{"id":2050,"date":"2013-09-24T02:35:07","date_gmt":"2013-09-24T00:35:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rickzullo.com\/?p=2050"},"modified":"2018-10-12T17:49:59","modified_gmt":"2018-10-12T15:49:59","slug":"regional-differences-in-italy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/regional-differences-in-italy\/","title":{"rendered":"Stereotypes in Italy"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>(<em>*Update*<\/em> <strong>Due to a bit of &#8220;controversy&#8221; over this post<\/strong>, I now feel compelled to make the following disclaimer. \u00a0The purpose of my blog is to inform and entertain. \u00a0In no way do I endorse the stereotypes which are presented below but in any case I think it&#8217;s useful to identify them if our goal is to undo them. \u00a0Indeed, I did not invent them myself, but have learned about them by speaking with Italian friends and acquaintances. \u00a0Please read this article in the jovial spirit in which it was written, and I apologize to anyone who takes offense with some of the content, as that is clearly not my intention. \u00a0However, beyond this disclaimer, I have decided to otherwise leave the article in its original form. Grazie.)<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-5800\" src=\"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/Pizza_in_Naples.jpg\" alt=\"italian stereotypes\" width=\"409\" height=\"273\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/Pizza_in_Naples.jpg 1051w, https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/Pizza_in_Naples-400x267.jpg 400w, https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/Pizza_in_Naples-946x631.jpg 946w, https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/Pizza_in_Naples-225x150.jpg 225w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 409px) 100vw, 409px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>We all have our preconceived images of Italy and Italians, usually based on what we\u2019ve seen in movies and TV programs. If I say \u201cItalian person\u201d what image comes immediately to your mind? You might visualize the good old \u201c<i>pizzaiolo<\/i>\u201d with his Italian flag apron and big black mustache who sings \u201c\u2019O Sole Mio\u201d while sliding another pizza pie into the oven.<\/p>\n<p>Or you might picture Don Vito Corleone sitting behind his desk on his daughter\u2019s wedding day, granting \u201cfavors\u201d to friends and business associates. In any case, you will have plenty of stereotypical examples to choose from, most of which have over-represented only Southern Italians\u2014and not in a positive or realistic way.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s a common misconception among foreigners that Italy is more or less a culturally unified country with a homogeneous population. This is absolutely untrue, especially when you compare Italy to the much larger United States where the language, food, and social protocols are basically identical from coast to coast.<!--more--><br \/>\n<script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script><br \/>\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display: block; text-align: center;\" data-ad-layout=\"in-article\" data-ad-format=\"fluid\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-7977183012788413\" data-ad-slot=\"4765565852\"><\/ins><br \/>\n<script>\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\n<\/script><br \/>\nIn Italy, you can make the first general distinction simply by dividing the North from the South. I\u2019ve heard it said that in the North, the citizens are hard-working, prosperous\u2026and maybe a little boring. Meanwhile, the Southerners are loud, lazy, and <a href=\"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/role-of-religion-in-italy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">devoutly religious<\/a>. True? Well\u2026<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong>\u201cFor every church in Rome, there\u2019s a bank in Milan.\u201d<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Or so goes the old saying, just before the Roman jumps up and says, \u201cThose <i>polentoni<\/i> in Milan, they don\u2019t know how to live! All they care about is making money!\u201d Then the Milanese, if he\u2019s following the stereotypical script, will retort, \u201cThose lazy Romans, they never want to work! They just want to eat, drink, and waste time\u2026and avoid paying their taxes!\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_2053\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2053\" style=\"width: 202px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-2053 \" src=\"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/Italiagiochi.jpg\" alt=\"regional differences in Italy\" width=\"202\" height=\"237\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/Italiagiochi.jpg 337w, https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/Italiagiochi-128x150.jpg 128w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 202px) 100vw, 202px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-2053\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Can you name them all?