In close proximity to the two European corridors, north to south and east to west, Italy is the logistics hub of southern Europe. It has a population of 58 million people living in an area slightly larger than the state of Arizona in the United States (approximately 300,000 Km2). The economic system is composed of more that 4 million manufacturing and service firms, about 235,000 private non-profit institutions,and more than 15,000 public institutions. The peculiarities of the Italian economy are the prevalence of small-sized firms (employing more than 80% of the total workforce), the differences between North and South, and the organization of 200 industrial districts.