![\"North](\"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/italy-257x300.jpg\")
You hear about the North versus South issues in Italy all the time, but honestly, I often have a hard time believing the hype. I\u2019ve spent time in Milan and Venice, as well as Naples and Sicily. Sure, I see the differences–sometimes quite significant differences. But much more obvious to a foreigner are the similarities.<\/p>\n
Then just when I\u2019ve nearly convinced myself that Italy is a unified country after all, some cafone <\/em>with a misplaced sense of campanilismo<\/em> will leave a comment on my blog that makes me wonder if I\u2019m just fooling myself.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n For example, below is an excerpt from a long-winded rant in response to an old article about my experience at a doctor\u2019s office in Rome<\/a>. (And yes, he actually wrote the entire tirade in capital letters, the written equivalent of shouting.)<\/p>\n Honestly, I believe his intention was to attack me and the American healthcare system\u2014which would have been fine. But the proud Milanese just couldn\u2019t resist distancing himself from the \u201cSoutherners\u201d (in other words, Romans).<\/p>\n MMM I READ THIS ARTICLE AND I AM FROM NORTHERN ITALY. I IMMIDIATELY UNDERSTOOD THAT IS ARTICLE IS TALKING ABOUT SOUTHERN ITALY NOT NORTHERN ITALY<\/p>\n IF YOUR EXPERIENCE IS IN TRASTEVERE YOU SHOULDN\u2019T WRITE AN ARTICLE BY TALKING ABOUT THE HEALTH CARE OF ITALY BUT ABOUT THE HEALTH CARE OF ROME<\/p>\n LIKE IF I HAD A BAD EXPERIENCE WITH THE HEALTH CARE IN ALABAMA AND I WROTE AN ARTICLE BY TALKING ABOUT HOW BAD IS THE AMERICAN HEALTH CARE.<\/p>\n TRY TO GO IN MILAN, TURIN, BOLZAN, BRIANZA, GENOVA AND COMPARE OUR HOSPITAL WITH THE ONE IN AMERICA FROM ALABAMA, MISSISIPI, GEORGIA, MICHIGAN, KENTUCKY.<\/p>\n BYE FROM MILAN<\/p>\n So what should I conclude from this rant, other than he failed US geography in school? (He seems to believe that Michigan is among\u00a0the Southern United States.)<\/p>\n Well, for one thing, I\u2019ve learned that for this type of person, \u201cSouth\u201d is always relative<\/a> to where you\u2019re from. For our friend here from Milan, Rome is part of the South. At the same time, I\u2019ve received comments from Romans who insist that Rome is neither North nor South, but part of Central Italy. (I think Romans are the only ones who recognize this middle land).<\/p>\n I\u2019ve heard Southerners complain about the politicians in the North (yes, Rome) who only want to exploit the South, and keep all the government money in their own pockets instead of repairing the roads and trains in Calabria or Sicily.<\/p>\n On the same article about my doctor\u2019s visit in Rome, another \u201cpatriot\u201d defends his country\u2019s healthcare system, but not before placing a caveat which excludes his fellow countrymen to the South, the so-called terroni.<\/em> (At least his was considerate enough to forgo the \u201ccaps lock\u201d while voicing his ethnic prejudices.)<\/p>\n So for him, another one from Milan, the South is just a big burden on the rest of the country, \u201ca millstone around their necks,\u201d as he so eloquently phrased it.<\/p>\n Which is interesting, because I heard those same comments about the Milanesi when I was in Ticino, the Italian-speaking region of Switzerland<\/a>, this summer. A Swiss friend of mine referred to Milan as \u201cdisgusting,\u201d and Milan\u2019s Malpensa airport as \u201cthe third world.\u201d I won’t repeat what he said about the Milanesi themselves.<\/p>\n He\u2019s not alone. Last year, motivated by the droves of Northern Italians trying to relocate across the border, Swiss citizens passed some tough immigration laws in an effort to strongly limit the number of Italians living and working in their country.<\/p>\n Ironically (or not), the initiative found its strongest support in Ticino, the Italian-speaking zone, where 70% voted in favor of it\u2014in other words, they voted in favor of keeping the Italians out. \u00a0For the Swiss living near the Italian border, the Milanese are really just a \u201cmillstone around their necks.