Rutelliani referred to the followers of Francesco Rutelli, a former leading member of the Democratic Party, and later leader of Alliance for Italy.
Some groups considered close to Rutelli were: Originally Rutelliani were the secular-liberal faction within Democracy is Freedom – The Daisy, including Paolo Gentiloni, Ermete Realacci, Linda Lanzillotta, Gianni Vernetti and Roberto Giachetti.
During Veltroni's leadership, some of these people, including Gentiloni (now one of the leaders of Liberal PD) and Realacci, distanced from Rutelli, who took a more conservative approach, and became Veltroniani.
[1] However, in June 2009 all Rutelliani, including Gentiloni and Realacci, rallied again around Rutelli and joined his new association, the Free Democrats and chose to support the candidacy of Dario Franceschini in the 2009 Democratic Party leadership election.
Some Rutelliani, including Gentiloni and Realacci, chose to remain in the PD and, since September 2010, were part of Veltroni's Democratic Movement.