History UsefulNotes / Italy

->We are ready to die,

->we are ready to die.

The so-called "dialects" are not variations of standard Italian, but real languages with their own grammar and pronunciation: the differences between them can be so huge that, ironically, an Italian living in Frascati would have an easier time understanding, let's say, a Spaniard than another Italian living in Rome if both Italians spoke their respective dialect-and Frascati is in the ''Metropolitan City of Rome Capital''.[[note]]During the Middle Ages both areas spoke dialects of Napulitano, the language spoken mostly in the Kingdom of Naples and strongly influenced by Spanish. During the sixteenth century, however, there was a strong immigration from Tuscany to Rome, and that, combined with the death or escape of many locals caused by the 1527 Sack of Rome, caused a language shift in the city that was not mirrored outside the walls[[/note]] However, all Italians learn Standard Italian (based on the Florence variety of the Tuscan dialect, as the Tuscans will proudly tell you) in school and since the rise of television and Creator/{{RAI}} and the private owned media companies that followed, the regional dialect has given way to greater standardization. All these languages reflect the different local cultures: in fact, every Italian region has its own unique traditions and foods, and it's not rare to notice a bit of rivalry between regions, each one of them claiming to have the best people, or the best dishes. [[SpaghettiAndGondolas Hollywood Italy]] erroneously tends to portray all Italians as dark haired, olive-skinned folks[[note]]which by the way falls under PhenotypeStereotype: dark hair is simply proportionally more common and olive skin is actually quite rare, being mostly restricted to the south. Even then, centuries of mixing between peoples has made it so that it's not uncommon to find blonde-haired, blue-eyed folks in Sicily, for example. To give you an idea, it's like portraying all Germans as light blondes.[[/note]] either living in Rome, Tuscany, Naples, Venice or Sicily, but real Italy is actually a diverse country with radically different people everywhere you go. This has often led to stereotypes even ''[[SlobsVersusSnobs between Italians themselves]]'', especially during the 1950s and 1960s, when many southern Italians emigrated to northern Italy; northern Italians weren't pleased and (very) often [[RichBitch looked down on them]], labeling them [[LowerClassLout as lazy and poor]]; in turn, southern Italians considered their northern fellows [[UpperClassTwit stuck-up and boring]]. Luckily, it got better with time and nowadays these stereotypes are usually [[PlayedForLaughs played for laughs]], as no one really takes them seriously anymore (mostly). Italians identify both by region and by nationality, distinguishing between Central, Northwest, South, Northeast and Insular Italy, which is more or less how it worked even in the Roman era, where Roman citizenship sat side-by-side with their regional and provincial identity and label. Since it was the Kingdom of Piedmont (ruled by the House of Savoy) that ended up uniting the Italians, the colour of the House of Savoy being blue, is why Italian sports teams play in blue to this day.

Italy ('''Italian:''' ''Italia''), officially known as the '''Italian Republic''' ('''Italian:''' ''Repubblica italiana''), is the Southern European country which gave us two popular foodstuffs (pasta and pizza), the Latin alphabet (used by Romance, Germanic, Celtic, and many other languages), opera, ballet, the Renaissance, the Republic (the form of government, not the book), musical notation, the university system (started in Bologna in 1088 A.D.), eyeglasses, Humanism, ''[[InsistentTerminology Roman]]'' [[ChristianityIsCatholic Catholicism]], the world's oldest active firearms manufacturer (Beretta), UsefulNotes/{{Fascism}} and TheMafia. Despite importing its two major religious influences (the Greek gods influenced the pre-existing Roman religion in classical times and Christianity was imported from UsefulNotes/{{Israel}}), Italy has been a major center of theological thought. Member of UsefulNotes/TheEuropeanUnion and UsefulNotes/{{NATO}}. Now has the Euro, so RidiculousExchangeRates jokes no longer work. One of the top 8 largest economies in the world by GDP, and easily in the top 20 by any economic measurement, despite corruption, few natural resources, a backwards South, an archaic political structure and incompetent (at best) politicians.

Italy ('''Italian:''' ''Italia''), officially known as the '''Italian Republic''' ('''Italian:''' ''Repubblica italiana''), is the Southern European country which gave us two popular foodstuffs (pasta and pizza), the Latin alphabet (used by Romance, Germanic, Celtic, and many other languages), opera, ballet, the Renaissance, the Republic (the form of government, not the book), musical notation, the university system (started in Bologna in 1088 A.D.), eyeglasses, Humanism, ''[[InsistentTerminology Roman]]'' [[ChristianityIsCatholic Catholicism]], UsefulNotes/{{Fascism}} and TheMafia. Despite importing its two major religious influences (the Greek gods influenced the pre-existing Roman religion in classical times and Christianity was imported from UsefulNotes/{{Israel}}), Italy has been a major center of theological thought. Member of UsefulNotes/TheEuropeanUnion and UsefulNotes/{{NATO}}. Now has the Euro, so RidiculousExchangeRates jokes no longer work. One of the top 8 largest economies in the world by GDP, and easily in the top 20 by any economic measurement, despite corruption, few natural resources, a backwards South, an archaic political structure and incompetent (at best) politicians.

