“The 20 Italies”– Introduction to Italy’s 20 Diverse Regions

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The Italian peninsula is roughly divided into 3 major sections: Northern (l’Italia settentrionale), Central (l’Italia centrale) and Southern (l’Italia meridionale or il Mezzogiorno). Due to its geographic position, each of these sections has been formed and influenced over time by dramatically different peoples and cultures: the North by France and Austria, the South by Spain and Muslim nations, and the Center by the Catholic Church and independent city-states like Florence and Pisa. And the two major islands– Sicily, near Africa, and Sardinia, across from Rome– have been invaded and settled by such diverse peoples as the Phoenicians, Greeks, Carthaginians, Romans, Normans, Arabs, Genovese, Pisans, and many, many more….

In fact, even though Italy is smaller than California, it has an incredible diversity of history, culture, language, and cuisine. It is so diverse that it’s often referred to as “the 20 Italies”– because there are 20 regions that make up the country, and each is unique.

While there are many resources available on the Internet, in libraries, and through films to help you become familiar with this rich living heritage, below you will find a few links to help you get started.

The Understanding Italy site has a convenient clickable map featuring the regions. So, for example, if you’re interested in learning more about Calabria or Liguria, just click on that part of the map and you’ll find a quick overview of that region. And, if you click on the navigation bar on the left, you’ll see which regions are associated with which section of the country. (This is important to know, as there is some talk about a proposal to official divide Italy into 2 or 3 separate countries….)

The well-known Frommers Guides provide an overview of the regions most popular with tourists, and which they feature in their tour books.

If you’re a “foodie,” you might want to learn about the different regions through their cuisine. The Life in Italy website has a quick, clear overview of such famous dishes as Risotto Milanese, Polenta, and more. (The link opens to “Italian Regional Specialties: the North,” but you can find the dishes for other regions by clicking on the other “Italian Regional Food” buttons in the left navigation bar.)

Finally, for a fun, offbeat introduction (in Italian, but with photos) to such Italian cultural icons as the cities of Roma, Milano, Como, Perugia, and Padova, you can check out the travels of a Moka (the quintessential Italian coffeepot). The website “Una moka in giro per il mondo” shows the fearless coffeepot enjoying  il Colosseo a Roma and other beautiful places both famous and infamous. (Just click on the hot button that has the city you’re interested in, and you’ll see all of la Moka‘s stops!)

ITALIAN 1 STUDENTS: 

Use these and other resources to learn about the regions and cities your assigned family has a relationship with. Please use the “comment” feature on this blog to share what you’re discovering with the rest of the class– particularly if you find some good websites or other resources about Italy and its regions.

Buon viaggio e buon divertimento!

Benvenuti!

Map: Italian in Europe

Welcome to La prof’s blog, originally developed as a companion to  Piazza Nostra: The Italian Learning Experience, the introductory language textbook and interactive website.

In this blog we’ll explore various facets of Italian language and culture. (For a visual introduction to the language, take a look at the map above. It shows the percentages of populations in Europe who speak italiano– la bella lingua.)

Entries in this blog will provide brief tastes of the incredible “embarrassment of riches” Italians past and present have contributed to the world.

 

 

 

La piazza: The “Swiss-army knife” of Italian culture

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Just as the secret to understanding contemporary American culture can be found by haunting its mega-shopping malls, the essence of Italian life and thought can be found in the piazza.

In fact, in his international best seller, La Bella Figura, journalist Beppe Severgnini summarizes la piazza italiana as “a tool with more cutting edges than a Swiss-army knife” (93). That is, it embodies all of the varied histories, passions, and complexities of il Bel Paese itself. The piazza provides not only the stage for contemporary daily life, but also the living presence of the past and an anxious communal groping into an increasingly uncertain future.

The piazza is also a microcosm– the world in miniature– of the community it anchors. It is the center of civic identity, as can be seen in this 360 degree view of Piazza della Signoria, the heart of Florence’s famous city-state and host to not only Renaissance soccer games, but also assassination attempts, vandalism, drunken tourists, expensive bonfires, and famous autos-de-fè (public burnings, the most famous of which was of that terrifying priest, Savonarola).

Like all Italian cities, Florence has a wealth of different piazze— all with a different layout, look, atmosphere, and history. Here’s a quick “mini-tour” of some of the most famous: famous piazze in Florence. (ITAL 1 students: Read at least one of the short  “full story” entries so that you can get an idea of the complexity and variety of history and experience Italian piazze exemplify.)

There are also many other piazze italiane famose throughout the country (Severgnini mentions that there are at least 14,000 piazza historic centers), some of which are listed in Wikipedia and linked below.

These piazze illustrate how each Italian city square contains not only the civic and religious essence of its community, but also its distinctive commercial, political, occupational, theatrical, sexual, sentimental, and therapeutic personality. (Click on the hotlinks to see videos illustrating the things you will see, live, and– usually– enjoy nelle piazze italiane.)

