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| Italian Mezzogiorno | |
|---|---|
| Name | Mezzogiorno |
| Native name | Mezzogiorno |
| Settlement type | Historical region |
| Subdivision type | Country |
| Subdivision name | Italy |
| Seat type | Largest city |
| Seat | Naples |
Italian Mezzogiorno is the traditional designation for the southern portion of Italy comprising regions such as Campania, Apulia, Calabria, Sicily, Sardinia, Basilicata and Molise, historically distinct in administration, society and development from Piedmont, Lombardy and the northern peninsula. The Mezzogiorno has been central to debates on regional inequality, migration, and state-building since the Italian unification era, and figures prominently in studies of agrarian structures, industrialization, and trans-Mediterranean networks.
The term derives from Italian usage where mezzogiorno literally denotes "midday" and has been applied since the 19th century in works by commentators such as Giovanni Battista Niccolini, Francesco De Sanctis, and scholars associated with the Risorgimento to label southern Italy; contemporaneous statisticians from Cavour’s circle and intellectuals like Giosuè Carducci and Giuseppe Mazzini debated its scope. Administrative definitions used by institutions including the Istituto Nazionale di Statistica (ISTAT), the European Union's NUTS classification, and the OECD often differ, with variants covering the Islands of Sicily and Sardinia or excluding them, while regional governments such as the Region of Sicily and the Region of Sardinia assert autonomous statuses under provisions like the Italian Constitution’s special statutes.
The Mezzogiorno's history intersects with ancient polities such as Magna Graecia, the Roman Republic, and the Byzantine Empire, later shaped by the Norman conquest of southern Italy and Sicily, the Hohenstaufen dynasty, and the Kingdom of Naples. Feudal and dynastic shifts under the Aragonese dynasty, the Spanish Empire, and the Bourbon restoration influenced landholding patterns examined in studies referencing the Treaty of Utrecht and the Congress of Vienna. The 19th-century Expedition of the Thousand led by Giuseppe Garibaldi and the subsequent annexation into the Kingdom of Italy produced contested reforms such as the Legge Pica and sparked rural unrest exemplified by the Brigandage in Southern Italy (1861–1870), prompting migration flows toward New York City, Buenos Aires, Paris, and London.
Scholars contrast Mezzogiorno trajectories with industrial growth in Turin, Milan, and Genoa; analyses by the World Bank, OECD, and economists like Giorgio Ruffolo and Pasquale Saraceno examine indicators including GDP per capita, productivity, and unemployment. Post‑war development initiatives such as the Cassa per il Mezzogiorno, investments by Eni, and infrastructure projects tied to the European Regional Development Fund sought to stimulate sectors from agriculture in Foggia and Sicilian citrus to manufacturing in Bari and Taranto, but persistent challenges—reflected in reports by ISTAT and research at University of Naples Federico II and University of Palermo—highlight informal economies, organized crime networks like Cosa Nostra, 'Ndrangheta, and Camorra, and migration to Germany, France, and the United States.
Population dynamics show historical peasant demographics transitioning through urbanization in Naples, Palermo, and Catania, with demographic shifts documented by historians such as Eric Hobsbawm and demographers at ISTAT; fertility declines, aging populations, and internal migration to northern centers like Milan and Rome mirror European trends studied by Eurostat. Educational attainment and out-migration of skilled labor have been analyzed in works associated with Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies and Bocconi University, while public health interventions during epidemics—referenced in archival accounts of the Plague of 1656 and the Spanish flu—informed later welfare policies.
Political histories involve parties and movements including the Christian Democracy (Italy), the Italian Communist Party, and post‑1990 formations such as Forza Italia and Democratic Party (Italy), with regional governance shaped by statutes granting autonomy to Sicily and Sardinia and central policies debated in the Italian Parliament. European integration framed funding instruments like the Cohesion Fund and the Common Agricultural Policy, while anti‑corruption initiatives referencing the Mani Pulite investigations and legal reforms under courts such as the Corte Costituzionale and the European Court of Human Rights targeted patronage systems. Development strategies implemented by regional administrations in Campania and Basilicata often coordinate with institutions like the Bank of Italy and the Ministry of Economic Development (Italy).
Cultural expressions encompass traditions from Neapolitan song and the theater of Eduardo De Filippo to the literature of Alessandro Manzoni’s contemporaries, the visual arts of Caravaggio and Giacomo Serpotta, and culinary heritage including pizza from Naples, oregano and olive oil from Apulia, and Sicilian cassata. Religious festivals such as the Feast of San Gennaro and architectural sites like Pompeii, Valle dei Templi, and Ragusa illustrate syncretic legacies drawn by scholars at institutions including the Biblioteca Nazionale Vittorio Emanuele III and the National Archaeological Museum, Naples.
Urban growth centers—Naples Metropolitan City, Palermo Metropolitan City, Bari Metropolitan City—have expanded alongside transport corridors such as the Autostrada A1, the Rome–Naples high-speed rail, ports at Genoa (as a northern comparator), Taranto, and Messina, and airports including Naples International Airport and Catania–Fontanarossa Airport. Energy and environmental projects involve stakeholders like Terna (company) and ENEL, while resilience planning for seismic risk after events such as the 1908 Messina earthquake and reconstruction programs administered by the Dipartimento della Protezione Civile remain central to urban policy.