[bonzini]

IIRC the United Kingdom has no national ID cards, but generally if your country has one they are an acceptable way for EU citizens to travel within the Union (and they were even when the EU was the EEC).

Getting your ID in Italy is about one Euro (printing photos is more expensive than that) and it's valid for ten years. All that's required for an Italian is a means of being identified by an officer; the national ID card is just a convenient one. A driving license is enough of you prefer.