Manfredi tops the list of Italy's most popular mayors, while Fico is tenth among governors.

Gaetano Manfredi continues to enjoy favorable approval, confirming his position as one of Italy's most popular mayors. The mayor of Naples ranked third nationally in the 2026 Governance Poll, conducted by Noto Sondaggi for Il Sole 24 Ore, with an approval rating of 64%, up 1,1 points from his municipal election result.

The Campania Region, however, fares less well. Roberto Fico, in his first year at the helm of Palazzo Santa Lucia, enters the top ten regional presidents, but remains in tenth place, recording a 5,6-point drop from the consensus he received in last November's elections.

Naples among the cities with the highest consensus

The gold medal among mayors goes to Sara Funaro, mayor of Florence, who, with 66% of the vote, becomes the first woman to lead the national rankings. She is followed by Marco Fioravanti, mayor of Ascoli Piceno, with 65%, while Gaetano Manfredi himself takes third place.

For the mayor of Naples, this result confirms the solidity of the consensus gained during his administrative mandate. The 64% approval rating represents a slight increase compared to the electoral figure and consolidates the

his position among the most appreciated local administrators in the country.
Completing the top positions in the ranking are Massimo Zedda (Cagliari), Federico Basile (Messina) and Pierluigi Biondi (L'Aquila), while among the large municipalities also appear Giuseppe Sala in Milan and Clemente Mastella in Benevento, both in tenth place with 59,5%.

Fico in the top ten, but consensus is declining

The picture is different for Campania. The ranking of regional presidents crowns Antonio Decaro, the new governor of Puglia, at the top with 66%, followed by Alberto Stefani (Veneto) at 65%, and Massimiliano Fedriga (Friuli Venezia Giulia) at 64%.

Roberto Fico, on the other hand, ranks tenth, tied with the president of the Marche region, Francesco Acquaroli. This figure confirms a still high level of support, but highlights a decline compared to the polls: the president of Campania has lost 5,6 percentage points compared to the regional elections.

The survey: the weight of citizens' perception is growing

According to Antonio Noto, director of Noto Sondaggi, the consensus of local administrators is increasingly less tied exclusively to administrative results and increasingly influenced by citizens' perceptions.
Issues such as security, social hardship, cost of living, urban marginalization, and quality of life have a significant impact on voters' opinions today, making it more difficult to maintain high approval ratings even in the face of public works and investment.

The 2026 Governance Poll analyzed 92 provincial capitals and all directly elected regions. Interviews were conducted between April and June 2026 on samples of 600 voters from each municipality and 1.000 citizens from each region, using a combination of CATI and CAWI methodologies.