How to read legal citations in Italy
Italian decisions are cited by court, the kind of ruling (sentenza or ordinanza), a number and a date. Codes are cited by article.
Updated October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
Style guide: Italian academic and court conventions. Italian citations name the court, the type of decision, its number and its date.
Real citations, decoded
Click or hover over any underlined piece to see what it means.
A decision of the Constitutional Court Case
,
- Court Corte cost.
Corte costituzionale, the Constitutional Court. - Judgment and number sent. n. 1/1956
Sentenza (judgment) number 1 of 1956. This is the first judgment the Court ever gave.
A code article Statute
- Article art. 2043
Article 2043, the general rule on liability for harm caused by fault. - Code c.c.
Codice civile, the Civil Code. Other common codes: c.p. (Criminal Code), c.p.c. (Code of Civil Procedure).
A constitutional article Constitution
- Article art. 3
Article 3, on equality. - Document Cost.
Costituzione, the Constitution.
Things to remember
- Cass. means the Court of Cassation; Cass. civ., sez. un., means its civil panel sitting together as Joint Sections (Sezioni Unite).
- A date can be given as 5 giugno 1956, or in numbers.
- Normattiva is the official free portal for laws.
Where to find the text, free
To understand how courts and law fit together in Italy, read the Italy profile in the Legal Families Atlas.
Other legal systems
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TheLawToKnow Tools’s citation guide is an educational overview of standard conventions. Courts and journals sometimes vary, so check the style guide before submitting or publishing. It is not legal advice. Report a mistake.