\u201d<\/p>\n Yes, it\u2019s all a matter of perspective. The South is anywhere \u201cbelow\u201d where you are standing, apparently.<\/p>\n Fortunately, as I wrote in my response to the ethnic slurs left in the comment section of my blog, at least I find some comfort in knowing that the cafoni <\/em>are the obnoxious minority.<\/p>\n A much more accurate picture of the Italian character can be witnessed within the current refugee crisis in Sicily. Yesterday, 900 migrants from North Africa were lost in the Mediterranean Sea. The situation is getting worse, and the Italians are standing up to take action while the rest of Europe appears to be ignoring the situation. According to The New York Times<\/em>:<\/p>\n \u201cItaly has been at the forefront of coping with the surge in refugees and has been increasingly insistent that the rest of Europe do more to help. A widely praised Italian-led search-and-rescue program was phased out last fall and replaced by a smaller European-led operation.\u201d<\/p>\n Martin Schulz, the president of the European Parliament, expressed dismay at what he characterized as European apathy over the migration crisis. \u201cHow many more people will have to drown until we finally act in Europe?\u201d he asked in a statement. \u201cHow many times more do we want to express our dismay, only to then move on to our daily routine?\u201d<\/p>\n Well, based on my observations, Italians appear to spurn routines in general. In fact, it\u2019s often hard to define routines and schedules in Italy. The frequent scioperi<\/em>\u00a0disrupt the work week, a long list of holidays revolving around saints and historic events provide countless ponti<\/em>\u00a0(long weekends), and shop hours are erratic and unpredictable (e.g.\u00a0il giorno di riposo<\/em>).<\/p>\n Yes, Italians dislike the mundane and predictable. But when there\u2019s an acute crisis, watch them band together and spring into action. Hopefully the rest of Europe will soon follow their lead in the Mediterranean.<\/p>\n Italy is not a homogenous country by any stretch, and that\u2019s one of the big reasons that it\u2019s so appealing to expats and tourists alike. Diversity is a good<\/em> thing!<\/p>\n That said, it\u2019s only for our \u201cbenefit\u201d that you\u2019ll hear a gondoliere<\/em>\u00a0in Venice singing \u201cO\u2019 Sole Mio,\u201d or find Saltimbocca alla Romana<\/em> on a menu in Milan. If only Italy could find a way to embrace the differences without watering down the culture for the expectations of tourists. Speaking as an American, we get plenty of homogeneity back home. We come to Italy (partly) to explore the many, many diverse\u00a0sites, tastes, sounds, and experiences in this cultural and historical wonderland. If\u00a0we want a healthy dose of kitsch, we have\u00a0Las Vegas.<\/p>\n This post is brought to you by a collective effort from our blogger group known as COS\u00cc. For your ease and comfort, we\u2019ve added a COS\u00cc Facebook Page<\/a> so that you can access all of our articles in one location. Coming soon will be a video compilation of our insider suggestions for touring Italy. We\u2019ve also started a movement to create a sindacato<\/em> (labor union) to stand up for the rights of English-speaking bloggers all across Italy. (Not really. I suggested the idea to the group, but for some reason it was shot down.)<\/p>\n Surviving in Italy:\u00a0Northern Italians Versus Southern Italians. Are They Really That Different?<\/a><\/p>\nThe South is \u201cBelow\u201d Wherever you\u2019re from<\/h2>\n
![\"Il](\"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/Il-Mezzogiorno.png\")
<\/a>\u201cThe only negative part is that southern part of Italy. Terronia<\/em>, starting from where you live [Rome], is a millstone round our necks so people go to north to be [seen by a good doctor].\u201d<\/p>\nResponding to a Crisis<\/h2>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/JP-MIGRANTS-2-articleLarge-300x224.jpg\")
<\/a>North versus South in Italy<\/h2>\n
![\"Venetian\"](\"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/Venetian-1024x536.jpg\")
<\/a>L\u2019Italia \u00e8 COS\u00cc<\/h2>\n