The so-called "dialects" are not variations of standard Italian, but real languages with their own grammar and pronunciation: the differences between them can be so huge that, ironically, an Italian living in Frascati would have an easier time understanding, let's say, a Spaniard than another Italian living in Rome if both Italians spoke their respective dialect-and Frascati is in the ''Metropolitan City of Rome Capital''.[[note]]During the Middle Ages both areas spoke dialects of Napulitano, the language spoken mostly in the Kingdom of Naples and strongly influenced by Spanish. During the sixteenth century, however, there was a strong immigration from Tuscany to Rome, and that, combined with the death or escape of many locals caused by the 1527 Sack of Rome, caused a language shift in the city that was not mirrored outside the walls[[/note]] However, all Italians learn Standard Italian (based on the Florence variety of the Tuscan dialect, as the Tuscans will proudly tell you) in school and since the rise of television and Creator/{{RAI}} and the private owned media companies that followed, the regional dialect has given way to greater standardization. All these languages reflect the different local cultures: in fact, every Italian region has its own unique traditions and foods, and it's not rare to notice a bit of rivalry between regions, each one of them claiming to have the best people, or the best dishes. [[SpaghettiAndGondolas Hollywood Italy]] erroneously tends to portray all Italians as dark haired, olive-skinned folks[[note]]which by the way falls under PhenotypeStereotype: dark hair is simply proportionally more common and olive skin is actually quite rare, being mostly restricted to the south. Even then, centuries of mixing between peoples has made it so that it's not uncommon to find blonde-haired, blue-eyed folks in Sicily, for example. To give you an idea, it's like portraying all Germans as light blondes.[[/note]] either living in Rome, Tuscany, Venice, Naples or Sicily, but real Italy is actually a diverse country with radically different people everywhere you go. This has often led to stereotypes even ''[[SlobsVersusSnobs between Italians themselves]]'', especially during the 1950s and 1960s, when many southern Italians emigrated to northern Italy; northern Italians weren't pleased and (very) often [[RichBitch looked down on them]], labeling them [[LowerClassLout as lazy and poor]]; in turn, southern Italians considered their northern fellows [[UpperClassTwit stuck-up and boring]]. Luckily, it got better with time and nowadays these stereotypes are usually [[PlayedForLaughs played for laughs]], as no one really takes them seriously anymore (mostly). Italians identify both by region and by nationality, distinguishing between Central, Northwest, Northeast, South and Insular Italy, which is more or less how it worked even in the Roman era, where Roman citizenship sat side-by-side with their regional and provincial identity and label. Since it was the Kingdom of Piedmont (ruled by the House of Savoy) that ended up uniting the Italians, the colour of the House of Savoy being blue, is why Italian sports teams play in blue to this day.

Such [[SarcasmMode charming experiences]] tend to make Italians quite cynical about nationalism, to the extent of seeing the Risorgimento and the succeeding Italian Republic not as a truly national entity but merely another hegemonic entity out to exploit them. Economically, there is major imbalance and difference with the North being wealthier than the South, with Milan's GDP exceeding that of many countries, and this and the other experiences outlined above led to mass emigration of Italians to other countries, including South America (Argentina), England, Australia, France and of course America. It is also reflected in the culture of the Italians [[WorldOfSnark who tend to sarcastically mock anything and anyone if given a chance]] -- even [[SelfDeprecation themselves]] (an ancient tradition dating back to antiquity[[note]]The Romans, who, to stave off haughtiness, had the habit of having victorious generals ''getting mocked by their own troops during their triumphal parade'' and having a slave follow the general during said parade just to tell him "Remember you have to die")[[/note]]. Another national quirk is complaining: Italians definitely have a love-hate relationship with their own country, and will quickly [[CulturalCringe point out all its flaws and passionately complain about all the things that don't work]] (politics, infrastructures, the long list goes on), often joking that these things could only happen in Italy because we can't manage anything[[note]]A trait largely shared by [[UsefulNotes/{{France}} their Western neighbours]], incidentally[[/note]]. While there's definitely some TruthInTelevision--as [[UsefulNotes/{{Culture of Italy}} this page]] explains -- to many people it's just a normal conversational topic, kinda like Brits talking about the weather. It's a land of snark indeed (which might be why the Brits and Italians have historically gotten on rather well--particularly as regards Italians moving to Britain).

The so-called "dialects" are not variations of standard Italian, but real languages with their own grammar and pronunciation: the differences between them can be so huge that, ironically, an Italian living in Frascati would have an easier time understanding, let's say, a Spaniard than another Italian living in Rome if both Italians spoke their respective dialect-and Frascati is in the ''Metropolitan City of Rome Capital''.[[note]]During the Middle Ages both areas spoke dialects of Napulitano, the language spoken mostly in the Kingdom of Naples and strongly influenced by Spanish. During the sixteenth century, however, there was a strong immigration from Tuscany to Rome, and that, combined with the death or escape of many locals caused by the 1527 Sack of Rome, caused a language shift in the city that was not mirrored outside the walls[[/note]] However, all Italians learn Standard Italian (based on the Florence variety of the Tuscan dialect, as the Tuscans will proudly tell you) in school and since the rise of television and Creator/{{RAI}} and the private owned media companies that followed, the regional dialect has given way to greater standardization. All these languages reflect the different local cultures: in fact, every Italian region has its own unique traditions and foods, and it's not rare to notice a bit of rivalry between regions, each one of them claiming to have the best people, or the best dishes. [[SpaghettiAndGondolas Hollywood Italy]] erroneously tends to portray all Italians as dark haired, olive-skinned folks[[note]]which by the way falls under PhenotypeStereotype: dark hair is simply proportionally more common and olive skin is actually quite rare, being mostly restricted to the south. Even then, centuries of mixing between peoples has made it so that it's not uncommon to find blonde-haired, blue-eyed folks in Sicily, for example. To give you an idea, it's like portraying all Germans as light blondes.[[/note]] either living in Rome, Tuscany, Naples, Venice or Sicily, but real Italy is actually a diverse country with radically different people everywhere you go. This has often led to stereotypes even ''[[SlobsVersusSnobs between Italians themselves]]'', especially during the 1950s and 1960s, when many southern Italians emigrated to northern Italy; northern Italians weren't pleased and (very) often [[RichBitch looked down on them]], labeling them [[LowerClassLout as lazy and poor]]; in turn, southern Italians considered their northern fellows [[UpperClassTwit stuck-up and boring]]. Luckily, it got better with time and nowadays these stereotypes are usually [[PlayedForLaughs played for laughs]], as no one really takes them seriously anymore (mostly). Italians identify both by region and by nationality, distinguishing between Central, Northwest, South, Northeast and Insular Italy, which is more or less how it worked even in the Roman era, where Roman citizenship sat side-by-side with their regional and provincial identity and label. Since it was the Kingdom of Piedmont (ruled by the House of Savoy) that ended up uniting the Italians, the colour of the House of Savoy being blue, is why Italian sports teams play in blue to this day.

