Mezzogiorno
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What is the Mezzogiorno in Italy?
The Mezzogiorno is a region in Italy that roughly corresponds to the former Kingdom of Naples. In current Italian administrative usage, the Mezzogiorno is a mainland subregion consisting of the southern Italian regions of Abruzzi, Molise, Campania, Puglia, Basilicata, and Calabria, as well as the insular subregion of Sicily and Sardinia.
Mezzogiorno is Italian for "midday" or "noon," a reference to the intense sunshine in southern Italy. The south has become more modernized since about 1960. Chief crops in the region include wheat, olives, grapes, peaches, apricots, pears, and various vegetables.
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Where is the Mezzogiorno region located in Italy?
The Mezzogiorno is a region in Italy roughly coextensive with the former Kingdom of Naples. In current Italian administrative usage, it is a mainland subregion consisting of the southern Italian regions of Abruzzi, Molise, Campania, Puglia, Basilicata, and Calabria, and an insular subregion composed of Sicily and Sardinia. The Italian term Mezzogiorno means “midday” or “noon,” and southern Italy is known as the Mezzogiorno because of the intensity of sunshine there at midday.
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Which major cities are found in the Mezzogiorno?
The Mezzogiorno is a region in southern Italy that roughly corresponds to the former Kingdom of Naples. In current Italian administrative usage, it is a mainland subregion consisting of the southern Italian regions of Abruzzi, Molise, Campania, Puglia, Basilicata, and Calabria, and an insular subregion composed of Sicily and Sardinia. Southern Italy's population is concentrated in the coastal towns. Naples and its surrounding fertile Campania are located in the Mezzogiorno. The coastal plains are generally narrow and poorly drained and are limited to the environs of the cities of Naples and Salerno, Foggia, and Taranto.
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Why is the Mezzogiorno considered different from northern Italy?
The Mezzogiorno, or Southern Italy, is distinct from Northern Italy due to historical, geographical, and economic factors.
Following Italian unification in 1861, the south remained dominated by large estate owners, resulting in social and economic backwardness. Large-scale land reform did not occur until 1946. The standard of living and per capita income in Southern Italy lag behind those of Northern Italy, with agriculture employing a high percentage of the workforce. The region is dominated by the Apennine Range, limiting cultivation, and experiences soil erosion due to deforestation and overgrazing. Southern Italy's population is concentrated in coastal towns, with many having migrated to Northern Italy and other European countries.
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What economic challenges does the Mezzogiorno face?
The Mezzogiorno, also known as Southern Italy, faces several economic challenges, including a significant disparity in per capita income compared to northern Italy.
The region has historically suffered from underdevelopment, with limited industrialization and high unemployment rates, which have been about three times higher than in the north. Although the Southern Development Fund (Cassa per il Mezzogiorno) was established in 1950 to address these issues through investments in infrastructure and industrial development, its efforts to fully industrialize the region were unsuccessful.
Organized crime has also had a detrimental impact, dominating regions politically, socially, and economically and hindering environmental protection efforts. Despite some progress in combating organized crime, challenges remain.
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How have historical events shaped the culture of the Mezzogiorno region?
The Mezzogiorno, or southern Italy, has a rich history that has significantly shaped its culture. From the 12th to 15th centuries, the region experienced Norman, German Hohenstaufen, French Angevin, and Aragonese rule, each leaving distinct imprints. The Aragonese, for example, established the Dogana della Mene delle Pecore, impacting agricultural practices and reducing the number of small farmers.
Later, under the Spanish Bourbons in 1734, southern Italy and Sicily became an independent kingdom, though limited reforms and feudal obligations persisted until the late 18th century. Even after the unification of Italy in 1861, the south remained economically disadvantaged, inspiring the Letteratura Meridionalista that addressed the region’s social and economic backwardness. Despite efforts at land reform and development initiatives like the Cassa per il Mezzogiorno, the south continued to lag behind northern Italy, marked by high emigration and reliance on agriculture.
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Mezzogiorno, region in Italy roughly coextensive with the former Kingdom of Naples; in current Italian administrative usage, it is a mainland subregion consisting of the southern Italian regions of Abruzzi, Molise, Campania, Puglia, Basilicata, and Calabria and an insular subregion composed of Sicily and Sardinia. Mezzogiorno is the Italian term for “midday” or “noon,” and southern Italy is known as the Mezzogiorno because of the intensity of sunshine there at midday.
