Song Thrush migrations and wintering in Italy have been studied on the basic of 3.518 recoveries stored at the Italian Ringing Scheme, and referred to both foreign birds reported from Italy, and Italian ringed birds recovered in Italy and abroad. The breeding quarters of Song Thrushes migrating through Italy are located in the Baltic area (northern Poland, Baltic Republics, Baltic area of Russia, Finland), in central-eastern Europe (souther Poland, Germany, Czech and Slovak Republics, Austria, Hungary) and central Europe (Switzerland, eastern France). On the basis of the geographical distribution of the ringing localities of the birds recovered in Italy while on autumn migration we can assume that Italy is reached by birds originating from areas where no ringing activities at the nest are carried on, in particular central-northern European Russia, but possibly also Belarus, Ukraine and the Balkans. Song Thrushes start reaching Italy from the end of August, stronger movements being observed during the second half of September, with a peak of migration between end of October - early November. Wintering birds are recorded between the second half of November and early January, when the first return movements start. Pre-nuptial migration is longer than the autumn passage, continuing till the end of March. The general seasonal pattern of recoveries is the result of the passage of thrushes coming from different breeding areas, and with different phenologies. Distinct migratory routes across Italy are also suggested by the uneven distribution of recoveries at the national scale. Recoveries of foreign birds ringed during the breeding period and on autumn migration indicate three distinct routes towards Italy: a south west route from central-eastern Europe, one from the Baltic countries to the Alps, and a south-south east route from central Europe. Once in Italy, the thrushes follow several different routes. The data available allowed tracking those used by birds passing through some of the provinces of Lombardia (EURING areas IA01, IA04, IA13); these thrushes mainly head towards Mediterranean France, Spain, the Balearics and hence Algeria. From here they fly back via Sardegna and Corsica to western Liguria and the Mediterranean coasts of France, performing a typical loop migration. The absence of recoveries after January from the Italian regions north of Liguria supports the hypothesis that these birds would continue flying to their breeding quarters through France, therefore avoiding crossing the Alps. A smaller fraction of birds ringed in the same EURING areas heads south towards Toscana, and is likely to stop and winter in the central Tyrrhenian regions. The data do not allow a detailed description of the routes followed by autumn migrants flying further east and south than the study areas, although a general tendency has been observed for these birds to move towards central Italy, rather than France, Spain and the Balearics. Winter recoveries show how thrushes tend to move also during the winter months; clear northward return movements from north Africa start from January via Sardegna and Corsica, when other birds are still flying to Algeria. The main winter quarters of birds ringed in Italy are located in fairly restricted areas of Mediterranean France, the Balearics and Algeria. Winter recoveries in Italy are mainly concentrated in the northern and central Tyrrhenian regions. The results of this analysis show the potential of ringing/recoveries stored at the single national ringing schemes to analyse species-specific migratory strategies through vast geographical areas, despite the human-related problems affecting the spatio-temporal distribution of data. The better knowledge of the flyways followed by Song Thrushes of different geographical origin is a prerequisite for the proper management of this species, which is intensively hunted within the Mediterranean. The need for an adequate conservation strategy of the fairly restricted key wintering areas is also addressed.