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Well, who knows if these snapshots are still accurate (if they ever were)? Certainly not me, the <i>straniero<\/i>, who is just too fascinated by the whole country to recognize the distinction between the two \u201cextremes.\u201d To me, they\u2019re all Italian. But then again, when we look a little closer, some differences appear, even to the foreign eye.<\/p>\n<h2>North versus South<\/h2>\n<p>Shall we draw an imaginary horizontal line just north of Rome and make some general observations about regional differences in Italy? It sounds like I\u2019d be setting myself up to be the target of more scorn, since this is a hot topic and almost everyone has his or her strong opinions. (Umberto Bossi, are you reading this?) I\u2019m sure I\u2019ll be vilified and called all sorts of names. Great\u2014let\u2019s get into it then!<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>In the North, the only thing colder than the weather is the temperament of the people. While in the South, they heat up faster than a microwave oven.<\/li>\n<li>In Torino, they let pedestrians cross the street without fearing for their lives. In Napoli, they put an imaginary target on their chests and step on the accelerator.<\/li>\n<li>In the North they produce cars. In the South, they steal them.<\/li>\n<li>In Bolzano, you might hear somebody wish you, \u201c<i>Guten Tag<\/i>,\u201d while in the center of Palermo the streets signs are written in both Italian and Arabic.<\/li>\n<li>In the North, you\u2019re considered punctual if you arrive within 5-10 minutes of the appointment time. In the South, you\u2019re considered punctual if you arrive on the same day.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>La Famiglia<\/h2>\n<p>What about our vision of the big, loud family, complete with the old <i>nonna<\/i> dressed in black who makes the sign of the cross while simultaneously rubbing her good luck charm every time that one of her<i> nipotini<\/i> sneezes? South only? Could be. But the truth is that family roots and origins are indeed still valued throughout the country. It doesn\u2019t really matter which part of the country you come from; if you\u2019re Italian you can be 100% sure that whatever you do, your family will always stand behind you.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-2054 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/al-sud-247x300.jpg\" alt=\"Yes, there's comedy to be had in this discussion.\" width=\"247\" height=\"300\" \/><\/p>\n<p>This might be part of the reason for which Italians are considered \u201c<i>mammoni<\/i>\u201d by the rest of the world, which outside of Italy, sounds like an insult. Call someone a \u201cMamma\u2019s Boy\u201d in Texas and you\u2019ll get punched in the face before you can finish the sentence. Among Italians, it can even sound like a compliment. It means that you revere your own mother \u201conly\u201d a degree less than Mother Mary herself\u2014and for that you should be highly respected.<\/p>\n<h2>Specific Italian Stereotypes<\/h2>\n<p>OK, enough generalities. Let\u2019s get down to some specific insults. In the Southern U.S. we have a comedian named Jeff Foxworthy who made his entire career by applying the following formula to his fellow southerners:<\/p>\n<p><i>You might be a redneck if\u2026 <\/i><\/p>\n<p>Examples: <i>You might be a redneck if\u2026 <\/i>You refer to the fifth grade as \u201cmy senior year.\u201d <i>You might be a redneck if\u2026 <\/i>At a party, you introduce everyone to your wife and sister\u2014and there\u2019s only one woman with you. Etcetera.<i><\/i><\/p>\n<p>Borrowing this scheme and applying it to Italians, we can highlight a few regional differences in Italy that foreigners might not be aware of.<\/p>\n<p>You might be <strong>Veneto<\/strong> if&#8230; you drink like a sailor starting at 8:00 a.m. every day. They are probably the only ones that drink a <i>caff\u00e8 corretto<\/i> (coffee with liquor, usually grappa) in the morning. They blame it on the cold. I guess I would, too.<\/p>\n<p>You might be <strong>Friulano<\/strong> if&#8230; in your region it \u201c<i>pluv simpri<\/i>\u201d (<i>piove sempre<\/i>; always rains) and <b>everyone<\/b> south of you is a \u201c<i>terrone<\/i>.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>You might be <strong>Napoletano<\/strong> if&#8230; a red light is seen as an invitation to step on the gas, and a helmet is only useful at the soccer stadium (OR<i> per compiere scippi; <\/i>purse-snatching). In fact, in Napoli they\u2019ve outlawed the use of the <i>casco<\/i> because they don\u2019t want the street criminals to disguise themselves this way.