Italy

Located in the heart of southern Europe, Italy has a Mediterranean coastline and mountainous Alpine borders with France, Austria, Switzerland and Slovenia.

With a population of 56 million, the country is an EU member and has a mixed economy with most activity concentrated in the northern cities of Milan, Turin, Genoa and to the south in Rome (the capital) and Naples. Companies that have invested in these areas include ITT, Exxon, Alcatel, ST Microelectronics, Thomson, Bull, Hoechst, Novartis and Glaxo Wellcome.

Although agriculture and manufacturing industries prevail, the country is increasingly been seen as a good high-tech location, in particular for telecommunications and new wireless technology given that the country boasts one of the highest penetrations of mobile telephone usage in Europe.

Investment Promotion Agency:

Sebastiano Marchese

Trade Promotion Officer

Italian Trade Commission

499 Park Avenue

6th Floor

New York

10022

USA

tel: +1 (0) 212 980 1500

fax: +1 (0) 212 758 1050

Napoli

Naples is situated 120 miles south of Rome in the southern Campania region of Italy and has a population of 1.3 million.

The city lies on the Bay of Naples and is Italy’s second largest port after Genoa.

Central Italy

Central Italy includes Tuscany, the fifth largest region in Italy. Major urban areas within the region include Florence, Pisa and Siena.

The road and railway networks are well developed for regional circulation as well as national communications. Important highways and motorways and main railway lines mean links with places such as Bologna, Rome and Genoa. The major domestic airports are at Pisa San Giusto and Florence Peretola.

Pisa

Pisa is located in the North of Italy on the west coast. It is home to a number of technology-based centers such as Centrospazio - a space technology center which is involved in the development of advanced propulsion systems in cooperation with major aerospace companies and Agencies.

The Center for Energy and Environmental Technologies promotes R&D activities focused on environmental and energy-related applications. Other centers such as the Multimedia and Networks Applications Centre and the Microelectronics Technology and Applications Center are also active in the city.

Pisa is also part of the Italian Regional High-Tech Network which is promoted by Tuscany's Regional Authorities. This initiative was set up with the aim of creating a regional network based on the three strategic areas of Pisa, Florence and Siena to foster industry-university links and enhance business development, particularly in the High-Tech sectors.

The initiative also works to develop the West Tuscany Science and Technology Park in the area.

Tuscany

Tuscany is the fifth largest region in Italy and is located in the center of the country. Major urban areas within the region include Florence, Pisa and Siena.

The road and railway networks are well developed for regional circulation as well as national communications. Important highways and motorways and main railway lines mean links with places such as Bologna, Rome and Genoa. The major domestic airports are at Pisa San Giusto and Florence Peretola.

Emilia-Romagna

Emilia-Romagna is a region in Italy with Bologna as its capital city. The region of 3.9 million people has an impressive transportation network with 2,000 miles of roadway and more than 1,000 miles of railway lines. Airports at Bologna, ForlÏ, Rimini and Parma offer daily international and domestic flights for both cargo and passengers. The Port of Ravenna, the chief port on the Adriatic Sea, links the region with northern Europe and the southern Mediterranean Sea.

Higher education in the region is provided at the Universities of Bologna, Ferrara, Forli, Reegio Emilia, Modena, Parma, Piacenza, Rimini and Ravenna.

Bologna

Bologna is the capital city in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. The city’s airport offers international and domestic flights for both cargo and passengers.

Bologna also has its own regional university.

Investment Promotion Agency:

ERVET SpA

Via Morgagni 6

Bologna

40122

Italy

tel: +39 (0) 51 6450411

fax: +39 (0) 51 222352

Parma

Parma is the provincial capital of the Emilia Romagna region in Italy. It is located half-way between Milan and Bologna and is famous as the capital food center of Italy.

Lazio

Lazio is a region in Central Italy sharing its borders with Tuscany, Umbria and Abruzzo. The region’s main commercial and cultural center is Rome, its capital city. The population distribution is heavily influenced by Rome, where 55% of the population is concentrated. The presence of the capital of Italy gives the region the fourth highest density of population in the country.

Key industries in the region are paper, petrochemicals, textile, engineering, automotive, food and electronics. Again as a result of Rome, approximately 73% of the working population is employed in the services sector; this considerable proportion is justified by the presence of the core of public administration, banking, tourism and insurance in the capital city.