The Normans ruled southern Italy between 1130 and 1198 and were succeeded by the German Hohenstaufen. The French Angevins ousted the Hohenstaufen in 1266 and greatly expanded the power of the feudal nobility. Alfonso V of Aragon conquered southern Italy between 1420 and 1442 and established the Dogana della Mene delle Pecore (“Custom of the Sheep”) to levy taxes on sheep and other livestock. The Dogana reduced the number of small farmers and agricultural labourers in southern Italy by favouring the conversion of cropland to pasture.
Southern Italy and Sicily were established as an independent kingdom under the Spanish Bourbons in 1734; only limited reforms were introduced, and most southern Italians were tied to some form of feudal obligation as late as 1786. Small-scale land reform was implemented near Manfredonia in Puglia in 1806 and was followed by a series of projects to reclaim marshland and improve drainage.
The Mezzogiorno continued to be dominated by the owners of large estates after the unification of Italy in 1861, and the social and economic “backwardness” of the south became the subject of the Letteratura Meridionalista (“Southern Literature”) in the late 19th century. Large-scale land reform was not implemented in southern Italy until 1946. The Cassa per il Mezzogiorno, a development fund for the south, was established as a separate ministry of the Italian government in 1950; it received funds from the parliament to invest in the social and economic development of southern Italy, Sicily, and Sardinia. Private investment in the industrial development of the south has been channeled through the Association for the Development of Industry in the Mezzogiorno, which was created in 1946.
Southern Italy is dominated by the Apennine Range, and up to one-half of the land is too steep for any form of cultivation. Coastal plains are generally narrow and poorly drained and are limited to the environs of the cities of Naples and Salerno, Foggia, and Taranto. Malaria was prevalent in the marshy plains well into the 20th century and was not fully eradicated until after World War II. Limestone and other soft rocks susceptible to erosion predominate in the Apennines; centuries of overcutting and overgrazing forests and scrubland have stripped topsoil from the mountains and hills and have left behind a raw landscape of steep slopes and deeply eroded gullies. Annual precipitation rarely exceeds 20 inches (510 mm) and falls almost entirely in torrential winter downpours that further intensify soil erosion. Irrigation and hydroelectric development are limited because most rivers dry up during the summer.
Southern Italy’s population is concentrated in the coastal towns, which have grown at the expense of villages in the Apennines. Rows of small new houses have been built throughout the lowlands reclaimed from marsh. The southern Italian population’s rate of natural increase exceeds that of northern Italy but has been offset in large part by the immigration of workers to industrial centres in northern Italy, France, Switzerland, and Germany.
The standard of living and per capita income of southern Italy lag behind that of northern Italy, and agriculture continues to employ a disproportionately high percentage of the southern work force. Land reform favoured sharecroppers and labourers previously employed on large estates and was accompanied by the creation of agricultural cooperatives and subsidiary rural roads throughout the Mezzogiorno; thousands of new farmhouses also were built. Chief crops in the region include wheat, olives, grapes, peaches, apricots, pears, and various vegetables.
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The Cassa ministry invested heavily in reforestation and the expansion and modernization of irrigation, roads, railways, and harbours. Four dozen industrial centres were established with assistance from the Cassa; the European Investment Bank also has subsidized the industrialization of the Mezzogiorno. Economic planners favoured the development of heavy industries: iron, steel, machine tools, agricultural machinery, and petrochemicals have been produced in the industrial triangle of Bari, Brindisi, and Taranto. More diversified industries around Naples have produced textiles and various consumer goods, iron, steel, Olivetti office machinery, Pirelli cables, Alfa Romeo automobiles, and ships. Relatively few industries have been located in the Apennine Range. Tourist facilities are concentrated along the coast. The traditional farmsteads of Apulia, the conical trulli, built of stone from a cylindrical base, attract many sightseers. The historic cave dwellings of Matera province also draw tourists.
Numerous towns in Calabria were settled by Albanians and host celebrations in honour of Skanderbeg, the national hero of Albania. The Primavera albanese, the Albanian springtime, is widely celebrated in Cosenza province. Calabrian dialects preserve a number of Greek words. Apulian cuisine shows Spanish influences and relies heavily on olive oil and fine wines.