1 Emanuele Felice University of Bologna Regional value added in Italy (1891-2001) and the backbone of a long term picture Acknowledgments: I am grateful to Carlo D’Ippoliti for scientific support, not only helpful comments. I also wish to thank Carlo Ciccarelli, Stefano Fenoaltea and Vera Zamagni. Vegliai le stelle vivide nei pelaghi del cielo, Io per il tuo dolce mistero Io per il tuo divenir taciturno. Dino Campana, La chimera (1913) Introduction The aim of this paper is to present and discuss the pattern of regional inequality in Italy, from the end of the nineteenth century until our days. Value added estimates for the Italian regions, in benchmark years from 1891 until 1951, are linked to those from official figures available from 1971, in order to offer a long-term picture. It is worth anticipating that the 1891-1951 estimates are not entirely satisfactory, but at the present stage of research they are comparable to those available or upcoming for other countries. 1 Further refinements can hardly be produced in the short run, while it seems reasonable to think that they would not change significantly the overall pattern (see appen- dix for a comparison of alternative estimates). At present, these estimates allow us to set the Italian case within the international context and to draw the basic lines of a long-term picture. Section §1 presents the general overview, whereas the following three sections offer basic elaborations of value added and labour force figures, in order to provide the backbone for further 1 A research team coordinated by Joan R. Rosés and Nikolaus Wolf and funded by the European Science Foundation – ESF is at work in order to produce regional Gdp estimates for the European regions at Nuts II, in benchmark years ap- proximately from the end of the nineteenth century. Present estimates follow similar methods and assumptions, and rely upon a highly detailed sectoral breakdown.