In the 1200s the Italian peninsula was divided into numerous autonomous states with an extreme variety of political institutions and juridical structures, particularly manifest in the relationships between city-states and surrounding territories. (Florence, for example, which possessed the greatest political and financial strength, controlled a rather limited region and was in constant strife with neighbors such as Arezzo, Pistoia, Lucca, Pisa and Siena.) Indeed, areas of influence and jurisdiction often overlapped in the same centers. Even the smallest social groups had their own specific identity and a certain measure of autonomy. What is more, each individual political entity tended to create its own institutions and acted in accord with or aggressively against other groups. The extreme complexity of such relationships makes it difficult to extrapolate any general socio-political reality of thirteenth-century Italian city-states as a whole. The wars and skirmishes between city-states, individual factions and feudal powers were innumerable. The parties which were in contention over power centers often tended toward mutual annihilation: the losers were exiled, their goods confiscated, their homes destroyed; but in exile, in order to recuperate their power, they made alliances with parties of nearby cities and waged war against their own fatherland. Such behavior created incessant chains of violence and cruelty.
In the first phase of conflict between Frederick II and the Church, two parties formed throughout Italy. These two parties, the Guelphs and the Ghibellines, extensively influenced European policy and helped to characterize the whole of the century's history. The motivations underlying the formation of alliances within the two groups, however, cannot be easily summarized due to the idiosyncratic and often contradictory motives of the combatants which ranged from dynastic pride to personal desire for revenge, from economical reasons to political strategies. Often, in the centers in which one of the factions was beaten and utterly destroyed, new factions would spring up among the winners and the fighting would break out anew, bringing even further destruction.
In addition to the Church-Empire dichotomy, the struggle between the classes contributed to foster antagonism between rivals as well. In these confrontations, the established nobility (the magnati, or the grandi ) was pitted against the emerging class of artisans and merchants (the popolo ) who aimed to do away with the privileges and institutions of the nobles and to assume full political power to the complete exclusion of the landed aristocracy. Moreover, the division between merchants and nobles does not wholly coincide with any specific factional lines given the highly heterogeneous nature of ambitions and aspirations. The groups which fought against one another did so largely within the sphere of the feudal tradition and aligned themselves according to shared goals, traditions and hierarchies considered by the participants to be indisputable. In late thirteenth-century Florence, where social mobility was markedly healthier, these divisions lent particular strength to the nascent popolo which consequently elaborated innovative institutions. (Go to 14th Century.)
As a fun exercise, I asked a handful of Italian friends from different parts of Italy, including Florence, Naples, Rome & Sicily, to elaborate on the different Italian regional stereotypes. Surely as Americans, for example, we know of our own stereotypes we have for people from different states, and in reality we often know they are just plain ignorant, but they do exist and oftentimes they are quite comical. Stereotypes are prolific in Italy, and for an Italian Enthusiast, it is worthwhile to discover them, because to truly be immersed in Italian culture, it is necessary to understand all aspects of Italian culture, including its stereotypes.
Liguria: Very cheap and frugal. In Italian, we say loro hanno le braccia corte, which means, they have short arms (too short to reach into their pockets for the money). Also, gossipy and inhospitable.
You are correct, I was born in a small medieval town east of Rome, yet educated in Rome, BURINO refers to an unpolished citizen not from the city, however the term is used as a reference not as an offense.
Lombardia, ( la mia opinione, ) cosi diversa da tutte le altre regioni italiane, per chi la conosce bene, coi suoi laghi , le sue montagne, e la sua grande pianura, le diversita dei popoli, ( rivali tra loro, ma uniti da due aggettivi lavoratori onesti e creativi.)
The summer night sky is still. Waves crash on the beach and the moon lights up the sky. Suddenly, a faint cry echoes in the night. It's hard to make out at first but soon is clear. It's Pauly D yelling "Cabs are here!" In 2009, 8 roommates came to New Jersey and the city's never been the same. They turned the place upside down and had a good time doing it. Indeed, they love to party, hook up and cause a whole lot of drama. However, there were times the show was real and other times it was fake.
