Brazil–Italy relations are the diplomatic relations between

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

and

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. Both nations enjoy friendly and semi-privileged relations, the importance of which centres on the history of Italian migration to Brazil. Approximately 31 million Brazilians claimed to have Italian ancestry (approximately 15% of the population) making it the largest number of people with full or partial Italian ancestry outside Italy, with the Brazilian city of

São Paulo São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...

being the most populous city with Italian ancestry in the entire world. Both nations are mutual members of the G20 major economies,

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

and the

World Trade Organization The World Trade Organization (WTO) is an intergovernmental organization headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland that regulates and facilitates international trade. Governments use the organization to establish, revise, and enforce the rules that g ...

History

In September 1822, Brazil declared its independence from

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

. In 1826, the

Duchy of Parma The Duchy of Parma and Piacenza (, ) was an Italian state created in 1545 and located in northern Italy, in the current region of Emilia-Romagna. Originally a realm of the Farnese family after Pope Paul III made it a hereditary duchy for his s ...

recognized the independence of Brazil and in 1827, and ambassador from the

Kingdom of the Two Sicilies The Kingdom of the Two Sicilies () was a kingdom in Southern Italy from 1816 to 1861 under the control of the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, a cadet branch of the House of Bourbon, Bourbons. The kingdom was the largest sovereign state by popula ...

arrived to Brazil. In 1836, future Italian unifier

Giuseppe Garibaldi Giuseppe Maria Garibaldi ( , ;In his native Ligurian language, he is known as (). In his particular Niçard dialect of Ligurian, he was known as () or (). 4 July 1807 – 2 June 1882) was an Italian general, revolutionary and republican. H ...

went into exile in Brazil and assisted in the separatist movement for the Brazilian State of

Rio Grande do Sul Rio Grande do Sul (, ; ; "Great River of the South") is a Federative units of Brazil, state in the South Region, Brazil, southern region of Brazil. It is the Federative units of Brazil#List, fifth-most populous state and the List of Brazilian s ...

. In 1861, Brazilian Emperor Pedro II recognized the Kingdom of Italy under King

Victor Emmanuel II Victor Emmanuel II (; full name: ''Vittorio Emanuele Maria Alberto Eugenio Ferdinando Tommaso di Savoia''; 14 March 1820 – 9 January 1878) was King of Sardinia (also informally known as Piedmont–Sardinia) from 23 March 1849 until 17 March ...

. In November 1861, Italy opened a diplomatic mission in

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...

. In October 1871, Emperor Pedro II travelled to Italy as part of his European tour. Italian migration to Brazil began in 1875 when Brazil began to promote migration to the country in order to increase its population and therefore created 'colonies' mostly in rural areas for Italians and other Europeans to migrate to.The Italian Culture in Sao Paulo
/ref> Between 1880 and 1920, more than one million Italians immigrated to Brazil. In 1924, Italian Prince of Piedmont (future King Umberto II) visited the city of

Salvador, Bahia Salvador () is a Municipalities of Brazil, Brazilian municipality and capital city of the Federative units of Brazil, state of Bahia. Situated in the Zona da Mata in the Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast Region of Brazil, Salvador is recognize ...

as Rio de Janeiro (the Brazilian capital at the time) was considered unsafe for the Prince and São Paulo was temporary taken over by rebels.Umberto II, re d'Italia (King of Italy)
/ref> The Prince's main visit to Brazil (and other South American nations) was part of a political plan of

fascism Fascism ( ) is a far-right, authoritarian, and ultranationalist political ideology and movement. It is characterized by a dictatorial leader, centralized autocracy, militarism, forcible suppression of opposition, belief in a natural social hie ...

to link the Italian people living outside Italy with their mother country. Massarosaw

During

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, Brazil declared war on the

Central Powers The Central Powers, also known as the Central Empires,; ; , ; were one of the two main coalitions that fought in World War I (1914–1918). It consisted of the German Empire, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Bulga ...

after the sinking and capturing of several Brazilian merchant ships and was the only

Latin American Latin Americans (; ) are the citizenship, citizens of Latin American countries (or people with cultural, ancestral or national origins in Latin America). Latin American countries and their Latin American diaspora, diasporas are Metroethnicity, ...

nation to actively be involved in the war by sending eight war ships to Europe and 100 paramedics to France. At the end of the war, both Brazil and Italy partook in the

Treaty of Versailles The Treaty of Versailles was a peace treaty signed on 28 June 1919. As the most important treaty of World War I, it ended the state of war between Germany and most of the Allies of World War I, Allied Powers. It was signed in the Palace ...

