How to read legal citations in Italy
Italian decisions are cited by court, the kind of ruling (sentenza or ordinanza), a number and a date. Codes are cited by article.
Updated October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
Style guide: Italian academic and court conventions. Italian citations name the court, the type of decision, its number and its date.
Real citations, decoded
Click or hover over any underlined piece to see what it means.
A decision of the Constitutional Court Case
,
- Court Corte cost.
Corte costituzionale, the Constitutional Court. - Judgment and number sent. n. 1/1956
Sentenza (judgment) number 1 of 1956. This is the first judgment the Court ever gave.
A code article Statute
- Article art. 2043
Article 2043, the general rule on liability for harm caused by fault. - Code c.c.
Codice civile, the Civil Code. Other common codes: c.p. (Criminal Code), c.p.c. (Code of Civil Procedure).
A constitutional article Constitution
- Article art. 3
Article 3, on equality. - Document Cost.
Costituzione, the Constitution.
A Court of Cassation decision Case
, , ,
- Court Cass.
Corte di cassazione, the highest court for ordinary civil and criminal cases. - Chamber sez. un.
Sezioni unite, the united chambers, which decide when the ordinary chambers disagree. - Date 22 luglio 1999
The date of the decision, day, month, year. - Number n. 500
The decision's number in that year. This one allowed damages for harm to a legitimate interest.
A statute Statute
- Law and number l. 7 agosto 1990, n. 241
'l.' means legge (statute). It is named by its date and its number. This one is the law on administrative procedure.
Things to remember
- Cass. means the Court of Cassation; Cass. civ., sez. un., means its civil panel sitting together as Joint Sections (Sezioni Unite).
- A date can be given as 5 giugno 1956, or in numbers.
- Normattiva is the official free portal for laws.
Where to find the text, free
To understand how courts and law fit together in Italy, read the Italy profile in the Legal Families Atlas.
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TheLawToKnow Tools’s citation guide is an educational overview of standard conventions. Courts and journals sometimes vary, so check the style guide before submitting or publishing. It is not legal advice. Report a mistake.
