The history of Italian bureaucracy has witnessed a fluctuation between opposing ideological models of civil service regulation, transitioning from one mythology to another. The traditional mythology revolved around a purely public model, emphasizing the political aspect of bureaucracy and its connection to the State. In more recent times, an opposing mythology has emerged, primarily based on a private model that highlights the economic dimension of the civil service, previously neglected, and its relationship with the Market. However, theory has always remained distant from practice, and myths from reality. While the founding mythologies experienced discontinuity, the actual arrangements often displayed continuity. The first part of this contribution focuses on the myth, providing a brief account of the transition from the old to the current ideal model of the Italian civil service, which underwent constitutional transformation. The second part explores reality, examining how this model has been implemented over the past 30 years.