<\/p>\n<p>You might be <strong>Romagnolo<\/strong> if&#8230;you believe that Karl Marx had some pretty clever ideas.<\/p>\n<p>You might be <strong>Piemontese<\/strong> if&#8230; you are false and courteous. Meaning falsely courteous.<\/p>\n<p>You might be <strong>Ligurian<\/strong> if&#8230; you are very <i>tirchio<\/i> (cheap\/stingy) with your money.<\/p>\n<p>You might be <strong>Toscano<\/strong> if&#8230; at least every third word is a \u201c<i>moccolo<\/i>\u201d (a type of profanity; <i>moccolo<\/i> in Tuscan dialect, \u201c<i>bestemmia<\/i>\u201d in Italian\u2014an insult or blasphemy addressed directly to God.) Or as the saying goes,<i> \u201cMaledetti Toscani, con l\u2019inferno in bocca e il paradiso nelle mani.\u201d<\/i> (\u201cThose damn Tuscans, with hell (profanity) in their mouths and heaven (artisan skills) in their hands.\u201d)<\/p>\n<p>You might be <strong>Sicilian<\/strong> if&#8230; you have at least one relative in the Mafia. It also means that you are <i>omertoso<\/i>, meaning that you don\u2019t talk to the authorities, especially when it comes to denouncing offenses.<\/p>\n<p>A few more? Why not!<\/p>\n<p><strong>Calabrians<\/strong>: People from Calabria are considered mistrustful and stubborn and keen to flaunt their assets.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_2055\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2055\" style=\"width: 209px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-2055 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/al_nord-209x300.jpg\" alt=\"Northern Italians\" width=\"209\" height=\"300\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-2055\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">And in the North, too!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>Milanese<\/strong>: People from Milan are known for being arrogant, cold, and efficient workers.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Romans<\/strong>: two adjectives are often attributed to people from Rome: noisy and \u201c<i>burini<\/i>\u201d (\u201c<i>cafoni<\/i>\u201d in Italian; or boorish\/rough\/uncouth in English)<\/p>\n<p><strong>Sardinians<\/strong>: They are said to be proud farmers and stubborn as their mules\u2014and they don\u2019t like \u201cforeigners.\u201d Which is to say other Italians.<\/p>\n<h2>Regional Differences in Italy<\/h2>\n<p>Well, that\u2019s all that I have to say about it from a foreigner\u2019s perspective. But there\u2019s a more serious (negative) side of this conversation, too, which involves separatism, racism, fascism, and several other types of <i>isms<\/i>. However, I\u2019m not sure that I\u2019m the person to introduce this subject. <i> Italiani<\/i>, would any of you care to speak up on this?<\/p>\n<p>A slightly more positive spin on this topic is <a href=\"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/freakonomics-italian-style\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">the idea of <i>campanilismo<\/i><\/a>. I say \u201cslightly\u201d because even this admirable sense of hometown pride has its downside. It maintains feelings of being Roman, Florentine, or Venetian\u2026and inhibits feelings of being Italian. (Except every four years during the World Cup.)<\/p>\n<p>At this point you might be forgiven for wondering if Italy, as a country, suffers from an acute case of multiple personality disorder. One thing\u2019s for sure: you can never get bored with Italians. When you think you\u2019re among a homogeneous group of \u201cItalian\u201d friends, have a little fun with them. During a polite dinner conversation, just throw out a sentence that raises one of the following questions: \u201cWhich region has the best food?\u201d or \u201cWhat\u2019s the best soccer team in Italy?\u201d or \u201cWhich political party do you support?\u201d And then stand back (at a safe distance) and watch the fireworks!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>(*Update* Due to a bit of &#8220;controversy&#8221; over this post, I now feel compelled to make the following disclaimer. \u00a0The purpose of my blog is to inform and entertain. \u00a0In no way do I endorse the stereotypes which are presented below but in any case I think it&#8217;s useful to identify them if our goal [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5799,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,304],"tags":[103,48,449,172,448,25],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2050"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2050"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2050\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5799"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2050"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2050"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2050"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}