In Italy, the comune, (plural comuni) is the basic
administrative division of both provinces and regions, and may
be properly approximated in casual speech by the English word
township or municipality. It is headed by a mayor (sindaco)
assisted by a legislative body, the Consiglio Comunale, and an
executive body, the Giunta Comunale. Mayor and members of
Consiglio Comunale are elected by resident citizens; Giunta
Comunale is chaired by mayor who appoint others members, called
assessori. The offices of the comune are housed in a building
usually called the Municipio, or Palazzo Comunale. As of the
2007 census, there were 8,101 comuni in Italy; they vary
considerably in area and population. For example, the comune of
Rome (Lazio) has an area of 1,285.30 km² and a population of
2,546,804, and is both the largest and the most populated comune
in Italy; Fiera di Primiero, in the province of Trento, is the
smallest comune by area, with only 0.10 km², and Morterone
(province of Lecco) is the smallest by population,