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Italy turned 150 today, which might surprise you. With so many ancient ruins and all the Renaissance and other historical works of art… you might wonder how the country could be so young.
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And your surprise would be completely comprehensible. The land we now know as Italy was once home to the Roman empire and much later witness to the end of the dark ages and birthplace of the Renaissance or golden age of art and culture.
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Italian hero General Giuseppe Garibaldi
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But as an actual country, Italia has only been around for 150 years. It was in 1861 that General Garibaldi, under orders of the then Re (King) Vittorio Emanuale, king of strongest kingdom in Italy at the time (located in Piemonte and pertaining to the Savoy) led the Italian unification campaign il Risorgimento. Il Risorgimento (“The Resurgence”, a political and social movement to agglomerate different states of the Italian peninsula into the single state of Italy) successfully unified and liberated the peninsula from foreign domination (at that time from the Bourbons and the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the last in a long line of foreign dominators). Thus Italia was born.
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Garibaldi & his army of red shirts, or ‘camicie rosse’
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At that time, there were vast regional differences in culture and language throughout the Italian peninsula, a land mass which is also very geographically diverse. Though Italian did exist as a language (that had started to develop and be crafted following Dante’s works), relatively few of the new Italians spoke their now national language with ease.
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In large part, many regional differences (as well as antagonisms and rivalries) still exist today. And most Italians have a strong regional affinity and identification. It is not uncommon to find people who identify themselves first as Roman, Venetian, Tuscan, Pugliese, Siciliano, etc. and then as Italian. And many still speak the dialect of their region, province, or town.
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Somewhere in the 1950s, as television became more widespread in Italy, so did a growing general knowledge and familiarity with the standard language. Today it would be very uncommon if not impossible to find someone who has gone through the public education system in Italy that does not speak Italian.
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And though there may still be regional antogonisms, the anniversario dell’Unità d’Italia (anniversary of the unity of Italy) is a time to remember past struggles, celebrate the resulting freedoms, and to look forward to a future that both honors regional richness and a national unity and identity consisting of a patchwork of this rich regional tapestry, united perhaps by the love of art, culture, and cuisine that are so much an integral part of this beautiful and diverse country.
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Any comments and observations are welcome — Leave them in the Reply section under the Updates/Sign-up form below.
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Auguri Italia!
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Fabulous!!! Easy to read and comprehend and fun, as usual…
Thank you, Jodina, for the information on the 150th year anniversary of Italia. I have read, somewhere in the past, that Sicily and Sardinia were among the first 3, which included Piemonte, to join Garibaldi in his movement to unify the regions. That was surprising to me. It does make sense, however, since there would be great benefit for these islands to be part of the whole in many ways.
Is this day a big celebration day in Italy? California is only about 160 years old, but, we don’t really celebrate it’s anniversay. Just curious.
Patrizia Pugliese
i grew up in an italian communiity in san diego, california. i realize, now, why my parents [father barese, mother napolitana] hung out w/ their own kind…they were familiar w/ the language [dialect] , food & customs of their own original towns. there were always feuds & vendettas practiced in the italian communities & they were nearly always drawn along regional lines. my aunt, barese, married a sicilian man & the whole family on both sides were aghast, scsndalized & unforgiving. strange, huh? auguri, jodina……la su’ amica,marianna
Ciao Jodina, grazie mille per il blog e sempre interesente. Mi piache molto leggere i fatti riguardanti Italia! come sta la piu bella inseniante in SD ?
Hanadina-Kuwait
Thanks for your excellent comments!
Patrizia: This day was a heartfelt celebration for many people in Italy, though not for all. Some would like to see Mar 17th be a national every year.
Marianna: I am so happy that this article helped to explain a few things. I truly wish regional differences could be resolved, put aside or embraced.
Hanadi: Ciao bella, sto bene! E tu? Che bello di sentire dalla mia studentessa preferita del Kuwait 😀