Nemo Propheta in Italy
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Due to our linguistic and cultural proximity with Latin, we Italians often adopt Latin adages as everyday proverbs. One of the most famous ones is:
Nemo propheta in patria.
Which translates to "nobody is a prophet in their own country."
This comes from the Bible (specifically from the Gospels, where Jesus states that a prophet is not accepted in his hometown) and I think to some extent it applies to most countries. But in Italy, we absolutely embrace this attitude.
Italian people who are appreciated worldwide will often be harshly criticized or ridiculed at home. The latest example is Sanremo Music Festival winner Sal Da Vinci and his song Per sempre sì.
The song is incredibly catchy and it expresses the traditional romantic idea of love, a couple that gets married and promises to love each other forever (Per sempre sì means forever yes in Italian).
Now, you might like the song or not, but you can't deny that it's catchy. The singer has a beautiful voice, well in tune without any help from autotune.
Sal Da Vinci is a Neapolitan artist who's been around for 40 years and has had a few successes under his belt. Yet, this is definitely the culmination of his career and a much deserved spotlight for an artist often overlooked in comparison to other Neapolitan giants such as Nino D'Angelo and Gigi D'Alessio (who, in fairness, have also been derided by many for decades).
Sal's catchy song and he himself have been heavily criticized after his victory, mostly from people in the north of Italy who have a tendency to dislike Naples and everything associated with it.
Naples is a polarizing city in Italy. It's poetry and it's camorra (their own mafia type). It's kindness and lawlessness. It's beauty and garbage. As singer Pino Daniele put it in his Napul è (Neapolitan for Naples is), "e a sap tutto o munno, ma nun sann a verità" (the whole world knows it, but they don't know the truth).
The song was also criticized by some feminists who objected to the idea of a forever love with a ceremony "in front of God." Some critics went as far as associating it with "femminicidio" (the phenomenon of a man killing a woman, often when she leaves him). The implication being that if love is "per sempre sì," the man would kill the woman if she were to change her mind. Of course, this is an incredible reach by people who will go out of their way to reject anything traditional, even if it's just a romantic song.
In short, Italy continues with its tradition of nemo propheta in patria, while the entire world sings and dances along with Sal Da Vinci. I for one congratulate him on a well deserved victory and wish him luck at Eurovision, where he actually stands a chance to win with this song.
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My Italian side comes from four cities in Italy and we always joke about how the Napolitano side is kinda crazy. (I might take after that side. 😁)