; first seat of the Ministry of the Interior of the Italian State (until 1865) and now the headquarters of the Prefecture The Ministry of the Interior was among the oldest ministries of the
Kingdom of Sardinia. It experienced a notable growth in responsibilities from 1861, as a result of the
Unification of Italy. As a result of the absence of any kind of
Head of Government from the
Albertine Statute, the Ministry of the Interior had priority over the
Presidency of the Council from the beginning. During the establishment of the unitary state, the Minister of the Interior represented a strongly centralised model of state, desired by the Piedmontese statesmen in order to strengthen the state which they saw as excessively diverse. Along with the
Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of the Interior was one of the two pillars on which Italian national unity was built. The functions of the Ministry were executed by a system of
prefectures, based on the
French model, with provincial seats whose authority derived from the central government. The attributes of the prefect were intended by the liberal
Historical Right government to unify Italy. It was Minister
Bettino Ricasoli who initiated this policy of marked centralisation in 1861 with the "Decrees of October." In the first decades of the Kingdom of Italy's existence, the Prefectures gave the government tight control over local affairs, representing the central government locally. In many areas of Italy, the Prefectures were the only offices of the central government. , in
Florence, seat of the Ministry from 1865 to 1871; now seat of the provincial government The Ministry was reorganised in 1870 by Minister
Giovanni Lanza and again in 1874 and 1877, under the first government of the left wing of the Liberal Party. During these years, the Ministry acquired control of the police (separate from the judicial police), prisons, and social policing (meaning offices of public health). Towards the end of the 19th century, Minister
Francesco Crispi strengthened the ministry and the prefectures. Subsequently, Minister
Antonio di Rudinì decentralised some functions, entrusting various roles to the prefectures which had previously been the responsibility of the Ministry itself. Under
Giovanni Giolitti, in the early twentieth century, the Ministry became the key means of state action. It exercised watchful and strict control over the
comuni and
provinces, especially in matters of public order. In the arena of public health, it enforced a rationalisation of health laws in 1913, with the so-called "Sanitary Codex". In the social sphere, the prefectures were called upon to mediate in labour conflicts and improve working conditions, in collaboration with the government labour office, and to "municipalise" essential services like tramlines, streetlighting, kindergartens, etc. In this area too, their powers and administrative role expanded. Although the Ministry continued its ordinary role in maintaining security, order and health during the
First World War, its overall structure was not significantly modified. With the rise of
Italian Fascism, there was little change. An exception is Law no.1601 of 3 December 1922, which transferred the General Directorate of Prisons and Rehabilitation to the
Ministry of Mercy, Justice, and Worship. In general,
Benito Mussolini controlled the ministry personally, but it progressively lost its guiding role in the administration of the state. in
Rome, seat of the Ministry of the Interior from 1871 to 1925, now the site of a museum In 1931, the General Directorate of Support for Worship and of Support for Charity and Religion of the City of Rome, as well as the General Directorate of Religious Affairs, which had previously belonged to the Ministry of Mercy and Justice, were entrusted to the Ministry of the Interior. These offices are still part of the Ministry of the Interior. After the fall of Fascism, institutional changes resulted from the creation of the
Republic of Italy. The main theme of these changes was the increased decentralisation of power to the
Regions and the progressive transfer of competencies from the Ministry of the Interior to them over the course of the 1960s. The main role of the Ministry also changed or rather reverted to the role it had had under Giolitti decades earlier. Its role in social protection was reinforced and, along with the
Ministry of Labour, it played a key role in welfare politics, providing support to the socially disadvantaged and guaranteeing protection in the event of disaster. The important sphere of public health was removed from the control of the Ministry in 1958, with the institution of the
Ministry of Health. With the creation of the
Ministry for Cultural Assets and Environments, the Ministry of the Interior lost control of the . In the 1980s, the
Department of Civil Protection was created, which is headed by an independent
Minister without portfolio, but is based on the organisation of the Ministry There was also a reorganisation of the centralised structure of the Ministry and the number of General Directorates declined from even to five. Moreover, with Law no. 121/1981, the
Polizia di Stato was reformed and transformed from the General Directorate of Public Security into a department. This anticipated the future departmental structure of the ministry as a whole. In the 1990s, the involved a complex process of reorganisation of the administrative structure of the Ministry. In particular, Decree Law no.300/1999 dealt with the creation of a departmental structure for the Ministry. Additionally, the prefecture system was overhauled and they were renamed "Government Territorial Prefecture Offices." Since the completion of these reforms, the Ministry has had authority over "general" administration, including relationships between centre and periphery, and particularly for the protection of fundamental functions and the security of citizens. ==Headquarters==