Front page (Rome edition), 3 October 2008 | |
| Type | Daily newspaper |
|---|---|
| Format | Broadsheet |
| Owner | Caltagirone Editore |
| Publisher | Il Messaggero S.p.A. |
| Editor | Massimo Martinelli |
| Founded | 1878; 147 years ago (1878) |
| Political alignment | Liberal conservatism Formerly: Fascism (1925–1944) Anti-communism |
| Language | Italian |
| Headquarters | Rome, Italy |
| Country | Kingdom of Italy (1878–1946) Italy (since 1946) |
| Circulation | 91,012 (2012) |
| Sister newspapers | Corriere Adriatico Il Mattino |
| ISSN | 1126-8352 |
| Website | www |
Il Messaggero (English: "The Messenger") is an Italiandaily newspaper based inRome, Italy. It has been in circulation since 1878. It is one of the main national newspapers in Italy.[1]
Il Messaggero was founded in December 1878.[2][3][4] On 1 January 1879, the first issue ofIl Messaggero was published,[2] under the management of Luigi Cesana.[5] The paper aimed at being the newspaper of newspapers and at providing its readers with all opinions and all events.[2] The first four copies of the paper were delivered as free samples to the subscribers of the newspaper,Il Fanfulla.[2] One of the earlyeditors-in-chief ofIl Messaggero wasAlberto Cianca,who resigned from the post due to political reasons.[6]
Since its inception,Il Messaggero has been owned by different companies.[5] One of the former owners isMontedison through the Ferruzzi Group.[7][8] In 1996 the paper was acquired by Francesco Gaetano Caltagirone.[5] He founded theCaltagirone Editore in 1999.[5] The company is the majority owner of the paper[9] which has its 90%.[10] Its leaders includeAzzurra Caltagirone, the partner of the political leaderPierferdinando Casini, on its board. The company also ownsCorriere Adriatico[11] andIl Mattino.[9] The publisher of the daily is Il Messaggero S.p.A.[12]
Il Messaggero is published in broadsheet format[13][14] and is based inRome.[7][15] In addition to its national edition the paper has 12 local editions, including those for the regions ofLazio,Umbria,Marche,Abruzzo andTuscany.[5]

The 1988 circulation ofIl Messaggero was 370,000 copies.[7] It was the sixth best-selling Italian newspaper in 1997 with a circulation of 256,400 copies.[16] The paper had a circulation of 288,000 copies in 1999.[17]
In 2000 the circulation of the paper was 292,000 copies.[18] Its circulation was 293,000 copies in 2001[19] and 258,538 copies in 2002.[10] The circulation of the paper was 252,000 copies in 2003[12] and 240,778 copies in 2004.[20] The paper had a circulation of 230,697 copies in 2005.[21] Its circulation was 216,000 copies in 2007.[22]
In 2012Il Messaggero sold 91,012,767 copies.[23]



