Editing Economy of Italy (section)

== Infrastructure ==

=== Energy and natural resources ===
{{Main|Energy in Italy|Renewable energy in Italy}}
[[File:Pannelli solari Unicoop Tirreno.JPG|thumb|left|Solar panels in [[Piombino]]. Italy is one of the world's largest producers of renewable energy.<ref name="legambiente2015">{{cite web|title=Il rapporto Comuni Rinnovabili 2015|url=http://www.comunirinnovabili.it/il-rapporto-comuni-rinnovabili-2015/|website=Comuni Rinnovabili|date=18 May 2015|publisher=Legambiente|access-date=13 March 2016|language=it}}</ref>]]

Italy consumed about 185 [[Tonne of oil equivalent|Mtoe]] of [[primary energy]] in 2010.<ref>[[BP]] data [http://www.bp.com] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130606071637/http://www.bp.com/|date=6 June 2013}}</ref> This came mostly from [[fossil fuels]]. Among the most used resources are [[petroleum]] (mostly used for the transport sector), [[natural gas]] (used for electric energy production and heating), [[coal]] and [[Renewable energy in Italy|renewables]]. Electricity is produced mainly from [[natural gas]], which accounts for the source of more than half of the total final electric energy produced. Another important source is [[Hydroelectricity in Italy|hydroelectric power]], which was practically the only source of electricity until 1960.

[[Eni]], with operations in 79 countries, is considered one of the seven "[[Supermajor]]" oil companies in the world, and one of the world's largest industrial companies.<ref name=Eni>{{cite web |url=https://finance.yahoo.com/q?s=E |title=Summary for Eni SpA |access-date=1 July 2020 |archive-date=4 June 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160604184217/http://finance.yahoo.com/q?s=e |url-status=live }}</ref> The [[Val'd Agri oil field|Val d'Agri]] area, [[Basilicata]], hosts the largest [[Onshore (hydrocarbons)|onshore]] [[hydrocarbon field]] in Europe.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.eni.com/en-IT/operations/italy-val-agri-upstream-activities.html |title=In Val d'Agri with Upstream activities |publisher=[[Eni]] |access-date=3 February 2021 |archive-date=16 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220516034214/https://www.eni.com/en-IT/operations/italy-val-agri-upstream-activities.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> Moderate natural gas reserves, mainly in the [[Po Valley]] and offshore [[Adriatic Sea]], have been discovered in recent years and constitute the country's most important mineral resource. 
[[File:Natural resources of Italy.png|thumb|upright=1.4|Natural resources of Italy. Metals are in blue (Al – aluminium ore, Mn — [[manganese]], Fe – iron ore, Hg — [[Mercury (element)|mercury]], PM – polymetallic ores ([[Copper|Cu]], [[Zinc|Zn]], [[Silver|Ag]], [[lead|Pb]]), PY — [[pyrite]]). Fossil fuels are in red (C – coal, G – natural gas, L — [[lignite]], P – petroleum). Non-metallic minerals are in green (ASB — [[asbestos]], F — [[fluorite]], K — [[potash]], MAR — [[marble]], S — [[sulfur]]).]]

