Mixed marriages in Italy have increased ten times over in the last 15 years, according to news agency Ansa. Figures from the national statistics agency Istat revealed that there were 600,000 weddings between Italians and foreigners in 2006, up from 60,000 in 1991. Among immigrants in Italy, Filipino, Romanian, Peruvian and Albanian women were most likely to be married to an Italian. Over 75 per cent of female Filipino immigrants have an Italian husband, followed by 67 per cent of Romanians and around 60 per cent of Peruvians and Albanians. North African men were the group most likely to have found Italian wives, meanwhile. Around 75 per cent of male Senegalese immigrants are married to an Italian, followed by 72 per cent of Tunisians and 53 per cent of Moroccans. The Chinese community appeared to remain more segregated, with 84 per cent marrying other Chinese.

While there are more mixed marriages in the north of Italy, those in the south of the country are more likely to last