The so-called "dialects" are not variations of standard Italian, but real languages with their own grammar and pronunciation: the differences between them can be so huge that, ironically, an Italian living in Frascati would have an easier time understanding, let's say, a Spaniard than another Italian living in Rome if both Italians spoke their respective dialect-and Frascati is in the ''Metropolitan City of Rome Capital''.[[note]]During the Middle Ages both areas spoke dialects of Napulitano, the language spoken mostly in the Kingdom of Naples and strongly influenced by Spanish. During the sixteenth century, however, there was a strong immigration from Tuscany to Rome, and that, combined with the death or escape of many locals caused by the 1527 Sack of Rome, caused a language shift in the city that was not mirrored outside the walls[[/note]] However, all Italians learn Standard Italian (based on the Florence variety of the Tuscan dialect, as the Tuscans will proudly tell you) in school and since the rise of television and Creator/{{RAI}} and the private owned media companies that followed, the regional dialect has given way to greater standardization. All these languages reflect the different local cultures: in fact, every Italian region has its own unique traditions and foods, and it's not rare to notice a bit of rivalry between regions, each one of them claiming to have the best people, or the best dishes. [[SpaghettiAndGondolas Hollywood Italy]] erroneously tends to portray all Italians as dark haired, olive-skinned folks[[note]]which by the way falls under PhenotypeStereotype: dark hair is simply proportionally more common and olive skin is actually quite rare, being mostly restricted to the south. Even then, centuries of mixing between peoples has made it so that it's not uncommon to find blonde-haired, blue-eyed folks in Sicily, for example. To give you an idea, it's like portraying all Germans as light blondes.[[/note]] either living in Rome, Tuscany, Venice, Naples or Sicily, but real Italy is actually a diverse country with radically different people everywhere you go. This has often led to stereotypes even ''[[SlobsVersusSnobs between Italians themselves]]'', especially during the 1950s and 1960s, when many southern Italians emigrated to northern Italy; northern Italians weren't pleased and (very) often [[RichBitch looked down on them]], labeling them [[LowerClassLout as lazy and poor]]; in turn, southern Italians considered their northern fellows [[UpperClassTwit stuck-up and boring]]. Luckily, it got better with time and nowadays these stereotypes are usually [[PlayedForLaughs played for laughs]], as no one really takes them seriously anymore (mostly). Italians identify both by region and by nationality, distinguishing between Central, Northwest, South, Northeast and Insular Italy, which is more or less how it worked even in the Roman era, where Roman citizenship sat side-by-side with their regional and provincial identity and label. Since it was the Kingdom of Piedmont (ruled by the House of Savoy) that ended up uniting the Italians, the colour of the House of Savoy being blue, is why Italian sports teams play in blue to this day.

The so-called "dialects" are not variations of standard Italian, but real languages with their own grammar and pronunciation: the differences between them can be so huge that, ironically, an Italian living in Frascati would have an easier time understanding, let's say, a Spaniard than another Italian living in Rome if both Italians spoke their respective dialect-and Frascati is in the ''Metropolitan City of Rome Capital''.[[note]]During the Middle Ages both areas spoke dialects of Napulitano, the language spoken mostly in the Kingdom of Naples and strongly influenced by Spanish. During the sixteenth century, however, there was a strong immigration from Tuscany to Rome, and that, combined with the death or escape of many locals caused by the 1527 Sack of Rome, caused a language shift in the city that was not mirrored outside the walls[[/note]] However, all Italians learn Standard Italian (based on the Florence variety of the Tuscan dialect, as the Tuscans will proudly tell you) in school and since the rise of television and Creator/{{RAI}} and the private owned media companies that followed, the regional dialect has given way to greater standardization. All these languages reflect the different local cultures: in fact, every Italian region has its own unique traditions and foods, and it's not rare to notice a bit of rivalry between regions, each one of them claiming to have the best people, or the best dishes. [[SpaghettiAndGondolas Hollywood Italy]] erroneously tends to portray all Italians as dark haired, olive-skinned folks[[note]]which by the way falls under PhenotypeStereotype: dark hair is simply proportionally more common and olive skin is actually quite rare, being mostly restricted to the south. Even then, centuries of mixing between peoples has made it so that it's not uncommon to find blonde-haired, blue-eyed folks in Sicily, for example. To give you an idea, it's like portraying all Germans as light blondes.[[/note]] either living in Rome, Tuscany, Venice, Naples or Sicily, but real Italy is actually a diverse country with radically different people everywhere you go. This has often led to stereotypes even ''[[SlobsVersusSnobs between Italians themselves]]'', especially during the 1950s and 1960s, when many southern Italians emigrated to northern Italy; northern Italians weren't pleased and (very) often [[RichBitch looked down on them]], labeling them [[LowerClassLout as lazy and poor]]; in turn, southern Italians considered their northern fellows [[UpperClassTwit stuck-up and boring]]. Luckily, it got better with time and nowadays these stereotypes are usually [[PlayedForLaughs played for laughs]], as no one really takes them seriously anymore (mostly). Italians identify both by region and by nationality, distinguishing between Central, Northwest, Northeast, South and Insular Italy, which is more or less how it worked even in the Roman era, where Roman citizenship sat side-by-side with their regional and provincial identity and label. Since it was the Kingdom of Piedmont (ruled by the House of Savoy) that ended up uniting the Italians, the colour of the House of Savoy being blue, is why Italian sports teams play in blue to this day.