Most raw materials needed for manufacturing and more than 80% of the country's energy sources are imported (99.7% of the solid fuels demand, 92.5% of oil, 91.2% of natural gas and 13% of electricity).<ref>{{cite book|url=http://bookshop.europa.eu/it/energy-transport-and-environment-indicators-pbKSDK08001/|title=Energy, transport and environment indicators|year=2008|author=Eurostat|author-link=Eurostat|publisher=EU Bookshop|format=PDF|isbn=978-92-79-09835-2|access-date=10 May 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=http://bookshop.europa.eu/it/panorama-of-energy-pbKSGH09001/|title=Panorama of Energy|year=2009|author=Eurostat|author-link=Eurostat|publisher=EU Bookshop|format=PDF|isbn=978-92-79-11151-8|access-date=10 May 2009}}</ref> Due to its reliance on imports, Italians pay approximately 45% more than the EU average for electricity.<ref name="nuclear">{{cite web |url=http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/Country-Profiles/Others/Emerging-Nuclear-Energy-Countries/ |title=Emerging Nuclear Energy Countries |date=December 2014 |publisher=[[World Nuclear Association]] |access-date=11 February 2015 |archive-date=26 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160126093825/http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/Country-Profiles/Others/Emerging-Nuclear-Energy-Countries/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In the last decade, Italy has become one of the world's [[List of countries by electricity production from renewable sources|largest producers of renewable energy]], ranking as the second largest producer in the European Union and the ninth in the world. [[Wind power in Italy|Wind power]], [[Hydroelectricity in Italy|hydroelectricity]], and [[Geothermal power in Italy|geothermal power]] are also important [[Electricity sector in Italy|sources of electricity in the country]]. Italy was the [[Geothermal power in Italy|first country to exploit geothermal energy to produce electricity]].<ref name="UNMIG">{{cite web |title=Inventario delle risorse geotermiche nazionali |publisher=UNMIG |date=2011 |url=http://unmig.sviluppoeconomico.gov.it/unmig/geotermia/inventario/inventario.asp |access-date=14 September 2011|url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722034736/http://unmig.sviluppoeconomico.gov.it/unmig/geotermia/inventario/inventario.asp |archive-date=22 July 2011}}</ref> The first Italian geothermal power plant was built in [[Tuscany]], which is where all currently active geothermal plants in Italy are located. In 2014 the geothermal production was 5.92 TWh.<ref name="Terna data">{{Cite web |url=http://www.terna.it/default/home_en/electric_system/statistical_data.aspx |title=TERNA statistics data |access-date=21 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120518165820/http://www.terna.it/default/home_en/electric_system/statistical_data.aspx |archive-date=18 May 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

[[Solar power in Italy|Solar energy]] production alone accounted for almost 9% of the total electric production in the country in 2014, making Italy the country with the highest contribution from solar energy in the world.<ref name="legambiente2015"/> The [[Montalto di Castro Photovoltaic Power Station]], completed in 2010, is the largest photovoltaic power station in Italy with 85 MW. Other examples of large PV plants in Italy are San Bellino (70.6 MW), Cellino san Marco (42.7 MW) and Sant’ Alberto (34.6 MW).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.solarserver.com/solar-magazine/solar-energy-system-of-the-month/the-italian-montalto-di-castro-and-rovigo-pv-plants.html|title=The Italian Montalto di Castro and Rovigo PV plants|website=www.solarserver.com|access-date=8 May 2018|archive-date=9 May 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180509012719/https://www.solarserver.com/solar-magazine/solar-energy-system-of-the-month/the-italian-montalto-di-castro-and-rovigo-pv-plants.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Italy was also the first country to exploit geothermal energy to produce electricity.<ref name="UNMIG"/>

[[Renewable energy in Italy|Renewable sources]] account for 27.5% of all electricity produced in Italy, with hydro alone reaching 12.6%, followed by solar at 5.7%, wind at 4.1%, bioenergy at 3.5%, and geothermal at 1.6%.<ref name="gse">{{cite web |url=http://www.gse.it/it/Statistiche/RapportiStatistici/Pagine/default.aspx |title=Rapporto Statistico sugli Impianti a fonti rinnovabili |date=19 December 2013 |publisher=Gestore dei Servizi Energetici |format=PDF |access-date=11 February 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171018022905/http://www.gse.it/it/Statistiche/RapportiStatistici/Pagine/default.aspx |archive-date=18 October 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The rest of the national demand is covered by fossil fuels (38.2% natural gas, 13% coal, 8.4% oil) and by imports.<ref name="gse"/>

Italy has managed four nuclear reactors until the 1980s, but in 1987, after the [[Chernobyl disaster]], a large majority of Italians passed a [[Italian referendums, 1987|referendum]] opting for phasing out [[nuclear power in Italy]]. The government responded by closing existing nuclear power plants and stopping work on projects underway, continuing to work to the nuclear energy program abroad. The national power company [[Enel]] operates seven nuclear reactors in Spain (through [[Endesa (Spain)|Endesa]]) and four in [[Slovakia]] (through [[Slovenské elektrárne]]),<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.enel.com/en-GB/group/production/nuclear_power/ |title=Nuclear Production |date=31 December 2013 |publisher=[[Enel]] |access-date=11 February 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150207204805/http://www.enel.com/en-GB/group/production/nuclear_power/ |archive-date=7 February 2015  }}</ref> and in 2005 made an agreement with [[Électricité de France]] for a nuclear reactor in France.<ref name="nuclear"/> With these agreements, Italy has managed to access nuclear power and direct involvement in design, construction, and operation of the plants without placing reactors on Italian territory.<ref name="nuclear"/>

