Romani people in Italy (Italian: Rom in Italia) have been living in Italy since the 15th century.[1] The Sinti, who regard themselves as a subgroup distinct from the Roma, arrived from the north. Other Romani groups migrated from the Balkans and settled in Southern Italy and Central Italy.[2]
From Bosnia and Kosovo, Muslim Roma the so-called Xoraxane came to Italy at the time of the Balkan wars[3]
In 2015 in Italy there are at about 150,000 (70,000 Italian citizens) of Romani people origins. The three cities with most number of Romanis are: Rome, Milan and Naples.[4]
According to a May 2008 poll, 68% of Italians wanted to see all of the country's approximately 150,000 Romanis, many of whom were Italian citizens, expelled.[5] The survey, published as mobs in Naples burned down Romani camps that month, revealed that the majority also wanted all Romani camps in Italy to be demolished.[5]
On June 18, 2018, Minister of the Interior Matteo Salvini announced the government would conduct a census of Romani people in Italy for the purpose of deporting all who are not in the country legally.[7][8][9][10] However this measure was criticized as unconstitutional and was opposed by all the oppositions and also by some members of the M5S.[11]