frazioni

Frazioni are territorial subdivisions of an Italian comune (municipality). They denote villages, hamlets or dispersed localities that are part of a larger municipality rather than independent municipalities in their own right. The designation is administrative and geographic rather than legal autonomy; frazioni do not possess independent legislatures or the capacity to levy taxes separate from the comune. In most cases, governance and public services for frazioni are provided by the comune’s elected mayor and municipal council. Some municipalities establish advisory bodies such as a consiglio di frazione or comitato di frazione to represent residents, coordinate local services, and submit requests to the central administration; these bodies have limited or no formal legislative power.

Frazioni are used in planning, statistics, postal addressing and local identity. They may be rural hamlets, urban neighborhoods or mountain settlements. Some frazioni are designated as frazioni montane (mountain hamlets) for purposes of regional planning and funding. The status and importance of frazioni vary by region and by comune; large cities may be organized into quartieri or circoscrizioni that resemble frazioni but with their own formal authorities, while many small comuni simply list their constituent localities.

Historically, frazioni reflect older settlements that were absorbed into expanding municipalities, preserving distinct community identities, parishes, churches and local festivals. The term is primarily used in Italy, though the concept of subdividing municipalities into localities has parallels in other countries under different names.