In the early 1970s Italy was a major producer of [[pyrites]] (from the Tuscan [[Maremma]]), [[asbestos]] (from the [[Balangero]] mines), [[fluorite]] (found in [[Sicily]]), and salt. At the same time, it was self-sufficient in aluminium (from [[Gargano]]), [[sulfur|sulphur]] (from Sicily), lead, and [[zinc]] (from [[Sardinia]]).<ref name="nat_resources">{{cite encyclopedia|url=https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/297474/Italy/26994/Forestry#toc26986|title=Italy, the economy: Resources and power|encyclopedia=[[Encyclopædia Britannica Online]]|date=3 February 2015|access-date=9 February 2015|archive-date=9 February 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150209194536/http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/297474/Italy/26994/Forestry#toc26986|url-status=live}}</ref> By the beginning of the 1990s, however, it had lost all its world-ranking positions and was no longer self-sufficient in those resources. There are no substantial deposits of iron, coal, or oil. Italy is one of the world's leading producers of [[pumice]], [[pozzolana]], and [[feldspar]].<ref name="nat_resources"/> Another mineral resource for which Italy is well-known is [[marble]], especially the world-famous white [[Carrara marble]] from the [[Province of Massa and Carrara|Massa and Carrara]] quarries in [[Tuscany]].

=== Transportation ===
{{Main|Transport in Italy}}
[[File:A8-A26 Besnate.jpg|thumb|left|The ''[[Autostrada dei Laghi]]'' ("Lakes Motorway"; now parts of the [[Autostrada A8 (Italy)|Autostrada A8]] and the [[Autostrada A9 (Italy)|Autostrada A9]]) near [[Besnate]], the first [[motorway]] built in the world.<ref name="independent"/><ref name="motorwebmuseum"/>]]

Regarding the national road network, in 2002 there were {{convert|668721|km|mi|abbr=on}} of serviceable [[roads in Italy]], including {{convert|6487|km|mi|abbr=on}} of motorways, state-owned but privately operated by [[Atlantia (company)|Atlantia]]. In 2005, about 34,667,000 [[Automobile|passenger cars]] (590 cars per 1,000 people) and 4,015,000 goods vehicles circulated on the national road network.<ref name="European Commission">{{cite web |url=http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/cache/ITY_OFFPUB/KS-DA-07-001/EN/KS-DA-07-001-EN.PDF |title=Panorama of Transport |author=European Commission |access-date=3 May 2009|url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090407142402/http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/cache/ITY_OFFPUB/KS-DA-07-001/EN/KS-DA-07-001-EN.PDF |archive-date=7 April 2009|author-link=European Commission}}</ref>

