Northern Italian DNA
Genetic origins and closest populations · Italy · Southern Europe
Much of northern Italy, from the Alps to the Po valley, was known to the Romans as Cisalpine Gaul, because Celtic-speaking peoples had settled there before Roman expansion. This page uses the Piedmont average, from the north-west. In our model, it is 58.0% Anatolian Neolithic farmer, 36.3% steppe, 4.2% Western hunter-gatherer and only 1.4% Natufian (Levantine). Compared with the central Italian average from Marche (30.8% steppe, 5.6% Natufian), the north has more steppe-related and much less eastern Mediterranean ancestry, the northern end of the gradient that runs down the peninsula. The nearest modern averages are other northern samples, from Val Borbera (distance 0.0051) and Emilia, then Lombards, Italian-speaking Swiss and Tuscans. The closest ancient groups are Late Antique and early medieval people with Paleo-Balkan and North Adriatic profiles buried in present-day Hungary (from 0.0125), a reminder that people moved between Italy and the Danube provinces in Roman and post-Roman times.
- Largest ancient components in our model: Anatolian Neolithic farmers 58.0%, Steppe herders (Yamnaya) 36.3%, Western hunter-gatherers 4.2%
- Closest modern population in our data: Italian (Piedmont Val Borbera, Ligurian), distance 0.0051
- Closest ancient group in our data: Hungary Late Antiquity-Early Medieval Avar Period (Paleo-Balkan Profile), distance 0.0125
This page sums up what the DNA of the Northern Italian sample tells us about deep origins. It is built from the averaged Global25 (G25) coordinates of individuals sampled in Italy, listed in the G25 sheet as "Italian_Piedmont", and it is one of 335 populations in our atlas. An average describes the group as a whole, not any single person in it.
Ancient make-up of the Northern Italian average
The ancient make-up of the Northern Italian average is led by Anatolian Neolithic farmers (58.0%), followed by Steppe herders (Yamnaya) (36.3%) and Western hunter-gatherers (4.2%). The Anatolian Neolithic farmers component reflects the Neolithic farmers of Anatolia, who carried agriculture into Europe from about 6500 BC. The Steppe herders (Yamnaya) share (36.3%) reflects the Bronze Age herders of the Pontic-Caspian steppe (Yamnaya and related groups), whose ancestry spread across Europe and into Asia from about 3000 BC.
Smaller traces of Western hunter-gatherers and Natufian hunter-gatherers (Levant) (under 5% each) also appear. At that level they can reflect real minor ancestry, but also simple model noise, so they should not be over-read. The model fits well (fit distance 0.021), so these proportions are a reasonable summary. The model draws on West Eurasian ancient genomes, with modern West African and East Asian stand-ins.
Closest modern populations to Northern Italian
Among the modern populations in the G25 data, the closest to the Northern Italian average is Italian (Piedmont Val Borbera, Ligurian), at a distance of 0.005 (very close). Next come Italian (Emilia, Emilian) at 0.010 and Lombard at 0.014. Leaving aside the other regional samples listed under the same name in the G25 sheet, the nearest other populations are Lombard (0.014), Swiss (Italian) (0.014) and Tuscan (0.016). Even the tenth closest, French Occitan (Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur Bouches-du-Rhone Marseille), is only 0.027 away: Northern Italian belongs to a dense cluster of related populations, so small differences inside that cluster should not be over-interpreted.
| # | Population | Distance | Closeness |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Italian (Piedmont Val Borbera, Ligurian) | 0.0051 | Very close |
| 2 | Italian (Emilia, Emilian) | 0.0101 | Very close |
| 3 | Lombard | 0.0138 | Very close |
| 4 | Swiss (Italian) | 0.0142 | Very close |
| 5 | Tuscan | 0.0156 | Very close |
| 6 | Vlach Aromanian (Greece) | 0.0213 | Very close |
| 7 | Corsican | 0.0216 | Very close |
| 8 | Greek (Thessaly) | 0.0266 | Close |
| 9 | Bavarian (Italy Veneto Lessinia, Cimbrian) | 0.0268 | Close |
| 10 | French Occitan (Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur Bouches-du-Rhone Marseille) | 0.0270 | Close |
Distances are Euclidean distances between averaged G25 coordinates. On our scale, below 0.025 is very close, below 0.050 close, below 0.080 moderate, and beyond that distant.
Closest ancient populations to Northern Italian
Looking back in time, the ancient sample that most resembles the Northern Italian average is Hungary Late Antiquity-Early Medieval Avar Period (Paleo-Balkan Profile) (Late Antiquity to Early Medieval, c. 250-1000 AD), at 0.013. Hungary Early Medieval Conqueror Period (North Adriatic Profile) and Hungary Late Antiquity Roman (Paleo-Balkan Profile) come next. That is a very close match, which suggests strong genetic continuity between those ancient people (or close relatives of theirs) and the modern population. A close ancient match is not proof of direct descent: it means those individuals carried a similar overall mix of ancestry.
