Would you like to learn from expert entrepreneurs in Italy?

Discover the Italian success!

Italy, country of culture and beauty, sun and fine food, is also known for its high concentration of successful medium & small sized firms. SMEs constitute the backbone of the Italian productive system: the 94,6% of them have less than 10 employees, whereas the 4,8% have 10 – 49 employees and only the 0,5% have 50 – 250 employees.

The service sector is a major contributor to the Italian economy. It accounts for approximately 73 percent of GDP and is also the fastest growing segment. Tourism, retail and financial services represent a significant part of the sector. The industrial sector accounts for approximately 25 percent of GDP with the remainder contributed by agriculture. Motor vehicles, food production, fashion and luxury goods, life science, aerospace, chemicals, information and communication technology, logistics, renewable energy, and precision machinery are among the most important sectors of Italian manufacturing.

Italy, with a population of nearly 60 million inhabitants, is divided into 20 regions. Five of these regions (Valle d’Aosta, Trentino-Alto Adige, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Sicily and Sardinia) have special autonomous status that enables them to enact certain local legislation.

The country is further subdivided into 110 provinces. Rome, located in the Lazio region, is the largest Italian city (more than 2.7 million inhabitants). Milan in Lombardy (1.3 million inhabitants), Naples in Campania (one million inhabitants), Turin in Piedmont (0.9 million inhabitants) and Palermo in Sicily (0.7 million inhabitants) are the other largest Italian cities. Thanks to the Italian natural and historical beauty, warm people and weather, good food and artistic excellences, Italy welcomes millions of tourists every year.

With its concentration of successful SMEs, entrepreneurial enthusiasm and business ideas, Italy is the ideal place to meet expert entrepreneurs who can teach and help aspiring and new entrepreneurs with their business projects and desire of growth.

CESIE, lead intermediary organization of StartUp2– Start run and grow your business project, is involved in Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs programme and supports the young entrepreneurs during their exchanges with expert entrepreneurs. Based in Palermo (Sicily), CESIE is a European centre of studies and initiatives established in 2001, inspired by the work and theories of sociologist Danilo Dolci.

Sicily, beautiful and fascinating land, is also the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea and with surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the “Regione Sicilia”. Rich in history, culture and art, this land inspires many entrepreneurs who decide to start their businesses here in many different sectors.

If you have your business idea, would like to open yourself to new horizons, expand your network and grow both personally and professionally, CESIE will help you to join the Erasmus for your Entrepreneurs programme!

For more information about your exchange in Italy please contact us: entrepreneurs@cesie.org

Text by CESIE