. At the start of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

in September 1939; Brazil remained neutral, however, German submarines (

U-boats U-boats are naval submarines operated by Germany, including during the First and Second World Wars. The term is an anglicized form of the German word , a shortening of (), though the German term refers to any submarine. Austro-Hungarian Na ...

) sank six Brazilian ships in the

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the Age of Discovery, it was known for se ...

and Brazil declared war on

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

and Italy on 22 August 1942. During the war, Brazil sent an Expeditionary Force consisting of 23,000 soldiers which partook in the Italian Campaign. The Brazilian forces mainly fought within

Tuscany Tuscany ( ; ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of 3,660,834 inhabitants as of 2025. The capital city is Florence. Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, artistic legacy, and its in ...

and

Emilia-Romagna Emilia-Romagna (, , both , ; or ; ) is an Regions of Italy, administrative region of northern Italy, comprising the historical regions of Emilia (region), Emilia and Romagna. Its capital is Bologna. It has an area of , and a population of 4.4 m ...

regions. In 1944, Brazil restored full diplomatic relations with Italy. Since the end of the world wars, both Brazil and Italy have strengthen their relations by agreeing to several bilateral accords such as an Agreement on Migration (1977); Agreement to avoid Double Taxation (1979); Extradition Treaty (1989); Treaty on Legal Cooperation in Criminal Matters (1993); Agreement on Scientific and Technological Cooperation (1997), among others. Both nations are active players in international organizations and leaders of both nations have paid official visits to each other nations, respectively, on numerous occasions.

High-level visits

High-level visits from Brazil to Italy * President

Fernando Collor de Mello Fernando Affonso Collor de Mello (; born 12 August 1949) is a Brazilian politician who served as the 32nd president of Brazil from 1990 to 1992, when he resigned in a failed attempt to stop his impeachment trial by the Brazilian Senate. Collor ...

(1990) * President

Fernando Henrique Cardoso Fernando Henrique Cardoso (; born 18 June 1931), also known by his initials FHC (), is a Brazilian sociologist, professor, and politician who served as the 34th president of Brazil from 1 January 1995 to 1 January 2003. He was the first Brazi ...

(1997) * President

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (; born Luiz Inácio da Silva; 27 October 1945), known Mononym, mononymously as Lula, is a Brazilian politician, trade unionist and former metalworker who has served as the 39th president of Brazil since 2023. A mem ...

(2005, 2009, 2023) * President

Dilma Rousseff Dilma Vana Rousseff (; born 14 December 1947) is a Brazilian economist and politician who served as the 36th president of Brazil from 2011 until her impeachment and removal from office on 31 August 2016. She is the only woman to have held the ...

(2013, 2015) * President

Jair Bolsonaro Jair Messias Bolsonaro (; born 21 March 1955) is a Brazilian politician and former military officer who served as the 38th president of Brazil from 2019 to 2023. He previously served as a member of Brazil's Chamber of Deputies (Brazil), Chamb ...

(2021) High-level visits from Italy to Brazil * President Giuseppe Saragat (1965) * President

Oscar Luigi Scalfaro Oscar Luigi Scalfaro (; 9 September 1918 – 29 January 2012) was an Italian politician who served as President of Italy from 1992 to 1999. A member of Christian Democracy (DC), he became an independent politician after the DC's dissolution in 1 ...

(1995) * President

Carlo Azeglio Ciampi Carlo Azeglio Ciampi (; 9 December 1920 – 16 September 2016) was an Italian politician, statesman and banker who was the President of Italy from 1999 to 2006 and the Prime Minister of Italy from 1993 to 1994. A World War II veteran, C ...

