Italy is a very strange country when it comes to nationalism. In a sense it is much easier for a foreigner to describe Italy’s nationalism and tradition than it is for an Italian. From my point of view, Italy is still not a unified country with a single sense of nationalism. I still see the same struggles going on today that plagued the country hundreds of years. It is very much a nation that is North versus South, rich versus poor, and true blood Italian versus fake Italian. (Northerners and specifically Romans consider themselves to be the true Italians due to the Ancient Roman Empire and the fact that southern Italy was invaded multiple times and heavily influenced by Spain and Greece) This division in national identity extends to the national traditions of Italy. Take for example the festival of Carnevale (Carnival or Mardi Gras) in Italy which is a massive party before lent. Many assume that this tradition is extremely popular all over the entire country; however, realistically it is more popular in the North and in particular Venice due to the historical significance to the city. In addition, Carnevale is not limited to Italy but is in fact celebrated in many other countries around the world.
The one tradition that I can think of that is a part of Italy’s national identity but is not well known to most foreigners is Ferragosto. In modern times, Ferragosto is a public holiday in Italy that is typically celebrated on August 15th and is a celebration of relaxation. Ferragosto originated in Ancient Rome and comes from the word Feriae Augusti which means Augustus’ rest. It was originally created by Roman Emperor Augustus in 18 B.C. as an addition to the existing Roman festivals that already took place in August which celebrated the harvest. Augustus created this holiday as a way to reward people with a long rest period after the intense labour required during the harvest weeks. Italy was also a very religious nation so this holiday began taking on religious significance. The Romans originally incorporated the worshipping of the fertility Goddess Diana into the celebration and the church adopted this to commemorate the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary which is the celebration of the day that the Virgin Mary’s sinless body and soul were simultaneously ascended into heaven. Even during the period of fascism in the 20s and 30s, the government maintained Ferragosto by setting up the People’s Trains of Ferragosto at discounted prices that gave the opportunity to poor families to travel around the country and experience a vacation. (Zannoni 2013, 1-2) Nowadays Ferragosto is no longer a month long celebrations but is relegated to one day only; however, many businesses and people in Italy do take up to two weeks off and the country essentially shuts down. (Terrible time to be a tourist and an ironic metaphor for the current state of Italy’s economy but that’s another debate)
In relation to this course, I would argue that Italy’s form of nationalism is best described by Anthony Smith. “A nation is a named human population sharing an historic territory, common myths and historical memories, a mass public culture, a common economy and common legal rights and duties for all its members.” (1991a:14 / Lecture January 9) Due to its longstanding issues of competitiveness between regions and a general lack of national cohesion, I would described Italy’s sense of nationality with the definition used by Walker Connor to define nation. Nation is essentially the idea of being related through common blood ties. (Connor 1978: 38) Therefore, I believe that Italian nationalism is limited to the idea that citizens all feel a sense of community based to their perceived blood ties rather than a national tradition. The closest national tradition that can unite all citizens is Ferragosto.
The one tradition that I can think of that is a part of Italy’s national identity but is not well known to most foreigners is Ferragosto. In modern times, Ferragosto is a public holiday in Italy that is typically celebrated on August 15th and is a celebration of relaxation. Ferragosto originated in Ancient Rome and comes from the word Feriae Augusti which means Augustus’ rest. It was originally created by Roman Emperor Augustus in 18 B.C. as an addition to the existing Roman festivals that already took place in August which celebrated the harvest. Augustus created this holiday as a way to reward people with a long rest period after the intense labour required during the harvest weeks. Italy was also a very religious nation so this holiday began taking on religious significance. The Romans originally incorporated the worshipping of the fertility Goddess Diana into the celebration and the church adopted this to commemorate the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary which is the celebration of the day that the Virgin Mary’s sinless body and soul were simultaneously ascended into heaven. Even during the period of fascism in the 20s and 30s, the government maintained Ferragosto by setting up the People’s Trains of Ferragosto at discounted prices that gave the opportunity to poor families to travel around the country and experience a vacation. (Zannoni 2013, 1-2) Nowadays Ferragosto is no longer a month long celebrations but is relegated to one day only; however, many businesses and people in Italy do take up to two weeks off and the country essentially shuts down. (Terrible time to be a tourist and an ironic metaphor for the current state of Italy’s economy but that’s another debate)
In relation to this course, I would argue that Italy’s form of nationalism is best described by Anthony Smith. “A nation is a named human population sharing an historic territory, common myths and historical memories, a mass public culture, a common economy and common legal rights and duties for all its members.” (1991a:14 / Lecture January 9) Due to its longstanding issues of competitiveness between regions and a general lack of national cohesion, I would described Italy’s sense of nationality with the definition used by Walker Connor to define nation. Nation is essentially the idea of being related through common blood ties. (Connor 1978: 38) Therefore, I believe that Italian nationalism is limited to the idea that citizens all feel a sense of community based to their perceived blood ties rather than a national tradition. The closest national tradition that can unite all citizens is Ferragosto.