Global citizenship—that is, understanding different perspectives, engaging across cultures, and recognizing shared connections—is something you don’t learn (only) in class, or while studying. Immersing yourself in other cultures—in real life, through cultural products, and by engaging (even vicariously, online or through social media) with real people and communities—is a key step in acquiring cross-cultural awareness and competence.
Modern Italy has its own way of tackling the global citizenship challenge(s). While there is no single Italian experience (like there’s no Italian cuisine, no Italian way of life—nope, La dolce vita is not for everyone— no Italian dress code, etc.), the Italian attempt to balance tradition and innovation, and to foster local identity in a globalized world, features some identifiable trends and historical background.
As a matter of fact, many Italians maintain strong connections to their region, community, family and local traditions while also participating in the global economy. And, in that regard, they seem to be doing well: Italy is the world’s eighth-largest economy, the third-largest economy in the EU, and a leading global exporter of luxury goods, machinery, and vehicles. So, how do Italian communities preserve culture while adapting to change, at times thriving? How and how much does globalization affect local traditions?
For historical and geographical reasons, Italians (even ante litteram Italians, that is, all the most diverse people living in the Italian peninsula) have been trained to pursue local identities in an interconnected environment. Geographically, Italy is essentially a natural bridge across the Mediterranean Sea, so it has been trampled, conquered, liberated, and reconquered by many peoples and armies over the centuries. This has fostered an ethnic melting pot, as well as peculiar and celebrated flexibility and strong adaptive skills. Until 1861, Italy was not even a country; rather, it was fragmented into several states, often in conflict with one another. And “Italians” spoke different languages, too! We now call them dialetti, but they are proper languages, and they were among the barriers to overcome in building an actual, unified country. All these historical antecedents explain why even today many, if not most Italians, are so stubbornly tied to their birth region, province, or town. This applies to food, soccer teams, traditions, and many other aspects of daily life —and to running, mostly benevolent, jokes and funny challenges on the line of “who *really* invented tiramisù” or “are they called arancini or arancine?”. When faced with real-life challenges, Italians do export their food and share their culinary knowledge with the many people who want to experience it.
As far as the effect of globalization on local traditions goes, that is, at the current time, the real challenge. Summer 2026 has seen the term “overtourism” truly become mainstream. The phenomenon is real, and the combined effects of climate change & overtourism are raising serious concerns about preserving local traditions and resources while valuing tourism-related businesses. The coming years will be crucial for balancing needs that appear in conflict, but are actually colliding in the long run. Everyone would benefit from resource preservation, and the concept of “authenticity” needs a serious reflection and some medium-range, courageous policies. So, more on that in the very near future!
The best piece of advice to develop cross-cultural awareness and be ready to weigh in on the many challenges that lie ahead comes from a while ago, and it’s from Socrates: so di non sapere (I know that I know nothing). It might not be literal—of course, we know things and, at times, have prejudices. The key, however, is being ready to change your mind and be open to learning. Buona fortuna!
By Claudia Quesito
Also read:
The Italy Language Students Know—and the Italy They Haven’t Met Yet
Italian Summer by Region: How One Season Looks Different Across Italy
