Italian law is clear and, once you know it, easy to follow: under the Ministry of Health's national ordinance on protecting the public from dog aggression — first issued on 6 August 2013 and most recently extended on 16 July 2026, for a further 12 months from 5 September 2026 — dogs must be kept on a leash no longer than 1.5 metres in urban areas and any place open to the public, except inside municipal dog areas (sgambatoi). A muzzle also has to be carried at all times — not necessarily worn, but immediately available to put on if a dog poses a risk, if an authority asks, or when boarding public transport. Retractable leads are fine as long as they're locked at 1.5 metres or less in town centres; it's worth leaving them extended only in open countryside.
A detail that surprises a lot of visitors: Italy has no breed-based restrictions at all. The old 'blacklist' of supposedly dangerous breeds — the kind of list still used in countries like Spain — was formally abolished in 2009 under the Ordinanza Martini. No breed is banned in Italy, not Pit Bull, not Rottweiler, not Dogo Argentino. Instead, Italy takes an individual, behaviour-based approach: under Article 2052 of the Codice Civile, an owner is civilly and financially liable for any harm their dog causes, whatever the breed. If a specific dog is involved in a bite or is flagged by the local health authority (ASL) as posing a behavioural risk, that individual animal — not its breed — can be added to a local at-risk registry, which then requires the owner to carry liability insurance and use a muzzle and leash at all times.
Widely circulated claims that specific Italian cities ban certain breeds aren't supported by any national or municipal ordinance found in research for this page — treat any breed-ban claim about a specific city as unverified until confirmed against that city's own regulations.