As Severgnini summarizes, “It’s the piazza of memory, for those who are leaving, and of welcome, for those arriving. Its therapy is serenity recaptured…. and it’s even more instructive when Italians are taking a stroll. Look at the way they move and greet one another. Their striking naturalness prompts you to act like them. People come here to see and be seen, which is why they are happy to return the smiles they expect…..” (98-99).

• List of squares in Florence
  • Piazza della Signoria, Piazza del Duomo, Piazza Santa Croce, Piazza della Repubblica, Piazza Santa Trinita, Piazza della Libertà, Piazzale Michelangelo – Florence
• Piazza Maggiore – Bologna
• Piazza del Duomo – Catania
• Piazza dell’Anfiteatro – Lucca
• Piazza del Duomo – Milan
• Piazza del Plebiscito – Naples
• Piazza Sordello – Mantova
• Piazza Grande – Modena
• Piazza dei Miracoli – Pisa
• Prato della Valle – Padua
• Quattro Canti – Palermo
• Piazza del Popolo, Piazza di Spagna, Piazza Navona, Piazza del Campidoglio, Piazza Cavour, Piazza Venezia – Rome
  • Saint Peter’s Square – Vatican City
• Piazza della Cisterna – San Gimignano it:Piazza della Cisterna
• Piazza del Campo – Siena
• Piazza Unità d’Italia – Trieste
• Piazza Castello – Turin
• Piazza San Marco – Venice
• Piazza delle Erbe – Verona
• Piazza dei Signori – Vicenza

Unique Regions = Unique Cities, seconda parte

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Three other major Italian cities that often don’t make it on the usual tourist circuits are Milan, Naples, and Palermo. But each represent significantly different histories and cultures that set them apart not only from each other, but from the more well-known “big 3” introduced in the previous post.

Milano in northern Italy occupies a strategic location of straddling the Po Valley, the gateway to the peninsula once one has crossed the forbidding ridge of the Alps. First settled by Celts (Gauls) around 400 BCE, who took the territory from the Etruscans, and who, in turn, had it taken away from them by the Romans. It’s lively history includes not only the warlike Longobardi tribe– which gave the region of la Lombardia its name– but also the great Renaissance warrior families of the Sforza and the Visconti. Today it has been taken over by the fashion industry, the Italian stock market, manufacturing, and the powerful political party, la Lega Nord, members of which advocate for a division of Italy into at least 2 separate countries– North Italy and South Italy. The hard-driving reality of this, the second largest city of il Bel Paese, is expressed in the contemporary song “Poveri bambini di Milano” by Francesco Guccini.

Traveling south from Milano and passing Roma, one finds Naples, a city almost 3000 years old. First founded by the Greeks as Neapolis (the New City), today la città di Napoli is best known for its rich, scenic bay, its active volcano– il Vesuvio, which last erupted in 1944 and is most famous for having buried Pompei in 79 CE– and a high profile version of organized crime rivaling the Mafia. (Called la Camorra, it was recently represented in the book and film titled Gomorrah— thus earning a `death sentence’ for its author, Roberto Saviano.) Ruled in the past by Spain, Austria, and the Bourbons (a French royal family), Napoli is a lively and chaotic mix of charm and inquietudine (disquiet), beauty, rifiuti and porcherie (trash and filth– both literal and figurative, as the Naples trash crisis continues to resonate throughout Europe). In fact, you can feel the romance and energy of Napoli in such internationally recognized songs as “O Sole Mio,” ” Volare,” “Finiculi Finicula” and “Tu vuo` far l’americano” — songs that have so resonated with the world that they’ve become the only “Italian music” many non-Italians know.

Like Napoli, Palermo is almost 3000 years ago, originally by Cretans, then taken over by Phoenicians, Greeks, Carthaginians, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Normans (aka the French), Spain, Austria and who knows who else. (The main reason for this “revolving door” of invaders is that la Sicilia— of which Palermo is the capital– is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, and thus of strategic importance for defense and trade in and around the Mediterranean basin.) As a result, the food, music, architecture, and culture of Palermo is clearly a fusion of different traditions, with a notably strong presence of Arabic and Byzantine influences. (“Byzantium” is another name for the Eastern Roman Empire, which ended in 1453 when the Turks captured Constantinople and converted the region from the Eastern Orthodox Christianity to Islam). Today you can enjoy both the brightly colorful, noisy mercato di Ballarò, the sometimes gruesome but poignant mummies of the Capuchin Bone Church, or the serenity and beauty of the Cathedral of Monreale— all in the same day! The incredible diversity of the city is best displayed in its lively street artists and the world-famous Opera dei Pupi, in which beautiful marionettes act heroic stories and poems from the Renaissance and more.

Hopefully Milano, Napoli, and Palermo will be added to your “must see” Italian tour list, for they represent dramatically different worlds– worlds essential to experiencing the heart and soul of “the twenty Italies.”

Italian culture and “le bandiere” (flags)

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Italian culture is well known for its emphasis on the family– in fact, one’s personal identity is based largely on the family or “clan” one belongs to. The concept of family applies not only to blood ties, but also to bonds of obligation and loyalty, such as those between a lord and his vassals, or a patron and his client. This type of bond goes back to the very founding of ancient Rome, and continues today, in such contemporary organizations as the Mafia, with its padrino and those he protects and supports or assists.

