Despite the evolution of the respiratory diagnostic methods and of the microbiological techniques and despite the introduction of new and effective antimicrobial drugs, community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) still remains a common and potentially lethal disease, as it represents the sixth general cause of death and the first cause of death concerning the infective diseases. The prolonged survival of patients affected by chronic respiratory and non-respiratory disorders and the worrying problem of antibacterial resistance showed by several pathogen agents constitute the possible causes of the epidemiological importance of CAP which still carries on significantly affecting health costs. In this review the author describes the epidemiological, etiological, microbiological, diagnostic and therapeutic aspects of CAP which requires hospitalisation in a non-intensive care setting.