In recent years there has been a growing interest in medical and particularly neurological education and how this should be related to the needs for patient care. To evaluate neurological training in Italy, we conducted a survey of the residency programmes aimed at different aspects of training. The survey was conducted in the 38 neurological Italian teaching hospitals and 27 of these answered. Six of the 27 centres organized all of the scheduled teaching courses. The quality of courses was considered 'not sufficient' in 11 schools and 'good' in 12. Seminars were regularly performed in 18 centres but in 60% of these the number was <1 per week. Questionnaires to evaluate the quality of teaching were lacking in all centres. Regarding the procedures performed by each resident there was a large variation between the different schools. A regular rotation of each resident in the neurophysiology services was performed in 14 schools. Ward and out patient activity varied widely and details are given. We conclude that there is marked heterogeneity in training programmes between different centres. Some important activities such as seminars and rotation in neurophysiology are performed poorly.