An Italian cover letter, the lettera di presentazione, is short and formal: about 15 to 20 lines, never more than a page, often written straight into the body of the email. It opens "Gentile Dott.ssa [surname]," or "Gentile Sig. [surname],", addresses the reader as Lei, and closes with "Cordiali saluti" or "Distinti saluti".
Below: what the letter is called, the layout, the titles and greetings, what goes with it (including the privacy line Italian CVs often carry), and the same letter written twice, in English for an international firm and in Italian.
Key points
- Keep it to 15 to 20 lines. Place and date go top right: "Bologna, 7 ottobre 2026".
- Use the reader's title: Dott. or Dott.ssa for anyone with a degree. "Gentile" suits a man or a woman.
- Spett.le addresses a company, never a person, and does not replace a greeting to the reader.
- Close by thanking the reader and offering an interview, then "Cordiali saluti" or "Distinti saluti".
- The privacy consent line on a CV is no longer a legal requirement, but many applicants still add one.
In this guide
What it is called, and whether you need one
The usual name is lettera di presentazione. You will also see lettera motivazionale and lettera di candidatura, and in job applications the names are used for the same document (Gi Group, University of Bari).
Send one with your CV. EURES, the European job mobility network, describes the Italian application as a CV with a cover letter or motivation letter, sent by email or through the company's own channels. When you apply by email, Randstad Italia suggests putting the letter in the body of the message.
Length and layout: shorter than you expect
Randstad Italia puts the length at no more than 15 to 20 lines. That is shorter than the 250 to 400 words we suggest for an English letter, so cut to the two or three facts that matter most for the job.
- Your details at the top.
- Place and date, normally top right, in the form "Bologna, 7 ottobre 2026" (Accademia della Crusca, Italy's language academy). The month takes a small letter.
- The company and the reader, with the reader's title.
- "Oggetto:" and the job: Randstad lists the subject line among the fixed parts of a formal letter (Randstad Italia).
- The greeting, the body, a closing line, the sign-off and your name.
In an email, the subject line names the job, and the letter starts at the greeting. See How to send a cover letter by email.
Titles, the greeting and the sign-off
Italian uses professional titles in letters. Dottore (Dott.) and dottoressa (Dott.ssa) belong to anyone with a university degree, in any subject; it is not a doctorate (Accademia della Crusca). Some professions have their own, such as Avv. for a lawyer. Where you do not know of a title, use Sig. or Sig.ra.
| Italian | Notes | |
|---|---|---|
| You know the name | Gentile Dott.ssa Bellandi, / Gentile Dott. Bellandi, | "Gentile" is the flexible everyday choice for a man or a woman. "Egregio" or "Egregia" is more formal. |
| The company, in the address | Spett.le Ferravalle Componenti S.r.l. | "Spettabile": for a company or an office, never a person. |
| The closing line | La ringrazio per l'attenzione e resto a disposizione per un colloquio. | Thank the reader and offer an interview. |
| The sign-off | Cordiali saluti / Distinti saluti | The Crusca lists both; choose by how formal the relationship is. |
The Crusca is clear that neither "Egregio" nor "Gentile" is tied to a gender (Accademia della Crusca); "Gentile" for both is the safe choice. Randstad advises against opening with a generic "Spett.le Società" and prefers a named person in HR.
Write to the reader as Lei. In letters many writers capitalise it and its forms (Lei, La, Le, esserLe) as a mark of respect. The Crusca calls that capital optional, so the rule is only to be consistent (Accademia della Crusca).
What goes with it: the CV and the privacy line
- Europass. The European CV format is often required for public-sector selections, and less so by private employers (Manpower Italia).
- Photo. Not obligatory. Adecco Italia calls it common practice and often welcome; EURES says there is no need for one unless it is asked for. Practice varies, so follow the advert.
The privacy consent line
Italian CVs have long ended with a sentence authorising the employer to process the applicant's personal data. Under article 111-bis of the Italian privacy code, consent to process the data in a CV sent for a job is not required (Codice Privacy, art. 111-bis). Sources still differ on practice: Gi Group says some companies expect the line, and the EURES page for Italy still tells applicants to include one.
Our advice: a short line at the foot of the CV does no harm, and its absence may cost you with an employer who looks for it. Use a current form, such as the one Gi Group suggests, rather than older wording that cites only the 2003 law. The line belongs on the CV, not in the letter.
A privacy line for the foot of the CV
Il presente curriculum vitae può essere trattato dal Titolare ai sensi dell'art. 111-bis del Codice Privacy (D.Lgs. 196/2003) e del Regolamento (UE) 2016/679.
The same application in English and in Italian
Hana Zupančič is Slovenian and has spent two years in the purchasing office of a valve manufacturer in Ljubljana. She moved to Bologna in September and is applying to be a junior buyer at Ferravalle Componenti, an engineering supplier. The reader is Chiara Bellandi, its head of purchasing, who has a degree. All of them are invented.
In English, for an international firm
Hana Zupančič, two years in purchasing, to Chiara Bellandi at Ferravalle Componenti · Professional tone · 163 words
Hana Zupančič Bologna hana.zupancic@example.com
Bologna, 7 October 2026
Dear Ms Bellandi,1
I am writing about the Junior Buyer role on the Ferravalle Componenti website. For two years I have worked in the purchasing office of a valve manufacturer in Ljubljana, looking after 35 suppliers of castings and machined parts2, and I would like to continue that work in Bologna, where I moved in September.
