Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The Southern Psyche
Beautiful Family, Beautiful Image
Family is the bedrock of southern Italian life, and loyalty to family and friends is usually
non-negotiable. As Luigi Barzini (1908-84), author of
The Italians,
noted, 'A happy
private life helps tolerate an appalling public life.' This chasm between the private arena
and the public one is a noticeable aspect of the southern mentality, and has evolved over
years of intrusive foreign domination. Some locals mightn't think twice about littering their
street, but step inside their home and you'll get floors clean enough to eat from. After all,
you'd never want someone dropping in and thinking you're a
zingaro
(gypsy), right?
Maintaining a
bella figura
(beautiful image) is very important to the average southerner,
and how you and your family appear to the outside world is a matter of honour, respectabil-
ity and pride. As Alessio explains: 'In the south, you are better than your neighbour if you
own more and better things. This mentality is rooted in the past, when you really did need
to own lots of things to attain certain social roles and ultimately sustain your family.' Yet
fare bella figura
(making a good impression) goes beyond a well-kept house; it extends to
dressing well, behaving modestly, performing religious and social duties and fulfilling all
essential family obligations. In the context of the extended family, where gossip is rife, a
good image protects one's privacy.
Any self-respecting Italian bookshelf features one or more Roman rhetoricians. To
fare la bella figura
(make a
good impression) among academics, trot out a phrase from Cicero or Horace (Horatio), such as 'Where
there is life there is hope' or 'Whatever advice you give, be brief'.
It's Not What You Know…
In Europe's most ancient, entrenched bureaucracy, strong family ties are essential to getting
things done. Putting in a good word for your son, niece or grandchild isn't just a nice ges-
ture, but an essential career boost. As a Ministry of Labour study recently revealed, most
people in Italy still find employment through personal connections. For better or worse,
cli-
entelismo
(nepotism) is as much a part of the Italian lexicon as
caffè
(coffee) and
tasse
(taxes). Just ask former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who in 2009 chose a
Grande
Fratello
(Big Brother) contestant, a soap-opera starlet, a TV costume-drama actress and a
Miss Italy contestant to represent Italy as members of the European Union parliament. In a
