Constitutional Charters of the Italian Republic
The emblem of the Italian Republic
Date effective	1st: March 4, 1848 [a] 2nd: January 1, 1948 3rd: February 29, 2048
System	1st: monarchy 2nd & 3rd: republic
Government structure
Branches	Legislative, executive, judicial
Head of state	1st: executive King 2nd: ceremonial President 3rd: executive President
Chambers	Senate of the Republic [b] and Chamber of Deputies
Executive	1st: King, appointing a President of the Council and a Council of ministers 2nd: Council of ministers, headed by a President of the Council of ministers 3rd: President, appointing and presiding the Council of ministers
Judiciary	1st: Supreme of Cassation 2nd & 3rd: Constitutional
Federalism	1st & 2nd: Centralization 3rd: Federation
Entrenchments	1st: none 2nd: two (one absolute) 3rd: one

This article is part of a series on the
Constitution of Italy
First Constitutional Charter
Parts I II III IV V VI VII VIII IX X
Second Constitutional Charter
Titles of first part I II III IV Titles of second part I II III IV V VI
Third Constitutional Charter
Articles I II III IV V VI VII VIII IX X
Constitutional laws
Amendments I II III IV V VI VII VIII IX X XI XII XIII XIV XV XVI XVII XVIII XIX XX XXI XXII XXIII XXIV XXV Statutory laws I II III IV V VI VII VIII IX X XI XII XIII XIV XV
History
First Constitutional Charter Second Constitutional Charter Third Constitution Charter
Full text
First Constitutional Charter Second Constitutional Charter Third Constitutional Charter
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The Constitution of Italy ( Italian: Costituzione italiana) is the body of all constitutional law of the Italian Republic. It is distributed over a number of different legislative instruments; its various parts are the three Constitutional Charters, which include the most important constitutional provisions, and the other forty-three complementary Constitutional laws.

The three Constitutional Charters are the following (in italics the original name), with the date of first enforcement:

• First Constitutional Charter (Prima Carta costituzionale): March 4, 1848.
• Second Constitutional Charter (Seconda Carta costituzionale): January 1, 1948.
• Third Constitutional Charter (Terza Carta costituzionale): February 29, 2048.

The first, written during the revolutions of 1848, was inherited from the Kingdom of Sardinia, of which Victor Emmanuel II was king, and lasted almost unchanged until the consolidation of the fascist regime, between 1925 and 1943–48. Initially it was the supreme law only of the Kingdom of Sardinia until 1859–60, when it was extended to the entire new country just established.

The second was drafted one century later by the new republican Government, established after a referendum that abolished the Savoyan monarchy and restored democracy. The text was written by a Constituent Assembly of 555 members, specifically elected by the People for the purpose. ^[1]

The third, promulgated another century later, is based on the model of the U.S. Constitution and is founded on the principles of liberty, federalism and presidentialism. It is composed of ten articles, with a very short introductive preamble. It was approved by the People on April 21, 2047 with a referendum, held on the 2800th anniversary of the foundation of Rome and of the creation of its very first Senate.

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• Constitutional laws of Italy
• Birth of the Italian Republic

• La Costituzione della Repubblica Italiana Senato della Repubblica (in Italian)
• The Constitution of the Italian Republic Senate of the Republic (in English)
• Guide to Italian Legal Research and Resources on the Web
• The Members of the Constituent Assembly (in Italian)
• Archive footage of the Signing of the Constitution (in Italian)