Migrants on the move. Exploring contemporary migrations in Italy

2015 was a difficult year. More than 149,000 immigrants arrived at the Italian coasts and about 85,000 requested international protection from Italy. The continued increase in migratory flows in Italy, which continues unabated, has requested, and is requiring, an extraordinary effort. Despite the great solidarity, humanitarian spirit and civic awareness shown at this juncture, the first months of 2016 have made it clear that what is needed is greater programming, ability to prevent and efficient regulatory and economic instruments in order to address and manage arrivals, within a framework of widespread, optical, structured and organized hospitality throughout the national territory aimed at ensuring the best performance in the community involved in the process. The contribution presented here intends to briefly describe the characteristics of migration flows involving Italian territory and main migration policies implemented over time, in order to highlight strengths and weaknesses in a changing context requiring more support for the policies of growth, innovation and social inclusion.