* '''ISO-3166-1 Code:''' IT

* '''Area:''' 301,340 sq km (116,350 sq mi) (71st)

The so-called "dialects" are not variations of standard Italian, but real languages with their own grammar and pronunciation: the differences between them can be so huge that, ironically, an Italian living in Frascati would have an easier time understanding, let's say, a Spaniard than another Italian living in Rome if both Italians spoke their respective dialect-and Frascati is in the ''Metropolitan City of Rome Capital''.[[note]]During the Middle Ages both areas spoke dialects of Napulitano, the language spoken mostly in the Kingdom of Naples and strongly influenced by Spanish. During the sixteenth century, however, there was a strong immigration from Tuscany to Rome, and that, combined with the death or escape of many locals caused by the 1527 Sack of Rome, caused a language shift in the city that was not mirrored outside the walls[[/note]] However, all Italians learn Standard Italian (based on the Florence variety of the Tuscan dialect, as the Tuscans will proudly tell you) in school and since the rise of television and Creator/{{RAI}} and the private owned media companies that followed, the regional dialect has given way to greater standardization. All these languages reflect the different local cultures: in fact, every Italian region has its own unique traditions and foods, and it's not rare to notice a bit of rivalry between regions, each one of them claiming to have the best people, or the best dishes. [[SpaghettiAndGondolas Hollywood Italy]] erroneously tends to portray all Italians as dark haired, olive-skinned folks[[note]]which by the way falls under PhenotypeStereotype: dark hair is simply proportionally more common and olive skin is actually quite rare, being mostly restricted to the south. Even then, centuries of mixing between peoples has made it so that it's not uncommon to find blonde-haired, blue-eyed folks in Sicily, for example. To give you an idea, it's like portraying all Germans as light blondes.[[/note]] either living in Rome, Tuscany, Naples, Venice or Sicily, but real Italy is actually a diverse country with radically different people everywhere you go. This has often led to stereotypes even ''[[SlobsVersusSnobs between Italians themselves]]'', especially during the 1950s and 1960s, when many southern Italians emigrated to northern Italy; northern Italians weren't pleased and (very) often [[RichBitch looked down on them]], labeling them [[LowerClassLout as lazy and poor]]; in turn, southern Italians considered their northern fellows [[UpperClassTwit stuck-up and boring]]. Luckily, it got better with time and nowadays these stereotypes are usually [[PlayedForLaughs played for laughs]], as no one really takes them seriously anymore (mostly). Italians identify both by region and by nationality, distinguishing between Central, Northwest, Northeast, South and Insular Italy, which is more or less how it worked even in the Roman era, where Roman citizenship sat side-by-side with their regional and provincial identity and label. Since it was the Kingdom of Piedmont (ruled by the House of Savoy) that ended up uniting the Italians, the colour of the House of Savoy being blue, is why Italian sports teams play in blue to this day.

* '''Area:''' 301,340 km (116,350 sq mi) (71st)

** President of the Chamber of Deputies: Roberto Fico

The so-called "dialects" are not variations of standard Italian, but real languages with their own grammar and pronunciation: the differences between them can be so huge that, ironically, an Italian living in Frascati would have an easier time understanding, let's say, a Spaniard than another Italian living in Rome if both Italians spoke their respective dialect-and Frascati is in the ''Metropolitan City of Rome Capital''.[[note]]During the Middle Ages both areas spoke dialects of Napulitano, the language spoken mostly in the Kingdom of Naples and strongly influenced by Spanish. During the sixteenth century, however, there was a strong immigration from Tuscany to Rome, and that, combined with the death or escape of many locals caused by the 1527 Sack of Rome, caused a language shift in the city that was not mirrored outside the walls[[/note]] However, all Italians learn Standard Italian (based on the Florence variety of the Tuscan dialect, as the Tuscans will proudly tell you) in school and since the rise of television and Creator/{{RAI}} and the private owned media companies that followed, the regional dialect has given way to greater standardization. All these languages reflect the different local cultures: in fact, every Italian region has its own unique traditions and foods, and it's not rare to notice a bit of rivalry between regions, each one of them claiming to have the best people, or the best dishes. [[SpaghettiAndGondolas Hollywood Italy]] erroneously tends to portray all Italians as dark haired, olive-skinned folks[[note]]which by the way falls under PhenotypeStereotype: dark hair is simply proportionally more common and olive skin is actually quite rare, being mostly restricted to the south. Even then, centuries of mixing between peoples has made it so that it's not uncommon to find blonde-haired, blue-eyed folks in Sicily, for example. To give you an idea, it's like portraying all Germans as light blondes.[[/note]] either living in Rome, Tuscany, Naples, Venice or Sicily, but real Italy is actually a diverse country with radically different people everywhere you go. This has often led to stereotypes even ''[[SlobsVersusSnobs between Italians themselves]]'', especially during the 1950s and 1960s, when many southern Italians emigrated to northern Italy; northern Italians weren't pleased and (very) often [[RichBitch looked down on them]], labeling them [[LowerClassLout as lazy and poor]]; in turn, southern Italians considered their northern fellows [[UpperClassTwit stuck-up and boring]]. Luckily, it got better with time and nowadays these stereotypes are usually [[PlayedForLaughs played for laughs]], as no one really takes them seriously anymore (mostly). Italians identify both by region and by nationality, distinguishing between Central, Northwest, South, Northeast and Insular Italy, which is more or less how it worked even in the Roman era, where Roman citizenship sat side-by-side with their regional and provincial identity and label. Since it was the Kingdom of Piedmont (ruled by the House of Savoy) that ended up uniting the Italians, the colour of the House of Savoy being blue, is why Italian sports teams play in blue to this day.

