialization model present in many parts of Italy has reproduced and broadened biases that were already typical of the social organization of the country.