| # | Ancient sample or group | Period | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hungary Late Antiquity-Early Medieval Avar Period (Paleo-Balkan Profile) | Late Antiquity to Early Medieval, c. 250-1000 AD | 0.0125 |
| 2 | Hungary Early Medieval Conqueror Period (North Adriatic Profile) | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0153 |
| 3 | Hungary Late Antiquity Roman (Paleo-Balkan Profile) | Late Antiquity, c. 250-600 AD | 0.0154 |
| 4 | Hungary Early Medieval Lombard Period (North Adriatic Profile) | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0157 |
| 5 | Hungary Early Medieval Avar Period Early/Middle (North Adriatic Profile) | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0162 |
| 6 | Hungary Early Medieval Lombard Period (Paleo-Balkan Profile) | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0169 |
| 7 | Italy Piedmont Early Medieval Ostrogoth-Merovingian Bardonecchia (West Med/North Adriatic Profile) | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0187 |
| 8 | Croatia Late Antiquity Bubi's Cave (Paleo-Balkan Profile) | Late Antiquity, c. 250-600 AD | 0.0187 |
| 9 | Hungary Late Antiquity Roman (Central Med Profile) | Late Antiquity, c. 250-600 AD | 0.0189 |
| 10 | Hungary Early Medieval Lombard-Carolingian Period (Paleo-Balkan Profile) | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0189 |
Ancient DNA from Italy
Our ancient DNA database holds 1,616 individuals excavated in present-day Italy, dated from about 37,855 BC to 1750 AD. The most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups among them are R1b (216), G2a (154) and I2a (59), and the most frequent mtDNA haplogroups are T2 (156), H1 (128) and U5 (121). These are people who lived on the same land in the past, not necessarily ancestors of today's Northern Italian population.
Most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups
Ancient DNA studies on Italy
- LAYERED GENOMIC COMPOSITION AND LINGUISTIC CONTINUITY IN GRECÌA SALENTINA (2026)
- From prehistory to present-day: How isolation shaped the distinct genomic makeup of Italian Alpine valleys (2026)
- DNA signatures preserved in the official 1978 sample collection of the Shroud of Turin (2026)
- Ancient DNA analyses of remains of the Medici family (16th century) provide insights into the genetic variation of Plasmodium falciparum (2026)
- The Etruscans of Felsina: Reconstruction of the Genetic Profile and Biological Connections with Italic and Transalpine Populations from the Villanovan Period to the Roman period. (2026)
- DNA Traces on the Shroud of Turin: Metagenomics of the 1978 Official Sample Collection (2026)
- Ancient genomes from the siege and destruction of Middle Bronze Age Roca Vecchia (Apulia, Italy) shed light on Aegean contacts and conflicts (2025)
- The shifting dynamics of ancestry and culture at a post-Roman crossroads (2025)
Browse them in our ancient DNA database: 1,616 from Italy.
Compare yourself with Northern Italian
Paste your G25 coordinates (scaled, one line, with or without a name in front) and we compute your genetic distance to the Northern Italian average and to its closest neighbours, right in your browser. Nothing is uploaded or stored.
| # | Population | Your distance | Closeness |
|---|
This list only covers Northern Italian and its neighbours. To find out which of our reports actually fits your DNA, run the free Report Finder: it runs the same fit test that every report uses before an order.
No G25 coordinates yet? Get a free simulated G25 from your raw DNA file, or order G25 coordinates.
About these numbers
Keep in mind that a population average is a statistical summary of a limited number of sampled individuals. Real people inside any group vary, some carry more of one ancestry and some less, and no genetic profile decides who is or is not Northern Italian. Use these numbers as a map of deep ancestry, not as a label.
Method: averaged G25 coordinates, Euclidean distances to other modern and ancient averages, and a non-negative least-squares model against deep ancestral reference populations (data generated 2026-10-01). Read the full method.
Go deeper than the average
This page describes the Northern Italian average. For your own DNA, Advanced Ancestry Report (16€) gives a full ancestry breakdown with no regional focus, in a personal PDF report.
Comprehensive DNA analysis comparing your genetics to over 2,000 modern reference populations.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the ancient genetic make-up of Northern Italian?
Modelled with deep ancestral reference populations, the Northern Italian average is about 58.0% Anatolian Neolithic farmers, 36.3% Steppe herders (Yamnaya) and 4.2% Western hunter-gatherers. These proportions are model estimates for a group average, not exact values for any one person.
Which populations are genetically closest to Northern Italian?
Leaving aside other regional samples listed under the same name in the G25 sheet (such as Italian (Piedmont Val Borbera, Ligurian)), the closest modern populations to the Northern Italian average are Lombard, Swiss (Italian) and Tuscan. The closest ancient matches are Hungary Late Antiquity-Early Medieval Avar Period (Paleo-Balkan Profile), Hungary Early Medieval Conqueror Period (North Adriatic Profile) and Hungary Late Antiquity Roman (Paleo-Balkan Profile).
Can a DNA test tell me if I am Northern Italian?
No DNA test can confirm an ethnicity or a nationality. What DNA can show is how similar your genome is to the sampled Northern Italian average and to its neighbours. If you have G25 coordinates, paste them in the comparison box on this page to check that for free.
Which ExploreYourDNA report suits Northern Italian ancestry?
None of our regional reports is built for Northern Italian ancestry, so the full Advanced Ancestry Report (no regional focus) is the better choice. The DNA Mega-Analysis adds Neanderthal %, traits and closest ancient populations. The free Report Finder checks every report against your own DNA first.
Where does the data on this page come from?
From the averaged Global25 (G25) coordinates of the sampled individuals: genetic distances to other modern and ancient population averages, and a non-negative least-squares model against deep ancestral reference populations. The full method is described at https://www.exploreyourdna.com/populations#method.