Is it true that there is an animosity between Northern and Southern Italians?

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Leonarda

it is reality, and it makes me sad, because both are wonderful people.Just in the south people are more opened, they have more the sense of hospitality, but they are less organised..In the nothern part they are more organised, the elagance is first,but in general, the italians are wonderful people wherever they come from

Rick

It is generalization.
I am an Italian first and foremost and although I am proud of being from Mantova (North), I love the South of Italy just as much as well as Southern Italians. If you ever met a Southern Italian you would know why. They are caring, generous hospitable people and most of all extremely loyal friends.

The rumor you heard was correct at one time because the Northern Italians had a false sense of superiority towards the North, and the Southern Italians are more relaxed than their Northern cousins. But now, Italians are waking up (a bit too slowly unfortunately) and realizing that Italians and Italy comes first, no matter where one is from within the country.

Some Northern Italian from the Lega Lombarda support the sucession, but it is only because they are fed up of more than 60 years of idiotic government and illigal immigration as well as the mafia. Very few are also against Southern Italy and Southern Italians, but they are idiots and no one listens to them anyway.
While I agree that it is time for a normal and decent government (Italy is after all a very civilized country) and a firm immigration policy that protects and preserves Italy and it's culture from illigal immigration and outlandish assaults on Italian culture, I would never go against my Southern Italian brothers, and I would fight to always keep Italy united, no matter what.

VIVA l'ITALIA!!!

Pinguino

It was used to happen in the past. When after World War II Italy start it's rebirth (1955 is known as year of the "boom", referring to a great jump of echonomy), people from the poor south start immigrating to the richer north looking for a job and a decent life. Social issues in this "internal immigration" were just the same you see when talking about immigration from outside, not only in Italy but everywhere (the US, UK, etc).
It's true there are cultural differences between north and south of Italy, that was part of the problem.
Today I can say it's all over, foreigner took the place of southerner, by every point of view...

It's not true "many northern Italians" support a secession; there's only one political party, Lega Nord (which years ago unified all the "Leghe" in northern Italy, the main was Lega Lombarda, in Lombardy), that apparently support secession.
I say "apparently" since you know what political "talks" are about... They are aware if a referendum is hold they'll get less than 5% of Italians (even just in the north) supporting any kind of secession. Even inside Lega voters, people who REALLY want a secession aren't so much.
Federalism is a more realistic goal for the party, whatever they say for propaganda purpose.

Tuscany: if you split Italy in three part, North, Centre, South, Tuscany is Centre. If you split Italy in two parts, Tuscany is in the North.
If you want to know wether Lega Nord want to include Tuscany in an imaginary "Padania" (the name they'd give to the northern republic), then yes, they'd do. But politically Tuscany is a left wing stronghold, just the opposite.

Cycwynner

All countries have this sort of rivalry, try asking a Yorkshireman (me) what he thinks of the Cockneys (no offence meant) ? Or a Berliner of a Bavarian or vice versa (whatâ€™s the price of Prussian â€œbrain puddingâ€ ? Very expensive, thereâ€™s so little of it). In Italy the majority of the diehards are in the North (Lega - political party), but busloads of Southern immigrants to the North (Bettino Craxi, Prime Minister in the eighties was a stalwart Milanese â€“ but his family was from Sicily), have shown everybody that there shouldnâ€™t be any discrimination. Now a days itâ€™s the â€œextra comunitariâ€ (Foreign workers) who get all the ragging that the Southerners used to get. One concrete fact, however, remains: the South is poorer (since the Unity), less developed industrially (no tradition) and commercially (micro criminally discouraged), more penetrated by organised crime (historical) and more plagued by juvenile job seekers (tragic) and a "Byzantine" sense of burocratic Government. It is also more hospitable, generous with visitors, dramatically beautiful in a lot of places and an interesting melting pot of peoples.
Rivalry today: Yes, alas, but itâ€™s dwindling.
Support for secession ? No, an insignificant minority.
Toscana ? Definitely North.
Rome is in the middle, with all it's Southern immigrants and the "dreaded" Goverment. Naples is "deep" South.

Viky æ¡‚çš®

Yes it's true but it's really kinda stupid since we are all Italians and Italy without half of it wouldn't be Italy.
I live in the north but I don't care about that animosity.
Geographically or not Tuscany is considered to be in central Italy.

bg b

animosity I wouldn't say, differences yes

raky2804

it's true. i live in the north Italy. here economy is good, lot of people are rich, everyone works, while in the south there are much more problems, for example the mafia. this situation stops also the development of the north and it create tensions. lot of people would like to secession north Italy, until Rome, from the south. Tuscan however is considered north Italy.

Polifia?

It is true to some extent. Like all countries, we have our stereotypes and generalisations. There are some people that truely believe in this northern supremecy others that like to just play with the stereotype.

I am the product of a Northerner and a Southerner and I assure you that family occasions are always a lot of fun with both sides jovially joking around on the polentone/terrone lines. But no on takes it seriously.

Unfortunatley, there exist some people that do, but that is only the product of pure ignorance.

Chiara pallante

YES, IT'S TRUE, BUT I HATE THIS THING. I'M ITALIAN AND THIS THING IS ORRIBLE, I HATE IT.

alessandra

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!

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