L'Italo-Americano

L'Italo-Americano THURSDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2017 www.italoamericano.org 8 FRANCESCA BEZZONE S tereotypes: there's always a bit of truth in every one of them, positive or nega- tive, and those about Italy are plenty: Italians are loud, Italians can't stand in a queue, Italians always stick with one another, Italians always think about food. I am sure you can think of some more yourself. But Italy is a pretty big coun- try and very varied when it comes to landscapes, heritage, cuisine and even language, so it shouldn't come as a surprise to know that the people of each area, of each one of its regions have peculiarities and quirks of their own, swiftly turned into stereotypes by tradition. Mind, regional stereotypes of Italy are far from being flatter- ing. Ask people from Veneto, for instance, who have been fighting against the commonly spread idea they are a tad too fond of the earthy grappa and refined wines they produce. Even famous pho- tographer Oliviero Toscani, a few years ago, dug into the stereotype during an interview, causing an understandable out- rage. It seems that the mellow and slur-like twang of their dialect, along with the region's high production of wines and spirits, may lie at the bottom of this frankly uncomplimentary idea. The region of Piedmont is also often identified with its vast wine production, but its people are seen as wine "conoisseurs" more than anything else. Don't be fooled, however: stereotypes are very seldom positive and the Piedmontese, too, know a thing or too about it. They are usually considered gritty and a bit too rough around the edges because of the mountains that form so much of their territory, and many believe they're not to be trusted. As the old proverb goes "Piemontese, falso e cortese," Piedmontese: false yet polite. Fellow Ligurians are not any luckier, with a large part of Italy considering them a stingy and rather unwelcoming bunch. Just as in the case of the Piedmontese, the roughness of their personality is often explained by its similari- ties with regional territory, which in Liguria rises steeply from the sea, turning quickly into rugged mountains. Workaholic is the term com- ing to mind when thinking about Milanese and Lombards in gen- eral: "just look at them, always running around in that big gray city of theirs, looking at their watches," people like to think. They may be boringly profes- sional, but they certainly know how to dress, as that's another thing they're known for: being trendy. Needless to say, the fact Milan is the capital of both Italian economy and fashion may play a role in the nature of its people's stereotypes. Let's move toward the centre of the country to encounter the gentle, fragrant hills of Tuscany and its amazing art cities. Tuscans are without a doubt charming and friendly, but are often accused to be smug and full of themselves, with all that talk- ing about having created the Italian language and, well, the Renaissance. I'm not Tuscan, but to be fair to them, I think I'd be pretty smug about that, too, if I were. And what should we say about the Romans? Rome, the fairest of them all, the Eternal city of history, civilization and the Catholic Church is home to very friendly and welcoming people, but only to tourists, because they bring money. We're slowly but steadily heading to the South of Italy, where people are generally known for being loud, always cheerful and more obsessed with food and family -if possible - than the rest of the country. Neapolitans shine bright with their love for their beautiful city and their food, but these positive connotations are not sufficient to obliterate the negative stereotype that sees Naples as a criminality- ridden place, where everyone is after your purse. Campania is also the first region we come across in our quick trip through the stivale commonly associated with organized crime. Continuing South, we encounter Calabria, a region of rare beauty, perhaps not as popu- lar among travelers as its nearby companions Sicily and Apulia. Calabria has pristine seas and mountains, where farming and sheep breeding had been at the basis of people's sustenance for centuries. That's way people from Calabria are still seen today as a tie-knit bunch of shepherds, little open to progress and novel- ty. Sicilians are the quintessential passionate and loud Italian. They love with all their strength and, because they live their lives lead by feelings and emotions, they tend to be theatrical and over dra- matic. There's a lot to be said about what we Italians think of each other and, by reflex, of the image we give of ourselves around the world, and there may even be a little grain of truth in stereotypes, not only in those about Italy and Italians. Quite simply, this little grain of truth is often led to its extremes to portray a caricatural, easier to understand image of people. This is why stereotypes exist, in the end, to give us the fleeting, unrealistic belief all human beings belong to a catego- ry. And this is why we should never get quite offended by them unless, of course, they are used against us to demean our origins and heritage. Regional stereotypes of Italy LA VITA ITALIANA TRADITIONS HISTORY CULTURE We often read about Italian stereotypes, but what about the most common misconceptions about Italy's regions? Milan, the capital of fashion: its people are said to be very trendy and workaholics People from Tuscany feel very proud of having given to Italy its language

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