»Life insurance in Italy from its beginnings until 1800. Developments, explanatory approaches and alternatives«: Italy is one of the presumed birthplaces of premium insurance. However, research into the development of modern life insurance on the Italian peninsula is scarce. This work examines possible contributions to the evolution of life insurance in Italy as well as explanations for the lack of a life insurance market in Italy, exploring alternative approaches to covering the same risks as modern life insurance.