Italy was the first country in the world to build [[motorway]]s, the so-called ''[[Autostrade of Italy|autostrade]]'', reserved for fast traffic and for motor vehicles only.<ref name=independent>{{Cite news|first=Thea|last=Lenarduzzi|url=http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/europe/the-worlds-first-motorway-piero-puricellis-masterpiece-is-the-focus-of-an-unlikely-pilgrimage-a6840816.html|title=The motorway that built Italy: Piero Puricelli's masterpiece|date=30 January 2016|newspaper=[[The Independent]]|access-date=12 May 2022|archive-date=26 May 2022|archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220526/http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/europe/the-worlds-first-motorway-piero-puricellis-masterpiece-is-the-focus-of-an-unlikely-pilgrimage-a6840816.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="motorwebmuseum">{{cite web|url=https://www.motorwebmuseum.it/en/places/varese/the-milano-laghi-by-piero-puricelli-the-first-motorway-in-the-world/|title=The "Milano-Laghi" by Piero Puricelli, the first motorway in the world|access-date=10 May 2022|archive-date=1 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210901170319/https://www.motorwebmuseum.it/en/places/varese/the-milano-laghi-by-piero-puricelli-the-first-motorway-in-the-world/|url-status=live}}</ref> The ''[[Autostrada dei Laghi]]''  ("Lakes Motorway"), the first built in the world, connecting [[Milan]] to [[Lake Como]] and [[Lake Maggiore]], and now parts of the [[Autostrada A8 (Italy)|A8]] and [[Autostrada A9 (Italy)|A9]] motorways, was devised by [[Piero Puricelli]] and was inaugurated in 1924.<ref name="motorwebmuseum"/> He received the first authorization to build a public-utility fast road in 1921. By the end of the 1930s, over 400 kilometres of multi- and dual-single-lane motorways were constructed throughout Italy, linking cities and rural towns. Italy is one of the countries with the most vehicles per capita, with 690 per 1000 people in 2010.<ref name=Wards11>{{cite news |url=http://wardsauto.com/ar/world_vehicle_population_110815/ |title=World Vehicle Population Tops 1 Billion Units |author=John Sousanis |work=[[Ward's|Ward AutoWorld]] |date=15 August 2011 |access-date=27 August 2011|url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110827104934/http://wardsauto.com/ar/world_vehicle_population_110815/ |archive-date=27 August 2011}}</ref>
[[File:Frecciarossa 1000 No' 08.jpg|thumb|[[Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane|FS]]' [[Frecciarossa 1000]] high speed train at [[Milano Centrale railway station]], with a maximum speed of {{convert|400|km/h|0|abbr=on}},<ref>{{cite web |title=Frecciarossa 1000 in Figures |url=http://www.fsitaliane.it/fsi-en/GROUP/Safety-and-Technology/Frecciarossa1000:-the-train-of-the-future/Frecciarossa-1000-in-Figures |publisher=Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane |access-date=24 November 2014|url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141218192603/http://www.fsitaliane.it/fsi-en/GROUP/Safety-and-Technology/Frecciarossa1000%3A-the-train-of-the-future/Frecciarossa-1000-in-Figures |archive-date=18 December 2014}}</ref> is one of the fastest trains in Europe.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.railway-technology.com/projects/frecciarossa-1000-very-high-speed-train/ |title=Frecciarossa 1000 Very High-Speed Train |website=Railway Technology |access-date=5 May 2016 |archive-date=9 August 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150809032916/http://www.railway-technology.com/projects/frecciarossa-1000-very-high-speed-train |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/french-train-breaks-speed-record-1.650346 |title=French Train Breaks Speed Record |website=[[CBC News]] |access-date=5 June 2019 |archive-date=5 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200805201116/https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/french-train-breaks-speed-record-1.650346 |url-status=live}}</ref>]]

The [[rail transport in Italy|national railway network]] is also extensive, especially in the north, totalizing 16,862&nbsp;km of which 69% are electrified and on which 4,937 locomotives and railcars circulate. It is the [[List of countries by rail transport network size|12th largest in the world]], and is operated by state-owned [[Ferrovie dello Stato]], while the [[rail tracks]] and infrastructure are managed by [[Rete Ferroviaria Italiana]]. While a number of private railroads exist and provide mostly [[Commuter rail|commuter-type]] services, the national railway also provides sophisticated [[High-speed rail in Italy|high-speed rail]] service that joins the major cities. The [[Florence–Rome high-speed railway]] was the first high-speed line opened in Europe when more than half of it opened in 1977. In 1991 the [[Treno Alta Velocità|TAV]] was created for the planning and construction of [[high-speed rail]] lines along Italy's most important and saturated transport routes (Milan-Rome-Naples and Turin-Milan-Venice). High-speed trains include [[ElettroTreno|ETR]]-class trains, with the [[Frecciarossa 1000]] reaching 400&nbsp;km/h. Higher-speed trains are divided into three categories: [[Frecciarossa]] ({{langx|en|red arrow}}) trains operate at a maximum speed of 300&nbsp;km/h on dedicated high-speed tracks; [[Frecciargento]] ({{langx|en|silver arrow}}) trains operate at a maximum speed of 250&nbsp;km/h on both high-speed and mainline tracks; and [[Frecciabianca]] ({{langx|en|white arrow}}) trains operate on high-speed regional lines at a maximum speed of 200&nbsp;km/h. Italy has 11 rail border crossings over the Alpine mountains with its neighbouring countries.
[[File:One-belt-one-road.svg|thumb|21st Century [[Silk Road]] with its connections to Italy]]

