Celtic Legacy and Northern Ita ly

[Silentium]

My knowledge is limited to the druids and a bit of mythology so I

[Ursus]

Yes, people from northern Italy claim their celtic origins. They hate Rome (...) and they founded a political party (part of the actual government) called Lega Nord(Northern League)a 4% of the italian population(mostly living in the north) claiming to have celtic origins and claiming their errr..intellectual superiority *coughs*. Their aim is to split up from Italy and make their own country called "Padania" (hahaha!). I'd like to give more info but I'm still trying to figure out what they stand for and what's their problem..

 

 

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe northern Italy is much more prosperous than southern Italy owing to, among other things, its proximity to the German and French economies. Some people in the North feel they would do a lot better without the poorer South to drag them along. So while certain ethnic rivalries may be in play, there is a solid economic factor in the separatist movement.

[Silentium]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe northern Italy is much more prosperous than southern Italy owing to, among other things, its proximity to the German and French economies. Some people in the North feel they would do a lot better without the poorer South to drag them along. So while certain ethnic rivalries may be in play, there is a solid economic factor in the separatist movement.

Exactly, perfect analysis claiming celtic origins is for most only a cover up for their real reasons, merely economic ones. Plus in this way they can attract in the movement as many people as possible, especially farmers, shepherds and generally other relatively ignorant people from the northern valleys who will most likely hear the call of their celtic origins and give them the vote, despite knowing nothing about economics and the real purposes of Lega Nord. That is what irritates me, this egoistical view of things. North-centre Italians are aware that the south is poorer and affected by plagues like mafia, camorra etc. but does it entitle us to leave them alone in their situation? The area of Rome is a relatively rich one, together with Tuscany and other central regions of Italy. Does this give us the right to claim Etruscan/Roman origins (if you catch the drift ) and to split up from Italy just because from Naples to Palermo they are just criminality and farms? Obviously not. Economy is not the only reason behind this though, otherwise I would not understand this intense hate for Roma. Why do Lega Nord hate Rome? That

[Fatboy]

QUOTE" I wrote too much and I'm visibly off topic "

Naahh.....its all good, anyhow topics tend to evolve as threads go on.

I think Napoleon once said something like " Italy exists only as a geographical term "

referring to the fact that by his time Italy hadn't been unified for over 1300 years

So since modern Italy is by comparison to the likes of Spain, France, England etc a very young country, does this mean most people tend to feel regional loyalty before a feeling of being Italian or is that just the extreme minority like those Lega Nord people?

[Silentium]

QUOTE" I wrote too much and I'm visibly off topic "

Naahh.....its all good, anyhow topics tend to evolve as threads go on.

I think Napoleon once said something like " Italy exists only as a geographical term "

referring to the fact that by his time Italy hadn't been unified for over 1300 years

So since modern Italy is by comparison to the likes of Spain, France, England etc a very young country, does this mean most people tend to feel regional loyalty before a feeling of being Italian or is that just the extreme minority like those Lega Nord people?

 

Yes, and I remember Metternich said something similar.

 

So since modern Italy is by comparison to the likes of Spain, France, England etc a very young country, does this mean most people tend to feel regional loyalty before a feeling of being Italian or is that just the extreme minority like those Lega Nord people?

 

 

Of course regional differences are strongly felt in Italy, but I think the same exact thing could happen in France between a