In Italy, there are twenty regions. Five of them are considered as “regioni a statuto speciale”, that is regions having a broader amount of autonomy.
Regioni —> fem. sing. noun (sing. regione) = regions
statuto —> fem. sing. adj. (masc. autonomo) = autonomous / self-governing / independent
a —> simple preposition = to, in, at, under
speciale —> masc. sing. adj. (plur. speciali) = special
Examples:
L’Italia ha venti regioni. (In Italy there are twenty regions.)
Cinque sono regioni a statuto speciale. (Five regions have a particular form of autonomy under special statutes.)
With regions, when answering the question where? and where to? you use the preposition in + the name of the region.
Examples:
Vivo in Toscana. (I live in Tuscany)
Vado in vacanza in Toscana. (I go to Tuscany on holiday.)
Mio padre abita in Abruzzo. (My father lives in Abruzzo.)
Non sono mai stato in Sicilia. (I’ve never been to Sicily.)
Let’s now have a look at the list of the Italian regions:
1. Valle d’Aosta / Aosta Valley
2. Piemonte / Piedmont
3. Liguria / Liguria
4. Lombardia / Lombardy
5. Trentino Alto Adige / Trentino-South Tyrol
6. Friuli Venezia Giulia / Friuli Venezia Giulia
7. Veneto / Veneto
8. Emilia Romagna / Emilia-Romagna
9. Toscana / Tuscany
10. Marche / Marche
11. Umbria / Umbria
12. Lazio / Lazio
13. Abruzzo / Abruzzo
14. Molise / Molise
15. Campania / Campania
16. Puglia / Apulia
17. Basilicata / Basilicata
18. Calabria / Calabria
19. Sicilia / Sicily
20. Sardegna / Sardinia
