The mayor of Florence, Matteo Renzi, will go to the presidential palace in Rome, where he is widely tipped to be asked to form a new Italian government.
It follows the resignation of Enrico Letta on Friday, after he was ousted in a vote called by Mr Renzi at a meeting of their centre-left Democratic Party.
President Georgio Napolitano held talks with political leaders over the weekend to find a replacement prime minister.
If he is nominated, Mr Renzi will become Italy's youngest prime minister.
Cabinet formation
Mr Renzi, 39, helped to engineer Mr Letta's ousting as prime minister after questioning the performance of his coalition government and accusing him of failing to implement promised reforms of what is seen as an often corrupt and wasteful bureaucracy.
The ex-prime minister had come under increasing pressure over Italy's poor economic performance and Mr Renzi argued that a change of government was needed to end "uncertainty".
Mr Letta's position became untenable once the Democratic Party backed a call for a new administration.
He only lasted 10 months in post after forming a coalition government with the centre-right last year.
If Mr Renzi gets a mandate from the president, he will have to negotiate with the small New Centre Right party in order to command a parliamentary majority and start cabinet building.
Enrico Letta could not continue as PM after his party voted with a majority for a new government
So far, the leader of the centre-right faction that formed the previous coalition with the Democratic Party and the centrists has given a guarded response to Mr Renzi's plans.
Angelino Alfano warned that the coalition remaining intact was "not a given" and told his party supporters he would demand promises from Mr Renzi before joining the new government.
The mayor of Florence has never been elected to parliament or served in government before and is viewed by many as an outsider.
The BBC's Alan Johnston says Italy is desperate for political change and Mr Renzi's youth and dynamism, and his talk of the need for sweeping reform, have propelled him to the centre of the national stage.
Once he has formed a government, Mr Renzi will have to return to the president for his nomination to be confirmed and will then be sworn into office.
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