The so-called "dialects" are not variations of standard Italian, but real languages with their own grammar and pronunciation: the differences between them can be so huge that, ironically, an Italian living in Frascati would have an easier time understanding, let's say, a Spaniard than another Italian living in Rome if both Italians spoke their respective dialect-and Frascati is in the ''Metropolitan City of Rome Capital''.[[note]]During the Middle Ages both areas spoke dialects of Napulitano, the language spoken mostly in the Kingdom of Naples and strongly influenced by Spanish. During the sixteenth century, however, there was a strong immigration from Tuscany to Rome, and that, combined with the death or escape of many locals caused by the 1527 Sack of Rome, caused a language shift in the city that was not mirrored outside the walls[[/note]] However, all Italians learn Standard Italian (based on the Florence variety of the Tuscan dialect, as the Tuscans will proudly tell you) in school and since the rise of television and Creator/{{RAI}} and the private owned media companies that followed, the regional dialect has given way to greater standardization. All these languages reflect the different local cultures: in fact, every Italian region has its own unique traditions and foods, and it's not rare to notice a bit of rivalry between regions, each one of them claiming to have the best people, or the best dishes. [[SpaghettiAndGondolas Hollywood Italy]] erroneously tends to portray all Italians as dark haired, olive-skinned folks[[note]]which by the way falls under PhenotypeStereotype: dark hair is simply proportionally more common and olive skin is actually quite rare, being mostly restricted to the south. Even then, centuries of mixing between peoples has made it so that it's not uncommon to find blonde-haired, blue-eyed folks in Sicily, for example. To give you an idea, it's like portraying all Germans as light blondes.[[/note]] either living in Rome, Tuscany, Naples, Venice or Sicily, but real Italy is actually a diverse country with radically different people everywhere you go. This has often led to stereotypes even ''[[SlobsVersusSnobs between Italians themselves]]'', especially during the 1950s and 1960s, when many southern Italians emigrated to northern Italy; northern Italians weren't pleased and (very) often [[RichBitch looked down on them]], labeling them [[LowerClassLout as lazy and poor]]; in turn, southern Italians considered their northern fellows [[UpperClassTwit stuck-up and boring]]. Luckily, it got better with time and nowadays these stereotypes are usually [[PlayedForLaughs played for laughs]], as no one really takes them seriously anymore (mostly). Italians identify both by region and by nationality, distinguishing between Central, Northwest, Northeast, South and Insular Italy, which is more or less how it worked even in the Roman era, where Roman citizenship sat side-by-side with their regional and provincial identity and label. Since it was the Kingdom of Piedmont (ruled by the House of Savoy) that ended up uniting the Italians, the colour of the House of Savoy being blue, is why Italian sports teams play in blue to this day.

The so-called "dialects" are not variations of standard Italian, but real languages with their own grammar and pronunciation: the differences between them can be so huge that, ironically, an Italian living in Frascati would have an easier time understanding, let's say, a Spaniard than another Italian living in Rome if both Italians spoke their respective dialect-and Frascati is in the ''Metropolitan City of Rome Capital''.[[note]]During the Middle Ages both areas spoke dialects of Napulitano, the language spoken mostly in the Kingdom of Naples and strongly influenced by Spanish. During the sixteenth century, however, there was a strong immigration from Tuscany to Rome, and that, combined with the death or escape of many locals caused by the 1527 Sack of Rome, caused a language shift in the city that was not mirrored outside the walls[[/note]] However, all Italians learn Standard Italian (based on the Florence variety of the Tuscan dialect, as the Tuscans will proudly tell you) in school and since the rise of television and Creator/{{RAI}} and the private owned media companies that followed, the regional dialect has given way to greater standardization. All these languages reflect the different local cultures: in fact, every Italian region has its own unique traditions and foods, and it's not rare to notice a bit of rivalry between regions, each one of them claiming to have the best people, or the best dishes. [[SpaghettiAndGondolas Hollywood Italy]] erroneously tends to portray all Italians as dark haired, olive-skinned folks[[note]]which by the way falls under PhenotypeStereotype: dark hair is simply proportionally more common and olive skin is actually quite rare, being mostly restricted to the south. Even then, centuries of mixing between peoples has made it so that it's not uncommon to find blonde-haired, blue-eyed folks in Sicily, for example. To give you an idea, it's like portraying all Germans as light blondes.[[/note]] either living in Rome, Tuscany, Naples, Venice or Sicily, but real Italy is actually a diverse country with radically different people everywhere you go. This has often led to stereotypes even ''[[SlobsVersusSnobs between Italians themselves]]'', especially during the 1950s and 1960s, when many southern Italians emigrated to northern Italy; northern Italians weren't pleased and (very) often [[RichBitch looked down on them]], labeling them [[LowerClassLout as lazy and poor]]; in turn, southern Italians considered their northern fellows [[UpperClassTwit stuck-up and boring]]. Luckily, it got better with time and nowadays these stereotypes are usually [[PlayedForLaughs played for laughs]], as no one really takes them seriously anymore (mostly). Italians identify both by region and by nationality, distinguishing between Central, Northwest, South, Northeast and Insular Italy, which is more or less how it worked even in the Roman era, where Roman citizenship sat side-by-side with their regional and provincial identity and label. Since it was the Kingdom of Piedmont (ruled by the House of Savoy) that ended up uniting the Italians, the colour of the House of Savoy being blue, is why Italian sports teams play in blue to this day.

