Abstract

The creation of metropolitan government structures was on the agenda in Italy for at least twenty years before they were finally instituted in 2014 within a more wideranging reform of local governance. Ten «Metropolitan cities» are thus headed to become a second-tier level in Italian local government, responsible for a number of vital functions including territorial planning, development, transport. Based on document analysis and interviews, the article describes the transitional phase in which Metropolitan cities have been set up and have started to operate, and analyzes the main dynamics of politics and policy: the indirect election of councils and executive organs, the struggle for economic resources, and the start of policy initiatives.