The modern administrative divisions in Italy go from the nation (Italy) down to the
first-level administrative unit, region
(for example, Campania, Sardinia, Lazio...etc.—there are 20
regions) down to the second-level unit, provinces within each region (for
example, the region of Campania has five provinces: Avellino,
Benevento, Caserta, Naples, and Salerno; the region of Sardinia has
eight: Cagliari, Carbonia-Iglesias,
Nuoro, Ogliastra, Olbia-Tempio, Oristano, Sassari, and Medio
Campidano). Each region has a capital city: i.e. Naples is the capital
of Campania; Cagliari is the capital of Sardina. (Each province also
has a capital, usually the largest city in that province: Naples is the
capital off the province of Naples; Cagilari is the capital of the
province of Cagliari, and so on.)
Italians, however, still make exensive use of historical geographical
names that are not part of the modern administrative heirarchy. That
is, if you say that you "going to Cilento," you are referring to an
historically recognized area in the southern part of the province of
Salerno in the region of Campania. There is no town of Cilento, no
mayor, no official lines drawn anywhere, but everyone calls it
"Cilento" and always has and always will. Other such names in the
Campania region are "Sannio," and "Irpinia." There are dozens of these
commonly used geographical units throughout Italy. They often cross
modern provincial and regional boundaries; that is, a particular
historical area is not necessarily all contained within a single modern
province or region.
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