The concept of Italia and the equivalent of "Italian" (such as Italic or Italiote) have existed since ancient times. The ancient peoples of Italy included the Etruscans, the Ligures, the Adriatic Veneti, the Sicani and Siculi (in Sicily), the Rhaetians, the Iapygians, the Nuragic peoples (in Sardinia), the Greek colonisers in Magna Graecia, the Phoenician settlers in the islands, the Rhaetians, the Cisalpine Gauls, the Latins and, among them, the Romans, who were able to unify the territory of Italy and make it the centre of a vast Mediterranean empire and civilisation.[48][49][50][51] In medieval times, parts of the peninsula have been occupied by foreign populations who were integrated in Italian culture, such as the Ostrogoths, Lombards, Franks, Normans, and Arabs. In the Modern age, other European countries such as France, Spain, and Austria controlled parts of the peninsula. All these populations have left a strong regional influence on the culture, history, ancestry, and dialects of Italian language. Finally, emigration and immigration played a crucial role in developing local cultures, with both immigrant and returning emigrants introducing new costumes.
Today, Italian nationals are citizens of Italy, regardless of ancestry or nation of residence. However, Italian nationality (or citizenship) is largely based on jus sanguinis, according to which a person can claim Italian citizenship if they have ancestors with such citizenship. Still, Italian nationality is not necessarily synonymous with Italian ethnicity, as there are ethnic Italians without Italian citizenship or descendants of Italians in territories that were once part of an Italian state and now belong to another country (for instance in Nice, Istria, and Dalmatia); and ethnic Italians without citizenship who descend from emigrants of the Italian diaspora.[52][53] In fact, is estimated that there are more people with the right to claim Italian nationality (~80 millions) than Italian nationals (~55 millions). It is also important to note that Italian nationality can be acquired by meeting other conditions, hinging on studying or working in Italy and passing an exam of language and culture.
The majority of Italian nationals are native speakers of the country's official language, Italian, a Romance language of the Indo-European language family that evolved from the Tuscanian dialects, themselves evolved from Vulgar Latin as most Italian dialects and minority languages. However, many Italians also speak a regional or minority language native to Italy, the existence of which predates the national language.[54][55] It is important to note that Standard Italian was adopted in the whole peninsula only after the formation of the Kingdom of Italy in 1861, while regional dialects and minority languages have been the native tongue of most Italians, especially prior to the advent of mandatory education and mass media. For this reason and due to the history of political division and foreign presence in various areas of the peninsula, Italian culture and traditions differ across regions. Although there is disagreement on the total number, according to UNESCO, there are approximately 30 languages native to Italy, although many are often misleadingly referred to as "Italian dialects".[56][50][57][58] The dialects and minority languages, together with foreign influences, affect the regional use of Italian.
^Departamento de Derecho y Ciencias Políticas de la Universidad Nacional de La Matanza (14 November 2011). "Historias de inmigrantes italianos en Argentina". infouniversidades.siu.edu.ar (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 26 December 2021. Retrieved 15 November 2018. Se estima que en la actualidad, el 90% de la población argentina tiene alguna ascendencia europea y que al menos 25 millones están relacionados con algún inmigrante de Italia.
^Notargiovanni, Caterina (2017). "Por qué tantos en Venezuela están eligiendo Italia para huir de la crisis" (in Spanish). BBC. Archived from the original on 12 December 2018. Retrieved 31 March 2021. "Estimamos que hay 2 millones de descendientes de italianos en Venezuela", le explica a BBC Mundo el primer secretario Lorenzo Solinas, encargado de prensa de la Embajada de Italia en Caracas.
^Notargiovanni, Caterina (2023). "Diáspora de italianos en América Latina: ¿cuál es el país al otro lado del Atlántico con más descendientes?" (in Spanish). ahoraroma. Archived from the original on 25 March 2024. Retrieved 22 October 2023. "En Argentina, la comunidad italo-argentina también es significativa, con aproximadamente 25 millones de descendientes italianos" Según distintos informes, le siguen, Venezuela (2 millones), Uruguay (1,5 millones) y Canadá (1,4 millones).
^Bridger, Gordon A. (2013). Britain and the Making of Argentina. WIT Press. p. 101. ISBN9781845646844. Archived from the original on 27 October 2023. Retrieved 25 September 2021. Some 86% identify themselves as being of European descent, of whom 60% would claim Italian links
^Related Articles (2 January 2009). "Italian cuisine". Britannica Online Encyclopedia. Britannica.com. Archived from the original on 16 July 2010. Retrieved 24 April 2010.