Do not generalize, please! In Italy where? Goto Milan, Bologna, Torino, Bergamo, Venezia, Firenze and is not like you are declaring. This is true only for the deep south!
Milan is the capital of the fashon, the industries and of the selfmade men! Till Rome is not like you are telling here!
Milano and Torino are like Paris or Wien. In Milano will be The World Expo 2015!!
I repeat again for you: in Italy you can make 200 km and all changes: habits, food, arts, people, economy, territories. landscapes. You cannot generalize anything in this country.