Southern Italian Folkways

This is definitely an important piece of history. Phyllis Williams' book
has long been a standard among IA historians. It's definitely worth the
read, though I would moderate her notion of the absolute distinction
between north and south Italy. 

Perhaps in modern times the distinction is far greater--especially after the 
risorgimento, which instead of improving things for southern Italians, made 
them worse; no credit to the northern Italians--but before that, the 
northerners were not really so well off as this makes it seem. 

Take a look at Manzoni's "I Promessi Sposi", or the classic "Rosa: The Tale 
of an Immigrant" (or some such title, about an immigrant woman from northern 
Italy who comes to Chicago and has peasant attitudes that seem very much 
like those of the south), and you'll see many more similarities than most 
northerners would like to admit. 

The chief problem, always, was campanilismo and foreign occupation--
nearly 400 years of it in the north from 1500 to 1860. That's what created 
the conditions that led to lawlessness, banditry, and furberia throughout the 
country. 

Nor should one forget that when Sicily was the center of civilization,
i.e. in the years before Rome when Greeks set up great learned colonies
there, northern Italy was still hunting and gathering. Ditto Naples. Ditto
Rome. 

All nations, all places have their time in the sun. and they all decline as 
well, something Americans would like to forget.