ABSTRACT
Italy has been severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, with a proportionately high number of infections and even bigger mortality rate, due to the large amount of elderly people. The chapter illustrates the legal framework put in place at the national and the subnational level to face the health emergency and the policy challenges raised or amplified by the pandemic affecting the territorial organization. Italy has been the first European country to be hit by the coronavirus pandemic and to declare the state of emergency, imposing a strict lockdown. Centralization was conditioned by the heavy hand of the central government on the measures to tackle the devastating economic impact of the pandemic. A few Regions started to adopt own laws, especially on economic support for companies and for sorting out bureaucratic issues. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit Italy, the country was about to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of Regions in the whole territory.
