More than forty-six million Italians are called to vote for the renewal of parliament and the senate.
618 deputies, 309 senators and 18 representatives of expatriate Italians will be elected. The polls opened at 7 am and citizens can exercise their right to vote until 11 pm.
Under the new electoral law, two-thirds of MPs and senators will be elected by simple proportional representation, and one-third by a majority system. Therefore, the final result may not be clear until late Monday.
The election could bring political restraint after an election campaign marked by anger over the erratic economy, high unemployment and immigration.
Polls suggest former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and his far-right allies will emerge as the largest bloc in parliament, but they do not have a parliamentary majority.
The 5-star anti-establishment Movement appears to be the largest single party, exhausting resentment over entrenched corruption and growing poverty, with the ruling center-left Democratic Party (PD) expected to come in third.
Debt-ridden Italy is the third largest economy in the 19-nation eurozone, and although investors have moved on, the prolonged political stalemate could rekindle the threat of market instability.
Silvio Berlusconi, 81, could not run for public office after being convicted of tax fraud in 2013 and has nominated European Parliament President Antonio Tajani as his prime minister.