Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has promised to resign once austerity measures are put in place.
The government has been slow to take dramatic action on the economy, a reluctance which has led to the current crisis.
The political uncertainty and fears about the country's debt is pushing its borrowing costs to record highs - leading to more concerns about the economy.
Al Jazeera's Tania Page reports from Rome on how plans to tackle the country's debt are affecting those who'll pay for it.
