Italy, A Geographical Expression? And Calabria?

“Italy is only a geographical expression” has been bandied about for almost two centuries. The phrase has that smack of the in-the-know Italophile with an intellectual bent. One day, as I was looking for a park bench on a sunny afternoon in Crotone, Calabria, I was confronted with a Calabrian take on the idea, that of Leonida Rèpaci. His thoughts were painted on a bench in the shape of a book and related to his own piece of the boot, in the geographical “toe” of the expression…

ORIGIN OF “ITALY IS ONLY A GEOGRAPHICAL EXPRESSION”

Prince Clemens von Metternich, a German statesman and diplomat in the service of the Austrian Empire, coined the phrase in 1847. As one might imagine from his title, Metternich (1773-1859) was of a noble class. In the 19^thcentury, you couldn’t go around calling yourself a duke, prince or queen without documented lineage. He was also, as to be expected, a monarchist, and played an important role in restoring the various European ruling families after the tumultuous Napoleonic period.

Kelmens von Metternich, standing on the left, chair of the Congress of Vienna in a contemporary engraving by Jean Godefroy after the painting by Jean-Baptiste Isabey (Image courtesy of Wikimedia CC 3.0)

Metternich focused his diplomatic efforts on stemming the populist tide that was moving in a liberal, nationalist direction throughout Europe. In a letter to the Austrian ambassador to France, he wrote:

The word ‘Italy’ is a geographical expression, a description which is useful shorthand, but has none of the political significance the efforts of the revolutionary ideologues try to put on it, and which is full of dangers for the very existence of the states which make up the peninsula.

And indeed, what we know as Italy today was a very disparate grouping of duchies, monarchies, the Papal states and a unified Southern Italy.

Map of Italy in 1843 (Image courtesy of Enok, Wikimedia CC 3.0)

In another letter addressed to the British Foreign Minister Lord Palmerston, that same year, the declaration is more succinct: “Italy is only a geographical expression.” Shortly thereafter, the “geographical expression” became a reality. The concept had both its proponents and detractors back then, as it does today.

CALABRIA, A SPIRITUAL EXPRESSION

Bench in the shape of a book with quotation by Leonida Rèpaci

If Italy is merely a geographical expression, what about its twenty regions? And this is where the bench in the city park surrounding Crotone’s castle comes into the picture. The thought was penned by writer Leonida Rèpaci (1898-1985), who was from Palmi, Province of Reggio Calabria. The quotation comes from his work Calabria grande e amara (Wonderful and Bitter Calabria, 1964), which from the title alone, indicates conflicting sensibilities, and is a personal study of Calabria’s social and political situation.

Per me Calabria significa categoria morale, prima che espressione geografica. Calabrese, nella sua miglior accezione metaforica, vuol dire Rupe, cioè carattere. È la torre che non crolla giammai la cima pel soffiar dei venti.

For me, Calabria signifies a moral or spiritual category before a geographical expression. Calabrese, in its best metaphorical sense, means Rupe (cliff, rock), that is, character. It is the top of the tower that never collapses with the blowing of the winds.

Rèpaci places Calabria’s value above simple geographical boundaries, ascribing a moral character as central to his definition of the region. He compares the calabrese with a rock, a symbol of strength and resistance. And as the rock doesn’t crumble or collapse, neither does the Calabrian bend to adversity. For Rèpaci, Calabria is an interior force.

Author Karen Haid in Gerace, Calabria

GEOGRAPHY AND SPIRIT

In the end, what unifies a people? A peninsula with a common written language roughly defined Metternich’s geographical expression, even though the multitude of spoken languages and diverse customs in villages and towns would not have been considered unifying. Clinging to a cliff, no matter which language is spoken at home, can bring people together. Neighbors may be arch enemies, but they’ve resisted side by side.

Bova, Calabria

Funny thing, I just looked up and the word “spirit” emblazoned in black on yellow jumped out at me. (I’m flying across the States in style.) The airline doesn’t do much for my mood, but I think the word encapsulates Rèpaci’s characterization of Calabria and its people. Calabresi differ in many ways, but the rock, that inner solidarity, remains.

“Woman in Prayer” by Francesco Raffaele at the Civic Art Museum in Reggio Calabria

Join me on one of my small-group Calabria Tours (I have three itineraries) or on my Basilicata Tour of Calabria’s northern neighbor.

Read about the fascinating Calabrian region in my book Calabria: The Other Italy, described by Publisher’s Weekly as “an intoxicating blend of humor, joy, and reverence for this area in Italy’s deep south,” and explore Calabria’s northern neighbor in my book Basilicata: Authentic Italy, “recommended to readers who appreciate all things Italian” by the Library Journal.

Follow me on social media: Basilicata Facebook page, Calabria: The Other Italy’s Facebook page, Karen’s Instagram and Karen’s Twitter for beautiful pictures and information.
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CALABRIA: The Other Italy and BASILICATA: Authentic Italy make great gifts!