Is it true that marriages in Italy in the 1800's and before were arranged? Or was that with wealthy families? Thanks, Andrea

re: > Is it true that marriages in Italy in the 1800's and before were arranged? Or was that with wealthy families? I don't know about marriages in the 1800's but, my mother was married in America in 1924 and her marriage was arranged, as were her two sisters before her and 3 sisters after her. All six couples were happily married, had children, grandchildren. Maybe it wasn't such a bad system after all! (just kidding!!!) Ruth Nerud baberuth@worldnet.att.net

> re: >> Is it true that marriages in Italy in the 1800's and before were >> arranged? Or was that with wealthy families? > In south italy arranged marriages continued longer than in north italy, where the situation about marriages was the same of the other european countries. I point out that italy as state born in 1861 only. Before italy was diveded into a lot of small indipendent countries and there was many doubts of these populations to unification. Italy has an ancient culture tied to latin's one, but a very young national identity. This is the reason, pheraps, that italians are proud of their culture but they have not a deep patriotic feeling. For a lot of time they felt themselves as sicilians or lombards, or venetians, more than italians.

In the early 1960's my mother's cousin (in Italy) wanted to arrange a match between myself (born NYC) and her step-son. I saw the guy's picture, he was gorgeous! Might not have been a bad deal. Marie Iovino http://community.webtv.net/MZI/IovinoDApolitoMauro