This book describes how the Leader approach has changed in the Italian rural development policies. The first chapter delas with the overall evolution of the Leader programme between Leader II and Leader+. The second chapter focuses on the main results of the Leader approach over the years and the main lessons we can draw from the implementation of the approach. The third chapter describes the main novelties of this approach in the 2007-2013 programming period in Italy and how different was the implementation in the Italian regionalised system. The fourth chapter highlights the strategies pursued by Local Action Groups in Italy over the time.Finally, the fifth chapter focuses on the role of the National Network in promoting and supporting the development of this approach in the Italian context.