Since October 2021, Italy's [[flag carrier]] airline is [[ITA Airways]], which took over the brand, the IATA ticketing code, and many assets belonging to the former flag carrier [[Alitalia]], after its bankruptcy.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Buckley |first1=Julia |title=Italy reveals its new national airline |url=https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/ita-airways-launch/index.html |access-date=18 October 2021 |work=CNN |date=18 October 2021 |language=en |archive-date=18 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211018100255/https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/ita-airways-launch/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref> ITA Airways serves 44 destinations ({{as of|October 2021|lc=y}}) and also operates the former Alitalia regional subsidiary, [[Alitalia CityLiner]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Villamizar |first1=Helwing |title=Italian Flag Carrier ITA Airways Is Born |url=https://airwaysmag.com/airlines/ita-airways-is-born/ |access-date=18 October 2021 |work=Airways Magazine |date=15 October 2021 |archive-date=16 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211016100028/https://airwaysmag.com/airlines/ita-airways-is-born/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> The country also has [[regional airline]]s (such as [[Air Dolomiti]]), low-cost carriers, and Charter and leisure carriers (including [[Neos (airline)|Neos]], [[Blue Panorama Airlines]] and [[Poste Air Cargo]]). Major Italian cargo operators are Alitalia Cargo and [[Cargolux Italia]]. Italy is the fifth in Europe by number of passengers by air transport, with about 148 million passengers or about 10% of the European total in 2011.<ref>{{cite web |title=Trasporto aereo in Italia (PDF) |date=7 January 2013 |url=http://www.istat.it/it/archivio/78802 |publisher=ISTAT |access-date=5 August 2013 |archive-date=13 January 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130113035254/http://www.istat.it/it/archivio/78802 |url-status=live }}</ref> There are approximately [[List of airports in Italy|130 airports in Italy]], of which 99 have paved runways (including the two [[Airline hub|hubs]] of [[Leonardo Da Vinci International Airport|Leonardo Da Vinci International]] in Rome and [[Malpensa International Airport|Malpensa International]] in Milan).

Italy has been the final destination of the [[Silk Road]] for many centuries. In particular, the construction of the [[Suez Canal]] intensified sea trade with [[East Africa]] and [[Asia]] from the 19th century. Since the end of the Cold War and increasing European integration, trade relations, which were often interrupted in the 20th century, have intensified again. In 2004 there were 43 major seaports including the [[Port of Genoa]], the country's largest and the [[List of busiest ports in Europe|third busiest by cargo tonnage]] in the [[Mediterranean Sea]]. Due to the increasing importance of the maritime Silk Road with its connections to Asia and East Africa, the Italian ports for [[Central Europe|Central]] and [[Eastern Europe]] have become important in recent years. In addition, the trade in goods is shifting from the European northern ports to the ports of the Mediterranean Sea due to the considerable time savings and environmental protection. In particular, the deep water port of [[Trieste]] in the northernmost part of the Mediterranean Sea is the target of Italian, Asian and European investments.<ref>Marcus Hernig: Die Renaissance der Seidenstraße (2018) pp 112.</ref><ref>Bernhard Simon: Can The New Silk Road Compete With The Maritime Silk Road? in The Maritime Executive, 1 January 2020.</ref><ref>Chazizam, M. (2018). The Chinese Maritime Silk Road Initiative: The Role of the Mediterranean. Mediterranean Quarterly, 29(2), 54–69.</ref><ref>Guido Santevecchi: Di Maio e la Via della Seta: «Faremo i conti nel 2020», siglato accordo su Trieste in Corriere della Sera: 5. November 2019.</ref><ref>Linda Vierecke, Elisabetta Galla "Triest und die neue Seidenstraße" In: Deutsche Welle, 8 December 2020.</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.hellenicshippingnews.com/hhla-plt-italy-starting-on-schedule/|title=HHLA PLT Italy starting on schedule &#124; Hellenic Shipping News Worldwide|website=www.hellenicshippingnews.com|access-date=11 May 2022|archive-date=11 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210111105059/https://www.hellenicshippingnews.com/hhla-plt-italy-starting-on-schedule/|url-status=live}}</ref> The national inland waterway network comprises {{convert|1,477|km|mi|abbr=on}} of navigable rivers and channels. In 2007 Italy maintained a civilian air fleet of about 389,000 units and a merchant fleet of 581 ships.<ref>{{cite book|url=http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/documents/3217494/5618077/KS-DA-07-001-EN.PDF|title=Panorama of Transport|year=2007|author=Eurostat|author-link=Eurostat|publisher=[[European Commission]]|isbn=978-92-79-04618-6|access-date=3 May 2009|archive-date=12 February 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150212174916/http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/documents/3217494/5618077/KS-DA-07-001-EN.PDF|url-status=live}}</ref>