Naples, Manfredi is the third most loved mayor in Italy

IIn a national political context increasingly oriented towards macro scenarios - between international crises and complex economic issues - local administrators remain those who maintain a direct and visible relationship with citizens: mayors and regional presidents

. It is precisely on them, in fact, that the trust — but also the discontent — of the voters falls. This is confirmed by the Governance Poll 2025, the annual survey conducted by the Noto Demoscopic Institute Polls for Il Sole 24 Ore, which measures the approval ratings of governors and mayors in office.

The most significant data this year concerns the general decline in consensus: compared to the percentages collected in the last elections, almost all mayors and governors have lost ground.

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But the decline is not necessarily synonymous with failure: as Antonio Noto explains, "citizens often attribute to local administrators blame that is not theirs, simply because they are the closest and most immediately identifiable with daily problems". In this context, the Governance Poll does not measure voting intentions, but rather the exclusive appreciation of the work of administrators in office, without reference to their political affiliation.

The triumph of moderates and concreteness

The governors' ranking rewards, once again, the most institutional profiles and those with long administrative experience. At the top we find Massimiliano Fedriga (Friuli Venezia Giulia, center-right), who confirms himself for the second consecutive year as the most appreciated president in Italy, with an approval rating of 66,5%. Luca Zaia (Veneto, center-right) follows with 66% and Alberto Cirio (Piedmont, center-right) with 59%, a new entry on the podium.

The ranking of mayors also portrays a composite situation, where the ability to govern prevails, more than the political color. Leading the ranking is Marco Fioravanti (Ascoli Piceno, center-right) with a solid 70% approval rating. Also on the podium is Michele Guerra (Parma, center-left, 65%) and tied in third place are Vito Leccese (Bari, center-left) and Gaetano Manfredi (Naples, centre-left), both with 61%.

The survey involved 97 provincial capitals and all the Regions where the direct election of the president is planned, excluding those where the vote has just taken place or where the mayor has expired. The interviews, conducted between April and June 2025, were carried out with a mixed methodology (CATI and CAWI) on a representative sample by age, gender and geographical area.

 Most Loved Governors – Governance Poll 2025

Massimiliano Fedriga (Friuli Venezia Giulia – 66,5%)

Luca Zaia (Veneto – 66%)

Alberto Cirio (Piedmont – 59%)

Eugenio Giani (Tuscany – 58%)

Roberto Occhiuto (Calabria – 58%)

Renato Schifani (Sicily – 56%)

Vincenzo De Luca (Campania – 54,5%)

Michele De Pascale (Emilia-Romagna – 54%)

Stefania Proietti (Umbria – 52%)

Attilio Fontana (Lombardy – 52%)

Francesco Acquaroli (Marche – 50,5%)

Most Loved Mayors – Governance Poll 2025

Marco Fioravanti (Ascoli Piceno – 70%)

Michael Guerra (Parma – 65%)

Vito Leccese (Bari – 61%)

Gaetano Manfredi (Naples – 61%)

Mattia Palazzi (Mantua – 60%)

Paul Calcinaro (Fermo – 60%)

Mario Conte (Treviso – 60%)

Pierluigi Biondi (L’Aquila – 60%)

Clemente Mastella (Benevento – 59%)

Jamil Sadegholvaad (Rimini – 59%)

Valeria Cittadini (Rovigo – 59%)

Chiara Frontini (Viterbo – 59%)

Alan Fabbri (Ferrara – 59%)

Beppe Sala (Milan – 59%)

Max Mezzetti (Modena – 59%)

Big cities: who goes up and who goes down
Among the mayors of the metropolises, Sara Funaro (Florence) with 55% is in 34th place. Followed by Matteo Lepore (Bologna, 53,5%) in 58th place, Stefano Lo Russo (Turin, 50,5%) in 72nd place, while Roberto Gualtieri (Rome), with 47%, climbs a few positions compared to last year but remains stuck in 89th place. A figure that captures the difficulty, for those who govern large cities, to withstand the impact of very high expectations and deep-rooted structural problems.

Ultimately, the Governance Poll 2025 highlights an often-ignored political truth: the strength of local government lies in its proximity to citizens. But this very proximity can turn into a trap if not supported by concrete tools and adequate resources. And in a climate of general disaffection towards politics, the most beloved mayors and governors are not necessarily the most visible, but those perceived as most reliable.