All the major highways in the region converge on Rome, as does the railway network. The region’s two airports are Roma-Fiumicino, the most important in Italy, and Roma-Ciampino, for domestic flights

Rome

The Italian capital, Rome, is situated in the center of the country. One of the world’s most historical cities, it is today one of the most important power centers in southern Europe.

Rome’s Leonardo da Vinci airport, 35 km from the city, is one of Europe’s busiest with connections to most international destinations.

Lombardia

In the north east of the country, Lombardy is Italy’s most affluent and economically active region, with the city of Milan as its engine.

Excellent communications infrastructure with major international and domestic airports, as well as proximity to key markets in neighboring European countries, has made the region a favorite amongst international businesses.

Key industries include automotive, telecommunications and engineering.

Milan

Milan is the commercial center of Italy. It has two airports; Linate Airport, situated just 7 km from the city center and Malpensa Airport, both offering national and international flights.

Milan is home to two major universities – the University of Milan and Bocconi University. There is also a training institute (CEFRIEL) which specifically teaches IT-related subjects and courses, with over 60 people each year taking the Masters Degree in Information Technology.

North Eastern Italy

Padua

Padua is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of Padova Province. An industrial center, it has plants producing machinery, automotive parts, furniture, and plastics. The University of Padua is one of the oldest universities in Europe and consists of twelve schools including pharmacology, engineering and natural sciences

North Western Italy

North Western Italy includes the cities of Turin and historic port city of Genoa and borders the south of France to the west and the Swiss Alps to the north.

The Turin and Piedmont region is fast becoming the major center for technology companies, with the largest percentage of national R&D spend.

The region specializes in key sectors such as automotive, information and communication technology and logistics. It has a developing telecoms cluster with around 4000 companies, including operators such as Telecom, Omnitel and Infostrada. The cluster was given a boost by Motorola’s recent decision to locate its European R&D center in Turin.

Piedmont is the only Italian region with specialized science and technology parks. For biotechnology companies, the Bioindustry Park Canavese provides an ideal infrastructure and commercial services. There is also the Environment Park for environment-based corporates and the P.S.T for telecommunications companies.

Other investors located in the region include Michelin, TRW, BICC, Ceat Corporation, Lear, L’Oreal, ,PPG Industries, SKF, United Technologies and YKK Corporation.

Turin

Turin and Piedmont is a region in the North West part of Italy. It is fast becoming the major center for technology companies in the country, with the largest percentage of national R&D spend. Caselle airport connects Turin to major European cities and Malpensa intercontinental airport is 100km from the city.

The region specializes in key sectors such as automotive, information and communication technology and logistics. It has a developing telecoms cluster with around 4000 companies, including operators such as Telecom, Omnitel and Infostrada. The cluster was given a boost by Motorola’s recent decision to locate its European R&D center in Turin. Skills are developed in the communication technology department of Turin’s politecnico (university) and the Telecom-Cselt Research Center.

Piedmont is the only Italian region with specialized science and technology parks. For biotechnology companies, the Bioindustry Park Canavese provides an ideal infrastructure and commercial services. There is also the Environment Park for environment-based corporates and the P.S.T for telecommunications companies.

Other investors located in the region include Michelin, TRW, BICC, Ceat Corporation, Lear, L’oreal, ,PPG Industries, SKF, United Technologies and YKK Corporation.

Sardinia

Sardinia is an island in the Mediterranean, located south of Corsica and west of Italy.

Cagliari

Cagliari is located in Sardinia, off the western coast of Italy. The island has an airport and container port for access into European markets.

The sectors in which the companies are mainly involved are: mechanical, agro-business, textile, metallurgical, manufacturing and commercial services.

Cagliari Industrial Park is the largest and most important of the 23 industrial parks in Sardinia and offers the investor a capable telecoms and digital infrastructure and the provision of business services. As well as industrial parks, Cagliari is home to the Scientific and technological Park of Sardinia.

Investors in Cagliari are I.V.C., Bridgestone, Advance Technology, Heineken, Battell, SGS Thomson and IBM.

Sicily

Sicily

The island of Sicily lies off the Italian peninsular in the Mediterranean Sea. This autonomous region is mainly agricultural and has dormant volcanic mountains in the north.

Main urban areas include Palermo, Catania and Messina, which taken together have a population of around 5 million.

Southern Italy

The region of Southern Italy includes the Adriatic port cities of Bari and Brindisi and is largely agricultural.

For companies moviong into the area, it has some of the best incentive packages available from the European Union