The so-called "dialects" are not variations of standard Italian, but real languages with their own grammar and pronunciation: the differences between them can be so huge that, ironically, an Italian living in Frascati would have an easier time understanding, let's say, a Spaniard than another Italian living in Rome if both Italians spoke their respective dialect-and Frascati is in the ''Metropolitan City of Rome Capital''.[[note]]During the Middle Ages both areas spoke dialects of Napulitano, the language spoken mostly in the Kingdom of Naples and strongly influenced by Spanish. During the sixteenth century, however, there was a strong immigration from Tuscany to Rome, and that, combined with the death or escape of many locals caused by the 1527 Sack of Rome, caused a language shift in the city that was not mirrored outside the walls[[/note]] However, all Italians learn Standard Italian (based on the Florence variety of the Tuscan dialect, as the Tuscans will proudly tell you) in school and since the rise of television and Creator/{{RAI}} and the private owned media companies that followed, the regional dialect has given way to greater standardization. All these languages reflect the different local cultures: in fact, every Italian region has its own unique traditions and foods, and it's not rare to notice a bit of rivalry between regions, each one of them claiming to have the best people, or the best dishes. [[SpaghettiAndGondolas Hollywood Italy]] erroneously tends to portray all Italians as dark haired, olive-skinned folks[[note]]which by the way falls under PhenotypeStereotype: dark hair is simply proportionally more common and olive skin is actually quite rare, being mostly restricted to the south. Even then, centuries of mixing between peoples has made it so that it's not uncommon to find blonde-haired, blue-eyed folks in Sicily, for example. To give you an idea, it's like portraying all Germans as light blondes.[[/note]] either living in Rome, Tuscany, Naples, Venice or Sicily, but real Italy is actually a diverse country with radically different people everywhere you go. This has often led to stereotypes even ''[[SlobsVersusSnobs between Italians themselves]]'', especially during the 1950s and 1960s, when many southern Italians emigrated to northern Italy; northern Italians weren't pleased and (very) often [[RichBitch looked down on them]], labeling them [[LowerClassLout as lazy and poor]]; in turn, southern Italians considered their northern fellows [[UpperClassTwit stuck-up and boring]]. Luckily, it got better with time and nowadays these stereotypes are usually [[PlayedForLaughs played for laughs]], as no one really takes them seriously anymore (mostly). Italians identify both by region and by nationality, distinguishing between Central, Northwest, Northeast, South and Insular Italy, which is more or less how it worked even in the Roman era, where Roman citizenship sat side-by-side with their regional and provincial identity and label. Since it was the Kingdom of Piedmont (ruled by the House of Savoy) that ended up uniting the Italians, the colour of the House of Savoy being blue, is why Italian sports teams play in blue to this day.

The so-called "dialects" are not variations of standard Italian, but real languages with their own grammar and pronunciation: the differences between them can be so huge that, ironically, an Italian living in Frascati would have an easier time understanding, let's say, a Spaniard than another Italian living in Rome if both Italians spoke their respective dialect-and Frascati is in the ''Metropolitan City of Rome Capital''.[[note]]During the Middle Ages both areas spoke dialects of Napulitano, the language spoken mostly in the Kingdom of Naples and strongly influenced by Spanish. During the sixteenth century, however, there was a strong immigration from Tuscany to Rome, and that, combined with the death or escape of many locals caused by the 1527 Sack of Rome, caused a language shift in the city that was not mirrored outside the walls[[/note]] However, all Italians learn Standard Italian (based on the Florence variety of the Tuscan dialect, as the Tuscans will proudly tell you) in school and since the rise of television and Creator/{{RAI}} and the private owned media companies that followed, the regional dialect has given way to greater standardization. All these languages reflect the different local cultures: in fact, every Italian region has its own unique traditions and foods, and it's not rare to notice a bit of rivalry between regions, each one of them claiming to have the best people, or the best dishes. [[SpaghettiAndGondolas Hollywood Italy]] erroneously tends to portray all Italians as dark haired, olive-skinned folks[[note]]which by the way falls under PhenotypeStereotype: dark hair is simply proportionally more common and olive skin is actually quite rare, being mostly restricted to the south. Even then, centuries of mixing between peoples has made it so that it's not uncommon to find blonde-haired, blue-eyed folks in Sicily, for example. To give you an idea, it's like portraying all Germans as light blondes.[[/note]] either living in Rome, Tuscany, Naples, Venice or Sicily, but real Italy is actually a diverse country with radically different people everywhere you go. This has often led to stereotypes even ''[[SlobsVersusSnobs between Italians themselves]]'', especially during the 1950s and 1960s, when many southern Italians emigrated to northern Italy; northern Italians weren't pleased and (very) often [[RichBitch looked down on them]], labeling them [[LowerClassLout as lazy and poor]]; in turn, southern Italians considered their northern fellows [[UpperClassTwit stuck-up and boring]]. Luckily, it got better with time and nowadays these stereotypes are usually [[PlayedForLaughs played for laughs]], as no one really takes them seriously anymore (mostly). Italians identify both by region and by nationality, distinguishing between Central, Northwest, South, Northeast and Insular Italy, which is more or less how it worked even in the Roman era, where Roman citizenship sat side-by-side with their regional and provincial identity and label. Since it was the Kingdom of Piedmont (ruled by the House of Savoy) that ended up uniting the Italians, the colour of the House of Savoy being blue, is why Italian sports teams play in blue to this day.

