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The meetings between farmers; pottery; and, the European mesolithic communities must have been amazing, because they were all so well meshed. Neolithic Italy became well known because they produced some of the greatest regional variations in pottery, and neolithic style

Circa 6000 BC, neolithic influences from the east reached the Italian peninsula. (1) In the Western Mediterranean, the first wave of neolithization came by sea, and with the spread of the Cardium pottery (or Impressed Ware)

From 5500BC it spread
There was the Tavoliere delle puglie (spike before heel on boot), Irpinia (kinda like top shoe lace of heel/boot area), and Basilicata (the forefoot). From here it spread north, the interior, and to the Tyrrhenian coast.

The presence of the Apennies mountains caused different regional horizons on the Adriatic; and Tyrrhenian side(s)

The northern Tyrrehenian coast, or the Ligurian coast had its own impressed ware. And, the Romagna adriatic (on the other side) too
Thanks to contributions of connected groups like the Abruzzo mache (mid easts) impressed wear, and others.

Italy’s neolithic economy was like many of the neolithic eras. Based on exploiting resources
Because of the domestication of wild species, such as local cattle and pigs. They became animal hearers.
They used local obsidian, stone, and wood to make mills, crushing, grinding tools; and, as well, knives, spears, and sickles. For agriculture farming.
They lived in permanent shelters. (2)

Touche, it was neolithic. They were also hunting, fishing, and shell fishing

Obsidian was an important resource for tool making, and trade
7-8000 years ago, with the cardium (or impressed wear pottery), Monte Archi in Sardinia became popular. And, Lipari also became colonized around 6000 years ago. There were sources in Pantelleria (island near Sicily), and Palmarola (island in Tyrrhenian) as well. (3)

Did you know? Later on, in the Po valley, many neolithic sites were looted and vandalized by Romans. They used foundations, and the pits of dwellings as garbage sites. It has made research, dating and identification a challenge.

By 4000 BC, a culture of square mouse vases spread

Middle & Late Neolithic Cultures:
Southern middle neolithic archaeological cultures
Passo di Corvo facies
Scaloria Bassa facies
Capri-Lipari-Scaloria Alta facies
Serra d’Alto facies

Sicily middle neolithic archaeological cultures
Stentinello culture
Capri-Lipari-Scaloria Alta facies
Serra d’Alto facies

Central middle neolithic archaeological cultures
Catignano culture
Linear Ceramic culture

Sardinia middle neolithic archaeological cultures
Bonu Ighinu culture
Northern Italy middle Neolithic archaeological cultures
Square Mouthed Vases culture

Late Neolithic
Southern Italy late neolithic archaeological cultures
Serra d’Alto acromo style
Diana-Bellavista style

Sicily late neolithic archaeological cultures
Diana culture

Central Italy late neolithic archaeological cultures
Ripoli culture
Chassey
Late Diana Ripoli culture

Sardinia late neolithic archaeological cultures
Statuette of the Ozieri culture
San Ciriaco culture
Arzachena culture
Ozieri culture

Northern Italy late neolithic archaeological cultures
Ligurian Chassey facies
Lagozza culture
Late Diana Ripoli culture

Religion: Early religion may have been based on pregnancy, and women. Because statues were found
But by the later neolithic era, it is believed megalithism was introduced from the west.

By 3000-3500 BC metallurgy had spread, and the neolithic age begin to disappear

Almost 10000 years ago. When explorers arrived from the far east. Farmers, pottery makers, and the mesolithic hunter gatherers meshed. To form the neolithic Italy we know today. Check it out with some more neolithic architecture!

Cite: 1) Caroline Malone, The Italian Neolithic: A Synthesis of Research (https://www.jstor.org/stable/25801207?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents)

2) Cristiana Terzani, La domesticazione animale (http://www.beniculturali.it/mibac/multimedia/MiB
AC/minisiti/alimentazione/sezioni/origini/articoli/animale.html)(in Italian)

3) Gabriel Camps, La navigation en France au Néolithique et à l’Age du Bronze, in ‘La Préhistoire Francaise’, 2: 193-201 (1976)”

Bibliography: Guidi A. – Piperno M. (a cura di), Italia preistorica, Laterza, Roma-Bari 1992

Cocchi Genick D., Manuale di Preistoria, Neolitico, volume II, Octavo, Firenze 1994