The performance of Italian economy has always been a fascinating puzzle for economists, both during the miraculous economic boom and in the current age of zero growth. This paper identifies the sluggish productivity dynamic as the main explanatory factor of Italian growth limits. It analyses the existing relationship between productivity and growth from three different points of view: the Keynesian approach, Neo-monetarism and Supply-Side Economics. The paper analyses the Italian growth disease handling structural issues, ageing population, public debt, infrastructure, fiscal and legislative burden, and it aims to search for a new therapy.