The diffusion process of e-learning has been, in recent years, at the centre of several studies. These researches focused mainly on the USA case, where there has been an exponential adoption both in the public and private sectors. However, a growing amount of literature is questioning whether the USA model can be exported to other contexts and how cultural and institutional factors influence the diffusion and adoption process in different countries. From this perspective thearticle would give a contribution to understanding the diffusion process of e-learning in a specific country and it deals with the following questions: are there relevant consistencies in the rate and the model of adoption of e-learning solutions in Italian companies? What are the causes of this process?