Senators for life in Italy


Senators for life in Italy are members of the Italian Senate who either are appointed by the President of the Italian Republic "for outstanding patriotic merits in the social, scientific, artistic or literary field" or are former presidents and thus senators for life .
Every President of the Italian Republic has made at least one appointment of a senator for life, with the exception of Oscar Luigi Scalfaro. President Giorgio Napolitano appointed Professor Mario Monti on 9 November 2011 and conductor Claudio Abbado, researcher Elena Cattaneo, architect Renzo Piano and Nobel-laureate physicist Carlo Rubbia on 30 August 2013. The president who appointed the highest number of senators for life was Luigi Einaudi, who made eight appointments during his term.
Senators for life are the only senators who can decide not to be part of any political group.

Limitations

A limit of five senators for life, excluding former Presidents, is established by the Italian constitution, though there has been a debate as to whether five is the maximum allowed total number of senators for life appointed by the President of the Republic, or each President has the right to name five senators for life. Until 1984 the former interpretation was considered correct, but in that year President Sandro Pertini applied the latter interpretation of the Constitution, and since then no measures have been taken to clarify the situation, made even more important by the key role senators for life had during the second Prodi Government. They have the same powers as elected senators, including the right to vote and be elected to the Presidency of the Senate. In addition, their mandate does not end with the dissolution of a Senate, allowing them to sit in any elected Senate for their whole lifetime. In 1992, with the Presidency of Oscar Luigi Scalfaro, the first interpretation was restored and followed by all the subsequent presidents, allowing for a maximum of five appointed senators in office at the same time; moreover, almost all scholars support the stricter interpretation, and the question appears to be resolved.

List of senators for life

Current senators are in bold.
SenatorKnown forDate of appointmentAppointed byCeased to be a senator
Enrico De NicolaPresident 12 May 1948ex officio1 October 1959
Guido CastelnuovoMathematician5 December 1949Luigi Einaudi27 April 1952
Arturo ToscaniniConductor5 December 1949Luigi Einaudi7 December 1949
Pietro CanonicaSculptor, painter and conductor1 December 1950Luigi Einaudi8 June 1959
Gaetano De SanctisHistorian1 December 1950Luigi Einaudi9 April 1957
Pasquale JannacconeEconomist1 December 1950Luigi Einaudi22 December 1959
Carlo Alberto SalustriPoet1 December 1950Luigi Einaudi21 December 1950
Luigi SturzoPriest17 September 1952Luigi Einaudi8 August 1959
Umberto Zanotti BiancoArcheologist17 September 1952Luigi Einaudi28 August 1963
Luigi EinaudiPresident 11 May 1955ex officio30 October 1961
Giuseppe ParatorePolitician and attorney9 November 1957Giovanni Gronchi26 February 1967
Giovanni GronchiPresident 11 May 1962ex officio17 October 1978
Cesare MerzagoraPolitician2 March 1963Antonio Segni1 May 1991
Ferruccio ParriPrime Minister 2 March 1963Antonio Segni8 December 1981
Meuccio RuiniPolitician2 March 1963Antonio Segni6 March 1970
Antonio SegniPresident 6 December 1964ex officio1 December 1972
Vittorio VallettaIndustrialist28 November 1966Giuseppe Saragat10 August 1967
Eugenio MontalePoet and prose writer13 June 1967Giuseppe Saragat12 September 1981
Giovanni LeonePrime Minister
President 		27 August 1967
15 June 1978		Giuseppe Saragat
ex officio		23 December 1971
9 November 2001
Pietro NenniPolitician25 November 1970Giuseppe Saragat1 January 1980
Giuseppe SaragatPresident 29 December 1971ex officio11 June 1988
Amintore FanfaniPrime Minister 10 March 1972Giovanni Leone20 November 1999
Leo ValianiHistorian, politician and journalist12 January 1980Sandro Pertini18 September 1999
Eduardo De FilippoActor28 September 1981Sandro Pertini31 October 1984
Camilla RaveraPolitician8 January 1982Sandro Pertini14 April 1988
Carlo BoPoet18 July 1984Sandro Pertini21 July 2001
Norberto BobbioPhilosopher18 July 1984Sandro Pertini9 January 2004
Sandro PertiniPresident 29 June 1985ex officio24 February 1990
Giovanni SpadoliniPrime Minister 2 May 1991Francesco Cossiga4 August 1994
Giovanni AgnelliIndustrialist1 June 1991Francesco Cossiga24 January 2003
Giulio AndreottiPrime Minister 1 June 1991Francesco Cossiga6 May 2013
Francesco De MartinoPolitician1 June 1991Francesco Cossiga18 November 2002
Paolo Emilio TavianiPolitician1 June 1991Francesco Cossiga18 June 2001
Francesco CossigaPresident 28 April 1992ex officio17 August 2010
Oscar Luigi ScalfaroPresident 16 May 1999ex officio29 January 2012
Rita Levi-MontalciniNeurologist1 August 2001Carlo Azeglio Ciampi30 December 2012
Emilio ColomboPrime Minister 14 January 2003Carlo Azeglio Ciampi24 June 2013
Mario LuziPoet14 October 2004Carlo Azeglio Ciampi28 February 2005
Giorgio NapolitanoPolitician
President 		23 September 2005
14 January 2015		Carlo Azeglio Ciampi
ex officio		15 May 2006
currently serving
Sergio PininfarinaDesigner and politician23 September 2005Carlo Azeglio Ciampi3 July 2012
Carlo Azeglio CiampiPrime Minister
President 		16 May 2006ex officio16 September 2016
Mario MontiEconomist and politician 9 November 2011Giorgio Napolitanocurrently serving
Claudio AbbadoConductor30 August 2013Giorgio Napolitano20 January 2014
Elena CattaneoScientist30 August 2013Giorgio Napolitanocurrently serving
Renzo PianoArchitect30 August 2013Giorgio Napolitanocurrently serving
Carlo RubbiaPhysicist30 August 2013Giorgio Napolitanocurrently serving
Liliana SegreHolocaust survivor19 January 2018Sergio Mattarellacurrently serving

Current Senators for life