What are the main differences in culture and lifestyle between Northern and Southern Italy?

Question

What are the main differences in culture and lifestyle between Northern and Southern Italy?

Answer 1

in the north they work their butts off, in the south they are laid back

Answer 2

In the North lives people descending from northern European peoples (Gals, Celts, Huns, Germans, and other that invaded Italy along the centuries, but even Roman, French and Spanish), so northern men seem more near centre European people. In the South, the descendant is from Arab, Saracen, Turkish, Greek, Moore invasions, but even here also roman, Norman, viking too, Spanish peoples, so you find olive skin, black hair, but even red and blond hair. The pure Italian man and woman you can find in the Centre, a territory low invaded, so pure Roman or Tuscan. The north is full of industries, the south, agriculture, the centre is a media between North and South. In the North they work hard, and the life is speed and busy. In the South they have different way to work because the warm. They do all thing near evening hours and the life is calm because the rhythm of the rural works.

Answer 3

The North is developed, industrious, and lighter skinned people

The south is less developed, higher unemployment rates, more beautiful, more mafia, darker people.

Answer 4

Well, I know southern Italians tend to eat a lot later.  I live in the north, and lunch is usually around 12:30-1.00pm and dinner is around 7:30-8:00pm.  I have friends from the south and they tell me lunch is more around 2:00pm and dinner can be as late as 10:00-11:00pm (but I think dinner is usually around 9ish).  In the south they tend to have a lot of seafood and vegetable based dishes (it's usually warmer so they don't need all the energy from calories) and in the north it's usually meat-dishes because it's colder).  Of course, you can find seafood dishes in the north and meat dishes in the south.  Southern Italy is known more for it's beautiful landscapes, but large unemployment.  In fact, most of the factories or industries are in the north, and a lot of southerners go to the north to find work.  Southern Italians tend to be more "open" and friendly than northern Italians.  Northern Italians are also friendly, but they have to warm up to you.   In the beginning they seem "closed", but they aren't....they just have to get used to you.  Etc. etc.