(2000) * President

Sergio Mattarella Sergio Mattarella (; born 23 July 1941) is an Italian politician and jurist who has served as the president of Italy since 2015. He is the longest-serving president in the history of the Italian Republic. Since Giorgio Napolitano's death in 20 ...

(2024) * Prime Minister

Romano Prodi Romano Prodi (; born 9 August 1939) is an Italian politician who served as President of the European Commission from 1999 to 2004 and twice as Prime Minister of Italy, from 1996 to 1998, and again from 2006 to 2008. Prodi is considered the fo ...

(2006, 2007) * Prime Minister

Silvio Berlusconi Silvio Berlusconi ( ; ; 29 September 193612 June 2023) was an Italian Media proprietor, media tycoon and politician who served as the prime minister of Italy in three governments from 1994 to 1995, 2001 to 2006 and 2008 to 2011. He was a mem ...

(2009, 2010) * Prime Minister

Matteo Renzi Matteo Renzi (; born 11 January 1975) is an Italian politician who served as prime minister of Italy from 2014 to 2016. He has been a senator for Florence since 2018. Renzi has served as the leader of Italia Viva (IV) since 2019, having bee ...

(2016)

Trade

In 2015, total trade between Brazil and Italy totaled US$7.4 billion. Italy is one of Brazil's top ten largest global trusted trading partners. In 2013, Italian investments in Brazil totaled US$17.9 billion. Italian car makers such as

Ferrari Ferrari S.p.A. (; ) is an Italian luxury sports car manufacturer based in Maranello. Founded in 1939 by Enzo Ferrari (1898–1988), the company built Auto Avio Costruzioni 815, its first car in 1940, adopted its current name in 1945, and be ...

Fiat Fiat Automobiles S.p.A., commonly known as simply Fiat ( , ; ), is an Italian automobile manufacturer. It became a part of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles in 2014 and, in 2021, became a subsidiary of Stellantis through its Italian division, Stellant ...

and

Lamborghini Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. ( , ), usually referred to as Lamborghini or colloquially Lambo, is an Italian manufacturer of luxury sports cars and SUVs based in Sant'Agata Bolognese. The company is owned by the Volkswagen Group through its su ...

have a presence in Brazil, as well as

Italian fashion Italy is one of the leading countries in fashion design, alongside France and the United Kingdom. Fashion has always been an important part of the country's cultural life and society, and Italians are well known for their attention to dress; ''la ...

and food products. Brazilian companies such as

Embraer Embraer S.A. () is a Brazilian multinational aerospace corporation. It develops and manufactures aircraft and aviation systems, and provides leasing, equipment, and technical support services. Embraer is the third largest producer of civil air ...

and agricultural companies operate in Italy. In 2000, member nations of

Mercosur The Southern Common Market (commonly known by abbreviation ''Mercosur'' in Spanish and ''Mercosul'' in Portuguese) is a South American trade bloc established by the Treaty of Asunción in 1991 and Protocol of Ouro Preto in 1994. Its full me ...

(which includes Brazil) and the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

(which includes Italy) began negotiations on a

free trade Free trade is a trade policy that does not restrict imports or exports. In government, free trade is predominantly advocated by political parties that hold Economic liberalism, economically liberal positions, while economic nationalist politica ...

agreement.

Transportation

There are direct flights between Brazil and Italy with the following airlines:

ITA Airways Italia Trasporto Aereo S.p.A. (), doing business as ITA Airways, is the flag carrier of Italy. It is owned by the government of Italy, via the Ministry of Economy and Finance, and Lufthansa Group. The airline was founded in 2020 as a suc ...

and

LATAM Brasil LATAM Airlines Brasil, formerly TAM Linhas Aéreas, is the Brazilian brand of LATAM Airlines Group operating international and domestic flights from hubs in Brasília, Fortaleza, and São Paulo. According to the National Civil Aviation Agency of ...

Bilateral agreements

At institutional level, bilateral relations follow the lines of the "

Strategic Partnership A strategic partnership (also see strategic alliance) is a relationship between two commercial enterprises, usually formalized by one or more business contracts. A strategic partnership will usually fall short of a legal partnership entity, agency ...

