Italians, who do you feel closest to? - French, Spanish, Greeks or Romanians

[Smaug]

French.

[Ulla]

I think it might depend on region - Sicilians like Alfieb and Sikeliot would choose Greece, but North Italians would feel closer to French. My grandmother says her parents did not even consider Sicilians and Calabrese to be true Italians.

Overall, not withstanding regional differences, I think Spain is the best match, even if some Piedmontese feel closer to French and Sicilians feel closer to Maltese/Greeks.

It's often a personal choice too. I know an engaged couple from Veneto that love Greece and some Southerns that prefer France to anything else. Generalization is always wrong, even if I agree it might often depend on region as well.

On Sicilians and Calabrese being not considered true Italians by other Italians there is something true, but we also need not to make generalizations on this. Surely, they are generally not considered in Italy the most representative of average Italians. But there are lots of Sicilians and Calabrese for which the opposite is true.

[Porpolita]

I guess your granny view is a bit too stretched but overall is kind of true. We are a bit racist even inside us but your granny is exaggerating a bit. My dad (North Italian) was joking about Sicilian heritage of my mum calling her Levantine I think the behaviour, at least If you judge it from inside, is the main difference. We act differently and It is usually the easiest way to spot from which Italian region you are from.

But this was a few decades ago lol. I'm sure in modern times things are not that extreme anymore. And yes, on average Piedmontese act very differently to what Sikeliot considers to be Italian behaviour and culture (Sicilian).

[Piccolo]

I voted French. History (especially shared Roman cultural heritage), religion (Roman Catholicism), language (Romance), art, literature (stories of French knights being popular in Italy; Roland/Orlando, etc.), and other ties (I have noticed a lot of French and Italian actors and actresses worked in both the French and Italian film industries) make the French the closest overall.

Edit: I think the Spanish would be a close second. I give France the nod largely because they are closer geographically and because there is a big Italian diaspora in France and that probably facilitates stronger ties.

[Nurzat]

There are about 2 million Romanians and Moldovans in Italy, if not more. Italian friends told me they assimilate fast and they will soon make up 10% of the population.

that's good for Italians' genes, Romanians and especially Moldovans will pull them more to the North(East) on Eurogenes maps closer to Slovenes and Croats. but there are only 1 million, which is about 1.5% of the population. on the other hand, (native) Hungarians make up about 9% of Romania's population

[Incal]

He loves to troll everyone.

I think we will start deleting his OT crap.

[bkaligu]

that's good for Italians' genes, Romanians and especially Moldovans will pull them more to the North(East) on Eurogenes maps closer to Slovenes and Croats. but there are only 1 million, which is about 1.5% of the population. on the other hand, (native) Hungarians make up about 9% of Romania's population

There are also lots of Ukranians, Poles, Russians etc

Italian men love some East Euro Women

[quaquaraqua]

that's good for Italians' genes, Romanians and especially Moldovans will pull them more to the North(East) on Eurogenes maps closer to Slovenes and Croats. but there are only 1 million, which is about 1.5% of the population. on the other hand, (native) Hungarians make up about 9% of Romania's population

The majority looks Gypse to me, so not a great achievement... They could even be gold but if they don't follow rules they should be expelled. The average Romanians is not well educated, despite some are good not the majority. Btw to get a northern position in Eurogenes really at the end of the day m8 who gives a fuck XD We are managing different kind of problems right now ( http://www.italiaora.org/).

[Dianatomia]

I think some Italians feel close to the French but the French don't feel close to them, the same way Greeks feel close to Italians but Italians don't feel close to them.

In this particular case it may be that Greeks ´may´feel close to Italians because compared to all their neighbors Italians may seem closest to them, while the Italians have at least the latin connection with Spain and France. Had the Spaniards been muslim Turkic speakers and the French Slavic speakers, then Greece would be the most realistic option.

That said, I think that Spaniards are very different compared to Italians. French even more so, except for some Southern parts which are similar to North Italy. France as a whole though is very different from Italy.

[SardiniaAtlantis]

In this particular case it may be that Greeks ´may´feel close to Italians because compared to all their neighbors Italians may seem closest to them, while the Italians have at least the latin connection with Spain and France. Had the Spaniards been muslim Turkic speakers and the French Slavic speakers, then Greece would be the most realistic option.

That said, I think that Spaniards are very different compared to Italians. French even more so, except for some Southern parts which are similar to North Italy. France as a whole though is very different from Italy.

The southern coast of France is a Mediterranean region as such it can be appreciated also by the Italians in mediterranean regions. France also has an Alpine region which can be appreciated by Italians from the Alpine regions. There are many historic ties as well besides language, and religion. Spain ruled Sardinia for 400 years, and many parts of Italy were under the crown of Aragon. There is really much more than simply the Roman heritage, and religion. The Magna Grecia connection to Greece is limited only to the south, and was much more long ago.