Joseph Carne-Ross

Ukrainians in Italy are mostly recent labor migrants.^[1] As of 2020, there were 223,000 Ukrainians in Italy with valid permits.^[2] Many Ukrainian women make a living in Italy as caretakers for the elderly, terminally ill, children or entire families.^[3] Mistrustful of retirement homes, Italians have embraced Ukrainian migrants as an answer to a shortage of Italian in-home caregivers (making Ukrainians the fourth-largest immigrant community in Italy),^[4] a professional role snubbed by many native Italians, due to its physical difficulty and emotional stress.^[5]

According to a National Institute of Statistics (Istat) report about foreigners in Italy, there are 223,782 Ukrainians in Italy as of 2012, and about 80% of them are women.^[6] With many Ukrainian caregivers believed to be working or residing in Italy illegally, other estimates of their numbers range broadly, from 600,000 to 1 million.^[7] And while most Ukrainian immigrants eventually want to come back to Ukraine, some are choosing to stay permanently, becoming a part of the Italian society.

Due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, 112,098 refugees arrived in Italy from Ukraine as of May, 2022. Of the total, 58,334 are women, 15,256 men and 38,508 minors.

In the years 2011 and 2012 the ISTAT made a survey regarding the religious affiliation among the immigrants in Italy, the religion of the Ukrainian people in Italy were as follows:^[8]

• Christianity: 90.8%, of which Orthodox Christians 68%, Catholics 22.5% and Protestants 0.3%
• Muslims: 0.1%
• Non religious: 5.6%
• Other religions: 3.5%

• Amateur theatre "Berehynia"^[9]

• Italy–Ukraine relations

Дель Ґаудіо (Del Gaudio), С. 2023. Ukrainian Studies in Italy: present and future developments (Original title: “Україністика в Італії: сучасність і перспективи розвитку”). IV Міжнародна наукова конференція: Актуальні проблеми романо-германської філології. Матеріали міжнародної наукової конференції. Київ: Український державний університет імені Михайла Драгоманова, с.8-12.