The so-called "dialects" are not variations of standard Italian, but real languages with their own grammar and pronunciation: the differences between them can be so huge that, ironically, an Italian living in Frascati would have an easier time understanding, let's say, a Spaniard than another Italian living in Rome if both Italians spoke their respective dialect-and Frascati is in the ''Metropolitan City of Rome Capital''.[[note]]During the Middle Ages both areas spoke dialects of Napulitano, the language spoken mostly in the Kingdom of Naples and strongly influenced by Spanish. During the sixteenth century, however, there was a strong immigration from Tuscany to Rome, and that, combined with the death or escape of many locals caused by the 1527 Sack of Rome, caused a language shift in the city that was not mirrored outside the walls[[/note]] However, all Italians learn Standard Italian (based on the Florence variety of the Tuscan dialect, as the Tuscans will proudly tell you) in school and since the rise of television and Creator/{{RAI}} and the private owned media companies that followed, the regional dialect has given way to greater standardization. All these languages reflect the different local cultures: in fact, every Italian region has its own unique traditions and foods, and it's not rare to notice a bit of rivalry between regions, each one of them claiming to have the best people, or the best dishes. [[SpaghettiAndGondolas Hollywood Italy]] erroneously tends to portray all Italians as dark haired, olive-skinned folks[[note]]which by the way falls under PhenotypeStereotype: dark hair is simply proportionally more common and olive skin is actually quite rare, being mostly restricted to the south. Even then, centuries of mixing between peoples has made it so that it's not uncommon to find blonde-haired, blue-eyed folks in Sicily, for example. To give you an idea, it's like portraying all Germans as light blondes.[[/note]] either living in Rome, Tuscany, Naples, Venice or Sicily, but real Italy is actually a diverse country with radically different people everywhere you go. This has often led to stereotypes even ''[[SlobsVersusSnobs between Italians themselves]]'', especially during the 1950s and 1960s, when many southern Italians emigrated to northern Italy; northern Italians weren't pleased and (very) often [[RichBitch looked down on them]], labeling them [[LowerClassLout as lazy and poor]]; in turn, southern Italians considered their northern fellows [[UpperClassTwit stuck-up and boring]]. Luckily, it got better with time and nowadays these stereotypes are usually [[PlayedForLaughs played for laughs]], as no one really takes them seriously anymore (mostly). Italians identify both by region and by nationality, distinguishing between Central, Northwest, Northeast, South and Insular Italy, which is more or less how it worked even in the Roman era, where Roman citizenship sat side-by-side with their regional and provincial identity and label. Since it was the Kingdom of Piedmont (ruled by the House of Savoy) that ended up uniting the Italians, the colour of the House of Savoy being blue, is why Italian sports teams play in blue to this day.

The so-called "dialects" are not variations of standard Italian, but real languages with their own grammar and pronunciation: the differences between them can be so huge that, ironically, an Italian living in Frascati would have an easier time understanding, let's say, a Spaniard than another Italian living in Rome if both Italians spoke their respective dialect-and Frascati is in the ''Metropolitan City of Rome Capital''.[[note]]During the Middle Ages both areas spoke dialects of Napulitano, the language spoken mostly in the Kingdom of Naples and strongly influenced by Spanish. During the sixteenth century, however, there was a strong immigration from Tuscany to Rome, and that, combined with the death or escape of many locals caused by the 1527 Sack of Rome, caused a language shift in the city that was not mirrored outside the walls[[/note]] However, all Italians learn Standard Italian (based on the Florence variety of the Tuscan dialect, as the Tuscans will proudly tell you) in school and since the rise of television and Creator/{{RAI}} and the private owned media companies that followed, the regional dialect has given way to greater standardization. All these languages reflect the different local cultures: in fact, every Italian region has its own unique traditions and foods, and it's not rare to notice a bit of rivalry between regions, each one of them claiming to have the best people, or the best dishes. [[SpaghettiAndGondolas Hollywood Italy]] erroneously tends to portray all Italians as dark haired, olive-skinned folks[[note]]which by the way falls under PhenotypeStereotype: dark hair is simply proportionally more common and olive skin is actually quite rare, being mostly restricted to the south. Even then, centuries of mixing between peoples has made it so that it's not uncommon to find blonde-haired, blue-eyed folks in Sicily, for example. To give you an idea, it's like portraying all Germans as light blondes.[[/note]] either living in Rome, Tuscany, Naples, Venice or Sicily, but real Italy is actually a diverse country with radically different people everywhere you go. This has often led to stereotypes even ''[[SlobsVersusSnobs between Italians themselves]]'', especially during the 1950s and 1960s, when many southern Italians emigrated to northern Italy; northern Italians weren't pleased and (very) often [[RichBitch looked down on them]], labeling them [[LowerClassLout as lazy and poor]]; in turn, southern Italians considered their northern fellows [[UpperClassTwit stuck-up and boring]]. Luckily, it got better with time and nowadays these stereotypes are usually [[PlayedForLaughs played for laughs]], as no one really takes them seriously anymore (mostly). Italians identify both by region and by nationality, distinguishing between Central, Northwest, South, Northeast and Insular Italy, which is more or less how it worked even in the Roman era, where Roman citizenship sat side-by-side with their regional and provincial identity and label. Since it was the Kingdom of Piedmont (ruled by the House of Savoy) that ended up uniting the Italians, the colour of the House of Savoy being blue, is why Italian sports teams play in blue to this day.

