ITALY

Why Northern and Southern Italy Dislike Each Other?



Abstract

The purpose of the paper is to discuss why Northern and Southern Italy dislike each other. The paper highlights a number of reasons for the indifference of the people and the two regions. The people of the two regions vary greatly in terms of their personalities and habits. The paper also discusses the differences in the way the two do business together and the way the people of the two regions address each other. The rivalry has been reduced over the past decades.

Why Northern and Southern Italy Dislike Each Other?

Introduction

Italy is a nice country and many people have not heard about the rivalry between Northern Italy and Southern Italy. The two regions dislike each other for a number of reasons. The reasons include racism and stereotypes, football rivalry, landscapes, and the way the two do business together. It really is a pity that there is a conflict between them, because Italy is a great country with wonderful people who should be more united.

Italy became unified in the late 1800s, and the reason for the rivalry between the two regions began at the time. It was worst in that time and has died down over the past decades. However, signs of the rivalry can still be seen today. For many centuries, the different regions of Italy were part of different countries and kingdoms. Due to this, there was a development of various different cultures and societies. The people formed varying interests and opinions. To this day, in Italy itself, people do not consider themselves Italians, but rather Romans, Neapolitans, Sicilians, and so on. The Romans and all others were made to unify in a country called Italy, but they did not accept themselves as Italians. The problem can be regarded as that of the children that become step siblings when their respective parents get married. There is always some kind of rivalry between them that does not go away (Drohan, 1993). They may have things in common like interests and other things, but there is always some conflict that exists. “There is a much older Northern-Southern division within Europe, which relates to overall economic development and growth that should also be considered” (Polonsky et al, 2001, pp. 118).

Discussion

Landscape of Northern and Southern Italy

The landscape of the two regions of Italy varies greatly. There is a term called mezzagiorno, which is the line that divides the North and South. The two regions were culturally, geographically, and historically separated in time. Southern Italy was poor and neglected, northern Italy was the hub of renaissance, art and culture and later, industry. Southern Italy shared a similar heritage with the southern Mediterranean culture where northern Italy shared a heritage more similar to the northern Europeans. Northern Italians view of southern Italians compared to views held by Northeasterners view of southerners in the USA. There is ample water and beaches on the southern side of Italy, and people prefer it for their ...