Lumbard... The Northern Italians also have geography on their side and also natural resouces just to name a few items they have over their counterparts to the south... It's true that in my travels over the USA that the Italians in the USA have some of the whitest neighborhoods.   Do you also want to compare the work ethics of the Northern Italians to the American Italians? I've been to many of the places in Northern Italy you mentioned... after retiring from the Navy CB's (construction battalion) I now work as purchasing agent for a very large company and I dread having to get a contract for parts made/heat treated in Europe. The Italians here (USA) can say the same thing about you Northern Italians that you say about the Southern Italians.