*** UsefulNotes/TheRomanEmpire

* UsefulNotes/TheRomanRepublic
** UsefulNotes/TheGloryThatWasRome
** UsefulNotes/PunicWars
* UsefulNotes/TheRomanEmpire

Some fun facts: the Song became the official national anthem only in 2017. The anthem for the Kingdom of Italy (1861-1948) was the ''Marcia Reale'' ("Royal March"), because the lyrics of ''Il Canto degli Italiani'' were seen as "too republican" for the current regime. After Italy became a republic in 1948, the Song was a ''de facto'' anthem for almost 70 years; this has led to embarassing moments during certain events held in other countries, when foreign orchestras played the Royal March in front of Republican Italian authorities because it was the last known official anthem.

->The official title of the anthem is ''Il Canto degli Italiani'' ("The Song of the Italians"), though it's commonly known as "Fratelli d'Italia" ("Brothers of Italy") or "Inno di Mameli" ("Mameli's Anthem"), from its lyricist Goffredo Mameli, who composed it in 1847 along with musician Vincenzo Novaro.
->Some fun facts: the Song became the official national anthem only in 2017. The anthem for the Kingdom of Italy (1861-1948) was the ''Marcia Reale'' ("Royal March"), because the lyrics of ''Il Canto degli Italiani'' were seen as "too republican" for the current regime. After Italy became a republic in 1948, the Song was a ''de facto'' anthem for almost 70 years; this has led to embarassing moments during certain events held in other countries, when foreign orchestras played the Royal March in front of Republican Italian authorities because it was the last known official anthem.
->The Song has always been (and still is) quite controversial among the populace, and there have been many proposals to replace it with a better piece of music, the most known of which is the chorus "Va, pensiero" from the opera ''Theatre/{{Nabucco}}'' (which, albeit SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic, as a national anthem would be a major case of LyricalDissonance since it's the lament of the Hebrew slaves in Babylon).

->'''Lyrics:'''

** President of the Council of Ministers: Giuseppe Conte

->God created her.

->Italy has called! Yes!

->Italy is a unitary parliamentary republic.
-> The '''President of the Republic''' is the head of state. A largely ceremonial office (though they play a major role during government crises and cabinet formation), they are elected by the Parliament in joint session plus delegates from every Region every seven years. There have been twelve Presidents since 1946.
** Incumbent: Sergio Mattarella
-> The '''President of the Council of Ministers''' (commonly known as ''Prime Minister'' or ''Premier'') is the head of government. Alongside their cabinet, they are vested with the executive power and as such they are the main decision-making figure in the Italian institutional system. They are appointed by the President of the Republic on the basis of the Parliament's composition: they have to maintain a majority of confidence in both Houses at all times, otherwise the cabinet dissolves. If this happens, the President should appoint a new Prime Minister with enough support, or they can dissolve the Parliament and call a snap election. Since 1946, twenty-nine individuals have held the office for a total of sixty-six different cabinets (which, if you do the math, makes the average cabinet last a little over a year).
** Incumbent: Giuseppe Conte
** Appointed: Mario Draghi
-> The '''Parliament''' is the main legislative body. It is composed of two Houses, holding largely the same powers: the '''Senate of the Republic''' (Senate for short) and the '''Chamber of Deputies'''. They are both elected directly by Italian citizens every five years (or earlier, if they are dissolved by the President). There have been eighteen legislatures since 1948.
** Incumbent President of the Senate: Elisabetta Casellati
** Incumbent President of the Chamber of Deputies: Roberto Fico
----
[[AC:Regional and local administration]]
->Despite Italy being a unitary state, decentralised levels of government hold large amounts of power. There's no such thing as unincorporated or federal territory: every inch of land belongs to a ''comune'' (municipality), which belongs to a province or a metropolitan city,[[note]]A special province containing a large city and its surrounding area[[/note]] which belong to a Region. Regions can promulgate laws in the matters listed by the Constitution, most notably healthcare. Five Regions have "special statutes" granting them greater autonomy; they are all peripheric Regions, either border Regions inhabited by linguistic minorities (Aosta Valley, Trentino-South Tyrol, Friuli-Venezia Giulia) or islands (Sicily, Sardinia).
->In alphabetical order, the twenty regions are Abruzzo, Basilicata, Campania, Calabria, Emilia-Romagna, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Lazio, Liguria, Lombardia (Lombardy), Marche, Molise, Piemonte (Piedmont), Puglia (Apulia), Sardegna (Sardinia), Sicilia (Sicily), Toscana (Tuscany), Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol (Trentino-South Tyrol), Umbria, Valle d'Aosta/Vallée d'Aoste (Aosta Valley) and Veneto.