In the past year I renegotiated our contracts with the six largest suppliers, saving 9 percent on aluminium castings, and introduced a quarterly supplier scorecard that cut the average delivery delay from 14 days to 53. I work in SAP MM every day.
I speak Italian at C1 level, as well as English and Slovenian. I understand Ferravalle is widening its supplier base in Central Europe, a market I know and where I could be useful from the start4.
Thank you for your time. I would be glad to discuss the role at an interview.
Kind regards, Hana Zupančič
Why this works
- 1Not "Dr": the Italian Dott.ssa marks a degree, not a doctorate, so in English she is Ms Bellandi.
- 2The scale of her work in one clause, in the employer's own terms.
- 3A result a purchasing manager measures, with the before and the after.
- 4Her background, turned into a reason to hire her rather than a fact about her.
In Italian, following Italian conventions
The same application, as Hana Zupančič would write it in Italian · Professional tone · 177 words
Hana Zupančič Bologna hana.zupancic@example.com
Bologna, 7 ottobre 2026 Spett.le Ferravalle Componenti S.r.l.1 Dott.ssa Chiara Bellandi Responsabile Acquisti 40128 Bologna
Oggetto: candidatura per la posizione di Junior Buyer
Gentile Dott.ssa Bellandi,2
Le scrivo3 in merito alla posizione di Junior Buyer pubblicata sul sito di Ferravalle Componenti. Da due anni lavoro nell'ufficio acquisti di un produttore di valvole a Lubiana, dove seguo 35 fornitori di getti e lavorazioni meccaniche, e vorrei proseguire questo lavoro a Bologna, dove mi sono trasferita a settembre.
Nell'ultimo anno ho rinegoziato i contratti con i sei fornitori principali, ottenendo un risparmio del 9% sui getti in alluminio, e ho introdotto una scheda di valutazione trimestrale dei fornitori che ha ridotto il ritardo medio di consegna da 14 a 5 giorni. Utilizzo SAP MM quotidianamente.
Parlo italiano a livello C1, oltre a inglese e sloveno. So che Ferravalle sta ampliando la propria rete di fornitori nell'Europa centrale, un mercato che conosco e in cui potrei esserLe utile fin da subito.
La ringrazio per l'attenzione e resto a disposizione per un colloquio4.
Cordiali saluti5 Hana Zupančič
Why this works
- 1"Spettabile" for the company, in the address only. The greeting goes to the person.
- 2The reader's title from her degree, after "Gentile".
- 3Lei, with the capital of respect. Having chosen it, she keeps it: "esserLe", "La ringrazio".
- 4The closing line Randstad describes: thanks, and an offer to meet.
- 5One of the two usual sign-offs, with her name under it. "Distinti saluti" is the other.
The Italian letter carries the same facts as the English one in Italian form: place and date first, "Spett.le" for the company, the reader's title, Lei throughout. If Italian is not your first language, have a native speaker read the letter before you send it.
Cover Letter Guru writes the letter in Italian or in English from your resume and the job listing. Check the title and the greeting against this page, then edit it in place.
Write my letter in ItalianMistakes to avoid if you are used to applying elsewhere
- "Spett.le" for a person, or a generic "Spett.le Società" in place of a greeting. Address the company in the address and the person in the greeting.
- Leaving out the title. If the reader signs as Dott.ssa, use it. Copy the title from her email signature or the company's site.
- Mixing Lei and lei. Pick one and keep to it.
- One letter for every company. The University of Bari is plain that the letter must not be the same for all of them.
- An English-length letter. Cut to 15 to 20 lines. See How long should a cover letter be for what to cut first.
Common questions
- Should I write Dott. or Dott.ssa in the greeting?
- Yes, if the reader has a degree, which is what the title means in Italy. Dott. is for a man and Dott.ssa for a woman. If you do not know, Sig. or Sig.ra is correct.
- Do I still need the privacy authorisation on an Italian CV?
- It is no longer legally required: article 111-bis of the privacy code says consent is not needed for a CV sent for a job. Some employers still look for the line, so a short, current version at the foot of the CV does no harm.
- Can the cover letter go in the body of the email?
- Yes. Randstad Italia suggests it. Keep the greeting, the closing line and the sign-off, and attach the CV.
- Is "Egregio" only for men?
- No. The Accademia della Crusca says neither "Egregio" nor "Gentile" is tied to a gender. "Gentile" is the everyday choice; "Egregio" is more formal.
Related guides
How to write a cover letter for a job in Spain
The Spanish carta de presentación: one page, the colon after the greeting, the formal close, the CV, and one letter in English and in Spanish.
How to write a cover letter for a job in France
The French lettre de motivation: one page, the layout, the greeting and the formal closing sentence, and one letter in English and in French.
How to address a cover letter with or without a name: 8 cases
Who to address a cover letter to, with or without a name: eight cases with the greeting for each, the address block, and formal greetings in 14 languages.
How long should a cover letter be? One letter at 3 lengths
A cover letter should be 250 to 400 words on one page. See one letter at 150, 250 and 400 words, what to cut first, and how to fit a character limit.
Write yours in a couple of minutes
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