Essay on the Culture of Italy

Italians are an ethnically diverse community within a small country that they occupy, this brings them together rather than further apart. No matter what dialect, they share the same race, Italians. Within this report there are 8 aspects of Italian culture mentioned these include food, traditional clothing, celebrations, dance; language, religion, rituals and inequities they face. These are important factors to consider when discovering Italian culture and values.

Food in Italy

Food in Italy can be a controversial topic when it comes to most Italians, considering where it came from or which region gets to ‘own’ the dish but they still share very similar features. There are a range of foods in the Italian culture, some of which include Tiramisu, Osso Bucco, Carbonara and Arancini. When talking about food it is important to talk about two separate meals from different parts of the country so you understand how culture varies from different regions. First, it's pizza, it originated in Napoli, pizza is considered a snack/meal and holds a stereotypical Italy inside it. Pizza can be made with red or white sauce and have many different options for toppings. Pizza can also be Roman-tyle (paper-thin) or Napoleon-style (thick). Next comparison is bottarga. Sicily is a very big fishing town so bottarga has become the Sicilian caviar for most, this is made of smoked eggs from the ‘rat’ of the sea. This is usually used in pasta and now considered one of the most sought-after foods in Italy. Food preparation is important in Italy, as Italian cuisine is considered an art by many and influenced other cultural foods. Food isn’t nourishment, it is life, “Food gatherings are frequent and often centred around food and extended family” (CNN, 2020). All foods in Italy are kosher but there are a few Jewish people who live there so non-kosher foods can include alcohol and animal derived foods.

Traditional Clothing in Italy

Italian traditional dress is based around the concept of being practical. Italian peasants wore practical clothing for their daily activities and simple shirts as well as blouses. These evolved from the Middle-Ages and did not lack detail, with embroidery and metal buttons and pins. Italians used to always use simple and cheap fabrics like cotton and obras (waterproof wool), and color selection was inexpensive black and grey dyes. This all evolved from the Middle Ages considering the rise of the Roman Empire. Clothes worn by rich Italians were close to peasants but entailed more expensive fabrics like silk and velvet. Italy in the modern ages is mostly known for their brands and the extension of classy fashion so there are a few lines that cannot be crossed when visiting their country. You should avoid wearing tank tops or other clothing that exposes the shoulders when entering the Vatican or a church. Try not to wear anything that is too revealing as that can be interpreted as a sign of disrespect. Wearing mini-skirts or short shorts would be frowned on in the Vatican. There are other rules like men should not wear shorts after dark and white socks under trousers, they are just quite funny to Italians. Traditional dress is very practical but also very classy.

Celebrations in Italy

Italians celebrate many different celebrations as a community these include Epiphany and La Befana, Carnevale, Scoppio del Caro and Patron Saint Feast Day. First is the Epiphany and La Befana. In Florence, it is a tradition for an old woman to deliver presents to kids on January 6th. She is very similar to Santa Claus to give presents to good kids and coal to bad ones. After this, it is celebrated with a wonderful parade of people winding through Florence to the Piazza Duomo in Renaissance costumes to honor the arrival of the three Wise Men. Next is Carnevale; Carnevale celebrates the renaissance and all the things in Italy that were part of the renaissance era. Carnevale can be celebrated with flamboyant costumes of puppet characters like. Arlecchino, who was a joker puppet or Colombina, a princess who only cared about her dad’s money. It is celebrated with musicians, horses and dancers. It is held each year between February and March. It is known for being mainly a celebration in Venice but Florence has gotten involved. “There is a grand parade that travels throughout Florence with highlights such as the beautiful costumes, floats and a puppet dragon” (Ritz J, 2019). There are many celebrations in Italy throughout the year but the two most famous are Carnevale and the Epiphany.

Dance in Italy

Italy may not be as famous for dancing, but dancing does hold a special place in Italian culture, there are a variety of dances in their culture such as the Sardinian Ballu Tundu or the Napoleon Saltarello, but probably the most famous one is the Tarantella for Puglia. The original solo Tarantella does not have much documentation as to certain dance techniques used, depending on who you ask the dance is very different. The courtship form is very different and has evolved into more of a dance of pursuit between a man and woman through a variety of steps. It has been said the Tarantella values the woman over the man and her ability to resist or ignore the admiration of the opposite gender. This could be seen maybe in the way the man kneels at the woman while she dances above and around him. The original purpose of this dance and what it means could be traced back to Southern Italy in the 16th and 17th centuries but more prevalent in the Middle Ages/Renaissance. It was primarily a solo dance to cure disease but later evolved into a group dance from curing a tarantella spider bite therefore it became the Tarantella. It is believed that once bitten, the venom caused one to fall into a trance, only curable through a frenzy of dance and music. The non-stop, fast paced dancing would help the victim sweat out the poison. The Tarantella is accompanied with the mandolin, guitar, tambourine and the accordion.

