Posted By Joel on March 27, 2009

In your enthusiam to understand Italy you might desire a shortcut, a common theme, a unifying “national identity”, anything, to tie it all conveniently together for instantaneous consumption.  Don’t try.  That “Italy” does not exist.

Before a unified kingdom of Italy came into being in 1861, the territory was a medley of states each with its own separate and distinct history, traditions, social, economic, and cultural norms.  For many Italians, loyalty to ones local area is still the focus.

Borrowing on the concept from Christopher Duggan, in his good book “A Concise History of Italy”, one way to consider Italy is as a “geographical expression” of many different nations within one country rather than as a place with one collective national flavor.

The concept of local vs. national identity is reflected in the way most Italians themselves think about their cultural identity and tradition:  Italians identify first with their village.  And then - and in order of importance - the province, the region, and finally, country.  But, no matter what - in Italy, family always comes first !

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