GUIDE ITALIANE, Associazione delle (A. G. I.). – An association for the moral and physical education and training of Italian girls according to the principles and practice of the Scout method, harmonised with the conditions of national life and the principles of the Catholic religion. Its statutes were approved by the Holy See on 8 December 1944. It is an initiative coordinated with Italian Catholic Action.
It brings together girls aged 8–12 (Coccinelle), young women aged 12–16 (Guide), and young women over 16 (Scolte). The A. G. I. has its headquarters in Rome and its units in 78 dioceses, with many thousands of members.
BIBL.: M. Mazza, Come si fonda un reparto, Rome 1946; A. Ruggii, Donne di oggi, guide di domani, VII; N. A. Paolini, Quello che una guida deve sapere, VII 1946; Agostino Ruggii d'Aragona