" action plan signed in 2010 and the guidelines established by the Italian-Brazilian Cooperation Council, which was held to examine the progress and challenges of bilateral collaboration in different fields of activities (political, economic and commercial relations, scientific and cultural projects, academic exchanges, industrial cooperation and defence).

Cultural relations

ranked 11th out of 119 countries by number of students of Italian language. The total number is of 40,455 students of Italian descent in Brazil (60% of whom, precisely 25,276, are supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation through the contributions paid for lectorship, and courses). The number of Brazilian students involved in language learning is increasing, so much so that many teachers themselves have confirmed the existence of a large number of students on the waiting list who cannot access the courses they hold. From 2013 to 2015, about 4,000 Brazilian students traveled abroad to Italy. In Brazil, there is a large and qualified presence of Italian researchers and teachers active in the Brazilian academic system. Over 800 bilateral agreements signed in recent years by Italian and Brazilian universities and research institutions have consolidated bi-directional academic mobility.

Economic relations

Italy is now among the first investors in Brazil and is one of the major trading partners of the

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...

n countries. Italian exports to

are mainly concentrated in the sectors of industrial machinery and electrical equipment, chemicals, vehicles, trailers and semi-trailers and pharmaceuticals. In the Italian demand for Brazilian products, raw materials and products such as paper and cellulose, metals, coffee and soya are prevalent. Many Italian companies invest in Brazil with a medium-long-term vision looking for the opportunities of this large market. The consequence was the development of a strong Italian entrepreneurial fabric in Brazil. According to data published by the Brazilian Ministry of Economy, since 2018 Italy has been the main investor among the signatory countries of the Memorandum of Understanding on Investment facilitation. About 1,000 Italian companies currently operate in Brazil and some of them play a leading role in strategic sectors of the economy, such as energy, telecommunications, infrastructure, steel and automotive.

Resident diplomatic missions

;Of Brazil *

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

(Embassy) *

Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...

(Consulate-General) ;Of Italy *

Brasília Brasília ( ; ) is the capital city, capital of Brazil and Federal District (Brazil), Federal District. Located in the Brazilian highlands in the country's Central-West Region, Brazil, Central-West region, it was founded by President Juscelino ...

(Embassy) *

Belo Horizonte Belo Horizonte is the List of largest cities in Brazil, sixth-largest city in Brazil, with a population of around 2.3 million, and the third largest metropolitan area, containing a population of 6 million. It is the List of cities in Sout ...

(Consulate-General) *

Curitiba Curitiba () is the capital and largest city in the state of Paraná (state), Paraná in Southern Brazil. The city's population was 1,773,718 , making it the List of cities in Brazil by population, eighth most populous city in Brazil and the larg ...

(Consulate-General) *

Porto Alegre Porto Alegre (, ; , ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Brazilian Federative units of Brazil, state of Rio Grande do Sul. Its population of roughly 1.4 million inhabitants (2022) makes it the List of largest cities in Brazil, 11th-most p ...

(Consulate-General) *

Recife Recife ( , ) is the Federative units of Brazil, state capital of Pernambuco, Brazil, on the northeastern Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of South America. It is the largest urban area within both the North Region, Brazil, North and the Northeast R ...

(Consulate)Consulate of Italy in Recife
/ref> File:Roma 2011 08 07 Ambasciata del Brasile in Italia.jpg, Embassy of Brazil in Rome File:Ambasciata d’Italia Brasilia 2015.jpg, Embassy of Italy in Brasília Consolato d'Italia in Belo Horizonte.jpg, Consulate-General of Italy in Belo Horizonte File:Consulado Geral da Itália, Porto Alegre.JPG, Consulate-General of Italy in Porto Alegre File:Consulado-Geral Itália Rio de Janeiro.jpg, Consulate-General of Italy in Rio de Janeiro File:Consolatoitalianosanpaolo.jpg, Consulate-General of Italy in São Paulo

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brazil-Italy relations

Bilateral relations of Italy

History

High-level visits

Trade

Transportation

Bilateral agreements

Cultural relations

Economic relations

Resident diplomatic missions

See also

References