1940 in Italy

Incumbents

• King – Victor Emmanuel III
• Prime Minister – Benito Mussolini

Events

• 18 March - In a meeting with Adolf Hitler at the Brenner Pass, Benito Mussolini undertakes to bring Italy into World War II.
• 10 June – Count Ciano, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Italy, relays Italy's declaration of war to André François-Poncet, the French Ambassador to Italy, declaring war on both the United Kingdom and France. This begins Military history of Italy during [World War II|Italy's participation] in World War II.
• 28 October – Italy declares war on Greece, starting the Greco-Italian War, a theater of World War II.

Literature and culture

• 16 March – Bernardo Bertolucci, Italian writer and film director
• 31 July – Fleur Jaeggy, Swiss-Italian fiction writer

Births

• 3 January - Leo de Berardinis, Italian stage actor, theatre director
• 19 January - Paolo Borsellino, judge and magistrate
• 17 April - Ira von Fürstenberg, socialite and actress
• 26 April - Giorgio Moroder, composer
• 24 June
• * Augusto Fantozzi, lawyer, tax expert, academic, businessman and politician
• * Vittorio Storaro, cinematographer
• 16 October - Ivan Della Mea, singer-songwriter
• 24 October - Giacomo Bulgarelli, Italian association football player
• 2 November – Gigi Proietti, actor, singer, and comedian
• 26 November
• * Enrico Bombieri, mathematician
• * Gianni De Michelis, politician
• 5 December – Paolo Pillitteri, politician
• 18 December – Ilario Castagner, football player and manager
• 30 December – Sergio Doplicher, mathematical physicist

Deaths

• 28 April – Luisa Tetrazzini, Italian opera singer
• 28 June – Italo Balbo, Italian Fascist leader
• 10 July – Pietro Frugoni, Italian general