The family or clan is not only bound to one another, but also to a place– and this is where flags become important. From medieval times, every powerful family or group had its symbol– a visual marker that communicated the family’s heritage, great deeds, and character. (Think of one of the early US flags, like the one that had “Don’t tread on me!” embroidered on it.) This symbol would be carved onto buildings to show who owned or sponsored (i.e., paid for) them, and would be used on flags as a way to gather the troops or demonstrate political influence– that is, to proclaim to everyone whom the protector of the person showing the flag was.

Today in Italy the tradition of family or clan flags continues, especially when a city or town celebrates historical events in a traditional festa. The most famous flag displays are the Palio of Siena, the Quintana in Ascoli Piceno, the Saracen’s Joust in Cortona, and Calendimaggio in Assisi. (If you click on the names, you will find youtube videos about these events and the importance of the flags.)

For a quick overview of the different flags used by each contrade or district of the city of Siena during the Palio, click on the Wikipedia link here. This site shows images of all 17 of the flags used to visually communicate the place and people of the various neighborhoods of the city of Siena, while providing information on the symbolism and history associated with each flag.

ITAL 1 STUDENTS:

View the video clip for at least ONE of the events highlighted (i.e., the Palio, the Quintana, the Joust, or Calendimaggio) and then read about at least TWO flags from the Wikipedia entry above. Be prepared to share your ideas for the creation of your own “family flag” for the Prima Fase group project. [NOTE: If for some reason a link does not work, try to find an alternative by used the link title provided as the search term for a Google search. That way you will likely find a new resource to help you out.]

Unique Regions = Unique Cities, part 1

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The first cities to come to mind when one says the word “Italy” are inevitably Rome, Florence, and Venice, the “big 3” of most tourists’ Italian dreams.

Roma, Italy’s capital, breathes antiquity and sanctity, with its ancient Roman ruins and remarkable churches, particularly the “all-embracing” St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City, the independent nation nestled in the heart of Rome. Traditionally said to have been founded on April 21, 753 BCE (Before the Common Era; that is, before Christ) by a pair of warlike twins (one of whom kills the other), the sprawling metropolis continues to exude both contemporary vitality and timeless tranquility. It also contains many hidden treasures off the usual tourist itineraries, like the ancient shrine of Mithras, the sun-god of Roman soldiers deep under ground a few blocks from the Colosseum. La città eterna (The Eternal City) has been celebrated for millennia, as shown in this video of Italian singer-songwriter Antonello Venditti’s homage to his hometown in his song “Roma Capoccia.” (The song is written in the Roman dialect, not standard Italian– though the two are very close!)

Firenze, about a 2.5-hour train ride north of Rome, is said to have been founded by Julius Caesar (even though the area had long been settled by the ancient peoples known as the Etruscans, who gave their name to la Toscana, the region of which Florence is capital). Evidence of the enterprising medieval city-state is everywhere, as are the world-famous contributions of the greatest minds of the 14th and 15th centuries, creators of that period that gave birth to so much of our modern world, the Renaissance. With more museums and world heritage wonders per square mile than any other place in the world, Florence is an international jewel– a jewel polished and protected for centuries by the powerful Medici family, the “Godfathers of the Renaissance.” It’s treacherous yet glorious spirit is celebrated in the evocative song, “Firenze (canzone triste),” by singer/ songwriter and novelist Ivan Graziani.

While Roma and Firenze each have their signature rivers– the Tiber or il Tevere and the Arno or l’Arno respectively– Venezia lays claim to the entire Adriatic Sea. Created on more than 117 small natural and man-made islands over 1500 years ago, the Venetian Republic (affectionately called la Serenissima) became a major naval power and the crossroads of the Western and Eastern trade and culture. In fact, even today the ceremonial marriage of Venice to the Sea is commemorated every Ascension Day, with all of the pomp, opulence, and romance of times gone by. It’s also been known as “the city of sin,” due to its decadent yet elegant celebration of Carnevale, the period of riotous living before the coming of Lent, the period of sadness and sacrifice preceding Easter. And, of course, it’s also known as a holy city, the city of St. Mark the Evangelist (whose body was stolen by the Venetians, so it could reside in their church) and his transcendent Basilica di San Marco, which has over 40,000 square feet of other-worldly decoration in gold mosaic.

As diverse and unique as each of these cities are, however, to get a full understanding of regional and urban diversity in il Bel Paese another three great cities should be added to the “must see” list: Milan, Naples, and Palermo….

Find out more in the next post!

ITAL 1 Students:

Explore the incredible cities in this post by clicking on the hot links. You’ll want to pay particular attention to the city your assigned Italian family is connected to so that you can use that information in your various group projects. Be sure to explore not only what is commonly known and loved (or hated!) about these cities, but also aspects that are “secret,” hidden, or ignored, so that you can help convince others to visit your family’s city when the time comes. And, as always, as you make discoveries about these irreplaceable tributes to l’italianità (Italian-ness), be sure to share comments to the post so others can respond to your ideas, resources, and impressions.