The Southern Way of Life - Southern Italy - page 469

Through Southern Eyes
Alessio is a 30-something Sicilian expat. Born into a close-knit family near Catania, he
studied physics in Florence before moving to Bonn to complete a PhD in astrophys-
ics…and to start a career as a culinary consultant. Every Easter and Christmas, he makes
the 2276km journey back home to catch up with family and friends, and to sink his teeth
into a steaming arancino (a deep-fried, stuffed rice ball; his favourite Italian snack).
Alessio's story is not unusual in a part of Italy so bitter-sweetly defined by emigration, nos-
talgia and tradition. Alessio muses: 'A deep part of my personality and feelings are based
in the south. Even though I am happy and grateful for what I have obtained abroad, I often
feel homesick. The bucolic life spent enjoying the sun with family and friends, eating,
drinking and singing, Sicilian hills in the background, is an image that haunts me. I think
this is true for many expats.'
Perhaps even more uniquely southern is the love/hate dynamic underlying this relation-
ship. As Alessio explains: 'In Germany, there's a sense of personal civic responsibility. In
southern Italy, suspicion of strangers has stifled this collective feeling from developing.'
The other obstacle is a stubborn sense of pride. 'Too often in the south, doing something
that's civic minded - like picking rubbish off the street or not using your car to help reduce
pollution - leaves you open to mockery from others, who see your action as a sign of weak-
ness.' There is regret in Alessio's voice: 'It's frustrating to think that a society so rich in
culture and traditions, so warm-hearted, could do much more for itself if it only learned to
trust and cooperate.'
Yet, things are changing. Both the internet and travel are helping to shape a generation
more aware of, and open to, foreign ideas. Online communities are allowing people once
socially or ideologically isolated to connect with others, to share experiences and develop
new ways of tackling old problems. Alessio is hopeful: 'Words like “integration” and
“openness” are becoming more meaningful in the south. Slowly, people are becoming more
aware of the common ground they share. With this awareness, we can hopefully build a
brighter, collectively minded future.'
A one-man ' Abbott & Costello', Antonio de Curtis (1898-1967), aka Totò, famously depicted the Neapolit-
an furbizia (cunning). Appearing in more than 100 films, including Miseria e Nobiltà (Misery & Nobility ; 1954),
his roles as a hustler living on nothing but his quick wits would guarantee him cult status in Naples.