  The top quark is the heaviest known elementary particle. Observed for the
first time in 1995 at the Tevatron by the CDF and D0 experiments, it has become
object of several studies aimed at fully characterize its properties and
decays. Precise determinations of top quark characteristics verify the internal
consistency of the standard model and are sensitive to new physics phenomena.
With the advent of the large top quark production rates generated at the LHC,
top quark studies have reached unprecedented statistical precision. This review
summarizes the recent measurements of top quark properties and studies of its
decays performed at the LHC and Tevatron.
