Abstract

Should children have their mother's surname? The topic was raised for the first time in Italy in late '70s and revived periodically by unapproved bills or Court decisions. However, nothing really changed until december 2016, when the Constitutional Court issued a groundbreaking sentence, forcing the lawmaker to face the topic. The purpose of this paper is to provide insight on the longlasting question of the mother's surname, determining what are the actors, the interests and the rights involved and to trigger reflections on possible legislative reforms.