Top 10 street names in Italy — have you ever noticed, while wandering through Italian towns and cities, that the same names seem to pop up again and again? Gary and I certainly did. Whether we were strolling through a bustling city or a tiny hilltop village, the same names kept appearing on those familiar blue and white signs overhead, or the indications on the stone walls — and it started to make us wonder. Just how common are these names? Does every town really have a Via Roma, even when it’s nowhere near Rome? We decided to find out, and what we discovered was a fascinating journey through Italian history, one street sign at a time.
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In order of popularity, here are the top 10 street names found throughout Italy:
When we first wrote this post, in December 2018, there were 7,870 streets named Via Roma in Italy. While that number may have shifted slightly since then — streets do get added and renamed over time — it remains by far the most common street name in the country. In most Italian cities and towns, this street does indeed point in the direction of Rome. I find that interesting and wonder if it’s really true.
With 5,472 streets bearing his name, Via Garibaldi is the second most common street name in Italy — and honestly, it’s hard to think of anyone more deserving. Giuseppe Garibaldi (1807–1882) is one of Italy’s “Fathers of the Fatherland,” playing a central role in the Risorgimento, the movement that unified the country. As a military general and national hero, he led the Expedition of the Thousand — the Spedizione dei Mille — in 1860, which resulted in the conquest of Southern Italy and the proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy.
His reach extended far beyond Italy’s borders too. Garibaldi fought against the French, Austrians, Spanish, Sicilians, and Neapolitans in the quest for Italian unification — and his reputation was so great that President Abraham Lincoln actually offered him a commission during the American Civil War.
Garibaldi fought with the Piedmontese against the French, Austrians, Spanish, Sicilians, and Neapolitans to unify Italy. As a result of his efforts, he received an offer from Abraham Lincoln to serve ona Civil War Commission.
Italy has honored Guglielmo Marconi with 4,842 streets bearing his name. Born in Bologna in 1874, Marconi was the genius behind wireless communication, essentially giving the world radio as we know it today. He even won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1909 for his work.
Here’s a fun bit of trivia that always sparks a debate: while Marconi is widely credited with inventing the radio, the U.S. Supreme Court actually awarded the patents to Nikola Tesla, who had been developing a similar design at the same time. So who really invented the radio? That’s a conversation for another day — but Italy had no trouble deciding who deserved the honor!
The 10 Top Street Names Continue With…
You’ll find 3,994 streets and piazzas named after Giuseppe Mazzini across Italy — and if you’ve spent any time wandering Italian towns, that name on a street sign has probably caught your eye more than once. But who was he?
Born in Genoa in 1805, Mazzini was the voice behind the movement to unify Italy. While Garibaldi was out on the battlefield fighting for unification, Mazzini was the ideas man — a journalist, activist, and revolutionary thinker who believed deeply that Italy deserved to be one free, independent republic. He even founded a secret revolutionary society called Young Italy to rally others to the cause.
What makes his story particularly interesting is that despite dedicating his entire life to Italian unification, Mazzini actually died disappointed. When Italy finally unified in 1861, it came together under a monarchy — not the republic he had always dreamed of. He refused to accept it and kept fighting his corner right up until his death in 1872.
A man who never gave up, even when things didn’t go his way. Sounds like someone Italy was right to remember.
With 3,793 streets and piazzas across Italy bearing his name, Dante Alighieri holds a very special place on this list. Why? Because, unlike the politicians and inventors who share it with him, Dante was a poet. And not just any poet. He’s considered the greatest writer in the Italian language.
Born in Florence in 1265, Dante gave the world La Divina Commedia — The Divine Comedy — an extraordinary epic poem that takes readers on a journey through Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise. If you’ve ever heard the word Inferno used to describe something truly dreadful, you have Dante to thank for that.
His life wasn’t without its drama, either. Caught up in the fierce political rivalries of medieval Florence, Dante was eventually exiled from his beloved city and spent the last twenty years of his life wandering northern Italy. He died in Ravenna in 1321, just after completing his masterpiece. Italy never forgot him and with 3,793 street signs… they never will.
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Our Second Half of 10 Top Street Names Continues…
There are 3,334 streets named after Cavour. Born in Turin in 1810, Camillo Benso, Count of Cavour, was the sharp, strategic politician who quietly made Italian unification actually happen — and went on to become the country’s very first Prime Minister.
Also, there are 3,292 Giacomo Matteotti signs to be found in Italy. Almost anywhere you go in Italy, you will find a street named for this socialist politician. Of all the names on this list, Giacomo Matteotti’s may be the most sobering. Born in 1885 in Fratta Polesine, in the province of Rovigo in the Veneto, Matteotti was a Socialist politician and one of the loudest, most fearless voices against Mussolini’s rising Fascist regime.
In May 1924, he stood up in the Italian Parliament and did something extraordinarily brave — he publicly accused the Fascists of fraud and violence during the recent elections. Eleven days later, he was kidnapped in broad daylight on the streets of Rome by a fascist and murdered.
Ahhhh, Giuseppe Verdi! There are exactly 3,000 streets with his name found in Italy. He was born Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi and is known as the greatest composer of Italian opera who ever lived. Some of Verdi’s famous works include Rigoletto, Il Trovatore, and La Traviata. He died of a stroke in 1901.
While in Italy during our 90-day stay in Parma, we actually saw Il Trovatore and were fortunate to also see Rigoletto while in Rome for our one-year adventure.
And then there’s Giuseppe Verdi — and what a way to round out this list! Born Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi, he is widely considered the greatest composer of Italian opera who ever lived, and Italy has honored him with about 3,000 streets bearing his name.
Finally, Our Last Names For The 10 Top Street Names…
Cesar Battisti was an Italian patriot, geographer, socialist, politician, and journalist. There are 2,657 street signs with his name throughout Italy. Born Giuseppe Cesar Battista, in 1916 the Austrian government accused him and found him guilty of high treason.
He was a politician, journalist, and passionate irredentist who believed wholeheartedly that the Italian-speaking people of Trentino deserved to be part of Italy. When World War I broke out, he put his convictions ahead of his safety and volunteered for the Italian army — even though, technically, he was still an Austrian citizen. He won medals for bravery in the field.
Prime Ministers are usually popular choices for Italian streets and piazzas. In Italy, you will find 2,628 Aldo Moro street names. Moro served as the 38th Prime Minister of Italy, from 1963 to 1968, and then from 1974 to 1976.
Aldo Moro’s name appears on 2,628 streets across Italy, and his story still weighs heavily on the Italian conscience. Born in 1916, Moro served five times as Prime Minister and was widely considered one of the greatest and most capable politicians in modern Italian history — a calm, thoughtful mediator in a country that often needed one.
In Closing
Walking the streets of Italy is like walking through the pages of a history book. Every Via Roma points toward the eternal city, every Via Garibaldi honors a fighter, every Via Verdi hums with the memory of a melody. From poets to patriots, inventors to martyrs, the names on these street signs tell the story of a nation that wears its history proudly — sometimes joyfully, sometimes painfully, but always with passion. So the next time you find yourself wandering an Italian town and spot one of these familiar names on a blue and white sign overhead, take a moment to think about the remarkable person behind it. Italy has a way of reminding you that the past is never very far away.
Editor’s Note: This post was initially published in June 2018 and was recently updated in May 2026 for accuracy and additional information.
Funny we live on Via G. Marconi in Verbania. Now I know the history.
Not sure why we found it so interesting other than the fact the same names seem to be everywhere. Glad the post gave you some insight! Thanks!!