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Language in Italy

There are many languages spoken in Italy, but the most widely spoken language is Italian which is spoken by 97.41% of the population. English is also a spoken language with 13.74% being able to speak it, but that margin is very small considering the large amount that can speak Italian. Since Italy is in Europe and there are open borders to other countries this brings other culture from places like France, Spain, Germany and Croatia. Although Italian maybe the same language, there are a range of dialects from different places around Italy. The majority of these languages are Romance-based, meaning that they evolved from Vulgar Latin. These include Sicilian, Neapolitan, Sardinian, and more.

Religion in Italy

It is no surprise that the main religion of Italy is Roman Catholicism, as the Vatican City the epicenter of Catholicism, with Pope Francis is in Rome. Roman Catholics and other Christians make up 80% of the population, though only one-third of those are practicing Catholics. As a branch of Christianity, Roman Catholicism can be traced to the life and teachings of Jesus Christ in Roman-occupied Jewish Palestine about 30 CE. According to Roman Catholic teaching, each of the sacraments was instituted by Christ himself.

Rituals in Italy

Italians have many wacky rituals that make their culture more interesting, some of these include eating lentils at midnight, drinking coffee, throwing coins into a fountain and touching the nose of a pig statue at a market. First is eating of lentils at midnight, this particular ritual is done on New Year’s Eve and is thought to bring fortune and happiness to those who decide to participate. The purpose lentils hold is that lentils are considered nourishing, wholesome food and they represent wellbeing and wealth and they are believed to bring all that to those eating them on the first night of the new year. Coffee is also a part of Italian tradition as they have been the traditional coffee makers for ages. Most Italians like to engage in a cup of ‘un caffe’ before going to work each morning. Next is the Trevi Fountain, you throw a coin into the fountain to say you will visit Rome soon and the Trevi Fountain also boast an ancient lie detector the famous Bocca della Verità (the mouth of truth). Lastly the little pig fountain, which is actually a boar based in the Loggia del Mercato Nuovo (New Market) is said to bring good luck to anyone who touches it.

Inequities That Italians Face

Italians don’t face many inequities in their country, but there are a few to touch on since they are part of a specific racial group and are aiding to other cultures that have to flee to their country and there are not enough resources to aid the entire country. First, Italians do face a lot of racism, and a derogatory term that can be used for Italians could be the word ‘wog’ as they are of Mediterranean decent. Italy also has a lot of minority groups like Albanians, Greeks, Germans and Croatians that can take the blame game in Italy. The post war migration from Southern Italy towards the more industrialized North faced a degree of difference across the Italians. There became racial slurs, resulting in Italy being deemed as the most racist country in the world according to Pew Research Centre. “A successive wave of immigration by extracomunitari (non-EU immigrants; the word has strong undertones of rejection) from the late 80s, gave rise to political movements, like the Northern League, hostile to both the so-called terroni (an Italian slur against southern Italians, whose presence in the North is regarded by party members as analogous to that of aliens from North Africa) and clandestini (illegal immigrants: this word also has a strongly negative connotation of secrecy and criminal behaviour) from outside of Western Europe and the areas south of the Mediterranean” (Wikipedia, 2020).

As racism is a very prevalent issue in society, it is going to be very hard to erase it, but there are 8 things you can do to help stop racism, firstly you have to recognize your privilege and understand your privilege. Second you have to recognize your biases and ask where did they come from/source. You have to realize whether this bias is valid or not, usually it won’t be. You have to empathize with the people receiving the racism. Also call out people who are being racist without being rude, just tell them that what they are doing is not okay. Be thoughtful with money, maybe you want to help of color businesses, especially in the times of Coronavirus this may mean a lot to them. Lastly, you have to realize all types of racism, not just of race, it could be people who have had experiences like domestic violence. Those are just some really simple ways to fight against racism.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Italy is a very ethnically diverse country that has many cultural barriers they face but also many that they embrace. This can be brought across many areas of Italian culture like food, clothing, celebrations, dance, language, religion, rituals and inequities they face. Although all these differences, that sometimes may make their culture seem contradictory to itself, that is what makes Italy, Italy.

References

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4. Ritz, J. (2019). The Top 8 Cultural Celebrations in Italy. Retrieved September 4, 2020, from https://capaworld.capa.org/the-top-8-cultural-celebrations-in-italy
5. Saint-Louis, L. (2013, May 7). La Tarantella Italiana. Retrieved September 4, 2020, from https://dancehistorydevelopment.wordpress.com/2013/05/07/la-tarantella-italiana/#:~:text=Southern%20Italy%20serves%20as%20the
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