The differences in infrastructure, housing, poverty and quality of life are evident as you travel along the Italian peninsula. For both native Italians and foreigners, it appears that Northern Italy is economically better off than Southern Italy. This isn't just superficial: data has shown time and time again that regional inequality is a real and present phenomenon in the nation. The poverty rate for the macro-regions of the North is only 4.4%, while in the South it is 20.6%. The average per capita income also varies significantly from region to region: in the South the average per capita income is around 5,000 euros per month, but in the North it is around 8,000 euros per month. The disparity is undeniable and is a much discussed topic in Italy, known locally as the “Southern Question”. But where does the problem come from? The disparity undoubtedly stems from regional polarity and the historical lack of unity, but it also finds its roots in the geographical particularities of the country from which the North has benefited. Furthermore, to finally reveal the basis of the question, the unequivocal influence of the mafia in the South will also be evaluated. Let's say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay The clear division between North and South is undoubtedly linked to Italy's peculiar regional divergence and cultural uniqueness. When the Roman Empire collapsed in the 5th century AD, the Italian peninsula and islands were subjected to a series of invasions and political unity was lost. This loss of unity led to the succession of small states, principalities and kingdoms, which fought against themselves and were subject to the ambitions of foreign powers. This rivalry between these small states, in addition to the tension between the Popes and the Holy Roman Emperors, made Italy a state of insular, contrasting, and largely distinct cultures. And even after the Risorgimento, a 19th-century ideological movement for Italian unification that culminated in the founding of the unified Kingdom of Italy in 1861, largely distinct and palpable barriers between regions remain. After the unifications, in fact, problems arose with conflicts in the south as a retaliation for the imbalance of power towards the northern state of Piedmont. Most supporters of the Risorgimento wanted strong provinces, but instead got an unequally strong central state. The inevitable long-term results were a serious weakness of national unity and a politicized system based on mutually hostile regional violence. The political commentator Marco Serino says that "the Italian identity does not exist, and has never existed". This regional polarity has been believed by scholars to be a major reason behind the North-South divide. Furthermore, critics have argued that the language and images used to describe the South and the overall sense of superiority left a lasting impression on the divided mentality of the nation, the South described as underdeveloped compared to the rest of the nation, its people seen as "barbaric" by the northern conquerors in the Risorgimento period. Alessandro Manzoni, a Milanese writer, further contributed to create the image of a savage South, where “murder is just an act in the South,” he wrote. The individual and collective histories of pre-Italian lands and states are integral to understanding the regional divide that exists today. there is still little sense of nationality and unity between regions. The most obvious example of the contemporary regional divide is the Northern League, a Northern political party dedicated to seceding from the South to form two independent nations (Sassoon 1997). This latest lack of unity and the proliferation of hostilities.…