Jersey Shore aired from 2009 to 2102 to rave reviews. It quickly became one of the most popular shows on TV. In fact, they had a huge influence on pop culture. They introduced the world to phrases like "GTL", "T-Shirt Time" and "Meatball Power". The romances, epic fights and wild partying had fans glued to the screen. However, it turns out that not every moment was real. As a matter of fact, much of the show's scripted. That's not to say all of it is.
Indeed, there were some very real and painful moments. On the other hand, the producers created a lot of fake incidents. Not all the fights and drama were as real as fans assume. It's time to take a closer look at The Jersey Shore and their adventures.
The show had a long list of hookups and romances. Although, nothing compares to the bromance between Pauly and Vinny. In the show, Vinny pointed out he wasn't like the rest of the cast members. He admits that he's not like the other guys.
However, Pauly changes that quickly. By the end of the show, Vinny was a fist-pumping ladies man too. Before the show, Vinny focused on his education and acting career. In fact, he was taking improv classes at the time. However, his friendship with Pauly on the show truly did change that. He too began to focus on the three most important things in life: Gym, Tan and Laundry.
Nicole "Snooki" LaValle became the most famous cast member. There isn't a person that doesn't know the name Snooki. There were many stars on the show but Snooki stole the spotlight. Turns out that her famous nickname wasn't actually her nickname. She admits that nobody ever called her Snooki before the show.
The application for the show asked for a nickname. She could have put down anything she wanted. In fact, she didn't really have a nickname, to begin with. Her friend called her "Snooki" as a joke so she wrote it down. She had no idea the nickname would help make her famous. She's going to be Snooki for the rest of her life now.
The 8 cast members had a lot of differences. On the other hand, they had one important thing in common. They all loved to party hard. Clearly, the tans, the hair, and clothes were all fake. However, the wild partying was all very real. It was the only thing they could do.
As a matter of fact, they had no contact with the outside world. They couldn't watch TV or listen to the radio. The only thing they could do was party. The pre-partying always started around 9:30 even if they partied all day. Snooki once said, "I don't know how we're alive."
Pauly and Vinny truly were the perfect couple. Of course, even the perfect couple had their fair share of problems. At least that's what the producers wanted viewers to think. In season 4, Pauly and Vinny got into a brutal street fight in Italy. Turns out the whole fight was a fake.
Indeed, a waitress claimed to see the two working out the fight. In addition, the fight takes place under a very well lit street light. Security also kept fans and photographers away from the scene. Vinny got to throw in his acting skills and even tore up his shirt for added effect. The fight didn't make headlines as they hoped.
In season 1, the castmates walked into the house strangers. None of them really knew each other. It was on the show that a bond grew and they became a family. However, one cast member felt she didn't fit in with the rest. Angelina often had issues with her roommates. She left the series because she just couldn't handle it anymore.
Snooki then pushed for her real-life friend, Deena, to fill the spot. Indeed, Deena auditioned for season 1 but the producers passed on her. She finally joined the cast in season 3 and the rest's history. In fact, it's like Deena's the missing piece of the puzzle.
The night would start at Karma or Bamboo but always ended at the house. It was common for the cast members to have overnight guests. It seemed they would randomly meet at the club and end up back at the house. However, most of the overnight guests were not from the club. Essentially, the producers picked the overnight guests.
It might come as a surprise but the duck phone's one of the most real things on the show. They didn't plan for it to be an iconic piece of the show. The set decorator saw the phone at a flea market and bought it. She thought it would be a funny thing to have in the house.
However, the producer hated the phone chose not to use it. She felt that it didn't match the vibe of the house. It felt too wacky and silly for the show. However, they forgot to remove the phone. After they started shooting they realized their error but it was too late. The mistake paid off as it became famous itself.
The show created a ton of controversy for its portrayal of Italians and New Jersey. The people of New Jersey felt it made them look bad. To make matters worse most of the cast wasn't even from Jersey. In fact, only Sammi "Sweetheart" and Deena Cortese are from Jersey. Vinny and The Situation are from Staten Island and Ronnie's from the Bronx.
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