Famous Italian Prime Ministers

Christian Democracy member Aldo Moro had served as the Italian prime minister and had also held important portfolios such as foreign affairs and public education. He was also a University of Bari professor of law, initially. He was abducted and killed by left-wing terrorists known as The Red Brigades.

Initially an artillery officer, Pietro Badoglio served as a general during the two World Wars. He eventually signed an armistice with the Allies to withdraw Italian forces from World War II. He eventually served as the prime minister of Italy and was also the 1st Duke of Addis Abeba.

Former Italian prime minister Giuseppe Conte is a qualified lawyer and teaches law at various universities. He was one of the few Italian prime ministers to have held office without any previous political experience. He was also the first Western leader to impose a national lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Former Italian prime minister Romano Prodi is also known as “The Professor,” having served as an economics professor at the University of Bologna. The Olive Tree Coalition leader has also previously worked with Goldman Sachs. He has also led the European Commission of the EU.

Born to a banker, it was no surprise that Mario Monti would choose economics and management as his university majors. The Yale alumnus later gained fame as an academic and an economist and also became the prime minister of Italy, leading his nation through the Italian debt crisis.

Italy’s first Socialist prime minister, Bettino Craxi was born to an anti-fascist lawyer who was persecuted by Benito Mussolini’s regime. He later deviated from the traditional socialism and even changed the symbol of his party from the hammer-and-sickle to a red carnation. He was nicknamed The Big Boar due to his size.

Former Italian president and prime minister Carlo Azeglio Ciampi had a major role in introducing Italy to the euro. He had been the governor of the Bank of Italy for 14 years and had held several portfolios, including the ministry of treasury. He was also a World War II veteran.

Giulio Andreotti was an Italian politician who served as the prime minister of Italy on three occasions between 1972 and 1992. Widely regarded as the most important and powerful politician of the First Republic, Andreotti was the second longest-serving Italian prime minister after Silvio Berlusconi in the post-war era. Giulio Andreotti also served in several ministerial positions throughout his career.

The man who co-founded the Italian Popular Party, or the Christian Democracy party, Alcide De Gasperi had also been the Italian prime minister. He was actively involved in the resistance movement during World War II and also helped develop the European Coal and Steel Community, which later became the EU.

The dictator of Italy from 1925 to 1945, Benito Mussolini founded the Fascist Party in 1919. It opposed class discrimination and supported nationalism. But when in power, Mussolini crushed rival political parties, trade unions, free press and free speech. He was overthrown by his former colleagues in the Fascist government in July 1943 and ultimately shot dead in April 1945.

Former prime minister of Italy, Enrico Letta was the son of a math professor and followed in his father’s footsteps to become a professor, too, teaching at universities such as HEC Paris. Later, he stepped into politics with the Christian Democracy party. He also has a doctorate degree in European Union Law.

Five-time prime minister of Italy, Giovanni Giolitti was a trained lawyer and had also served the civil services. Though he helped his country prosper significantly, he was often criticized for his ways and means, especially for giolittismo, a technique associated with violence during elections, which he resorted to.

Prime Minister of Italy from 1917 to 1919, Vittorio Emanuele Orlando resigned from his position when he failed to secure concession at the Versailles Peace Conference. However, he remained active in politics, initially supporting the new Fascist Party of Benito Mussolini. Later he opposed fascism, remaining in retirement until the end of WWII and was nominated Senator for Life shortly thereafter.

Former Italian prime minister Ivanoe Bonomi was once expelled from the Socialist Party fort being a moderate and for supporting the Libyan War. He had also held significant portfolios, such as the ministry of war, and is remembered for negotiating the Treaty of Rapallo with Yugoslavia.

Five-time Italian prime minister Amintore Fanfani had also served as the acting president of his country. Initially a Catholic Action leader, he later became a professor of economic history and eventually stepped into politics. His short stature had earned him the nickname Pony, though his admirers called him Purebred Horse.

Known widely as the pickaxe-wielder president for his sarcastic comments against both the leftists and the rightists, Francesco Cossiga was a qualified lawyer. Apart from serving as both the president and prime minister of Italy, he had also taught constitutional law at the University of Sassari.

Luigi Facta was an Italian journalist and politician. He served as the prime minister of Italy from July 1922 to October 1922 before the dawn of Benito Mussolini's dictatorship. Before becoming the prime minister, Facta served as the finance minister of Italy from 1910 to 1914 and again from 1920 to 1921.

Antonio Salandra had been the prime minister of Italy during the beginning of World War I. Initially a law professor, he later made Italy join the war as part of the Triple Entente, rejecting the Triple Alliance. He had also penned books such as Italy and the Great War.

Alfonso Ferrero La Marmora was an Italian statesman and general. He is remembered for his service as the Prime Minister of Italy from September 1864 to June 1866. He also served as the Prime Minister of Sardinia from July 1859 to January 1860. Alfonso Ferrero La Marmora played important roles in several wars, including the First Italian War of Independence. 

Italian cardinal, diplomat, and politician Jules Mazarin served as a papal diplomat for Pope Urban VIII. He later became Chief Minister of France and served under Monarchs Louis XIII and Louis XIV until his death. While serving the position for almost two decades, Mazarin emerged as the de facto ruler of France and remained instrumental in establishing the Westphalian principles.   

Urbano Rattazzi was an Italian statesman and one of Italy's founding fathers. Rattazzi held several prominent cabinet positions including that of prime minister in the early years of the Italian Republic. Urbano Rattazzi's ambiguous policies were opposed by Giuseppe Garibaldi which brought about his eventual downfall.

Luigi Pelloux was an Italian politician and general. He is best remembered for his service as the Prime Minister of Italy from 1898 to 1900. Historians consider his rule as militarist and conservative. Luigi Pelloux's premiership was marked by conservative policies and stern measures, such as banning public meetings and criminalizing revolutionary activities.