Why do Northern Italians 'Look' different than Southern Italians?

Question

Is there an explaination to this? Other than 'the weather', because i know that this, is not the reason.

Northern Italians have a white pale type skin (blonde hair), where as Southern Italians have more of a Olive color skin type (brown/black hair).

Answer 1

because in the north we were invaded by people from northern countries instead in the south people from Africa...therefore i guess is this the reason

Answer 2

Different parts of Italy had different invasions and had different influences from other cultures and people who came from nearby countries.

It's not just about Trentino Alto Adige, also other Northern parts of Italy have been influenced by nearby countries (not only for skin and eye colors but in culture, music and so on).

Anyway, there are few people with blonde hair and fair skin in Southern Italy as well!

Answer 3

because they are!

even if most of ppl living in northern italy are from southern regions moved to seaching for job

Answer 4

look at the geography of northen italy, it borders on countries that typcially have pale skin and fair hair. It just the influence of those countries. Not all northerners look like this, just a higher percentage.

Just as all southerners are not dark.

Theres also a stereotype that southern italy is more working class (theres a fair bit of animosity between north and south, with the south considering themselves wealthier and more superior). It is true in parts of sicily etc in fishing towns that the people spend more time in the sun, or working in the physcial labour workforce which may explain the stereotype of northerners being pale and southerners being darker.

Answer 5

today the difference are less then 50 years ago because there was an emigration from the south to the north italy and in the last time in the north italy also from the other country.but before the second world war in the north the people were blonde(not all)and in the south with black hair.the motivation is siple:more you go to the north,more the people are white

Answer 6

I'm from the South of Italy and I have a really pale skin and freckles.

@eun..sun (or whatever her name is)

please if you don't know what you are talking about just don't say anything. What you said, about the southern thinking they are the best, is totally wrong!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The northern have more money than we do and they are the one who think that they are the best.

There is a really bad word that the northern have created for the southern : terroni.

This word is very bad, is as bad as saying neger (I'm not sure about the spelling of that :P) to a black person.

Answer 7

that's not true. it's just that italy borden on germany and italians from trentino (for example) may look like german people and have german name (blonde hair) and surename because their father/mother are german. i don't see this difference.

Answer 8

You are right there is a big difference between Northern and Southern Italians. I'm from Naples and like you said I have dark hair and an olive color skin. The thing is that Northern and southern people are different in many other ways too.... there way of living are opposite. The Southerns are very warm and welcoming and enjoy life, while the Northerns are very cold and think only about work. I don't just say this because I'm from the southern part

Answer 9

Northern italians are Celts and Lombards (a germanic people who came from Sweden) also in the Middle Age many Germans settled in Northern Italy..particularly Veneto Friuli and near the Swiss border in the North-West

even Central Italians look more Central Europeans ..they are the true descendants of the romans and the other italic people ..Piceni,Umbrians etc.. many ancient romans were blond and redhaired..Augustus,Cato,Sulla etc..

Southern Italians  are predominantly greeks but there are many Southern italians nordic looking...don't forget that the Normans settled in Southern italy..

an example

http://www.jamd.com/search?assettype=g&a...

@ mg@  it's not true that only southern tyroleans are blond...in Val D'aosta for example there are more blondes than South Tyrol..actually there isn't a big difference between Southern Tyroleans (austrians) and the other Northern Italians

@agido ..Northern Italians of southern italian ancestry are no more than 10-15% of the population and they live mostly in Milan and Turin

@Munch : wrong ??? are you saying that southern italians and northern italians look the same ??? LOL most southern italians are naturally olive skinned..look the Americans..Irish-americans have still pink-reddish skin while sicilian-americans have olive skin and they live in the same place!!!  look the map below

Answer 10

simply your question is wrong!

have u ever been in italy, to say it???

in the south there more people tanned

do u know sun tanning???

Answer 11

well, because in Northern Italy during Middle Age came different populations compared to Southern Italy.

In north came more germanic people i think, in Alto-Adige for example they look really german

in south came arabs, africans.....that's why in north there are more blond and skins are more "white"... but italians are not SO different in reality

Answer 12

The weather...........it is hotter in Southern Italia.....

the guys are too!!...especially those Siciliani men........

..W O W....................I almost married one. Mr. Vito Pace

I wonder what he does now????? What a HOT tamale!!!

Answer 13

because of the different population who lived there

Answer 14

It depends on the origins that are very different,in the north Italians descend from Longobardi (population that come from north Europe) whenever in the south there have been African influences...

Answer 15

Hi i am an italian guy form Rome and actually believe it or not the main reason is the weather .My mother has two sisters in the north and i can tell you that my cousins(born in Milan ) are as white as a ghost while i have a a olive color skin .