Questo è un argomento controverso. Si dice che quelli del sud siano degli zoticoni, non istruiti, casinisti, delinquenti ma con un animo generoso, passionali, e originali nel corteggiamento. Degli abitanti del nord si dice siano freddi, asettici, con la puzza sotto il naso, troppo arrivisti ed ambiziosi, e che non conoscano valori. Sicuramente sono stereotipi, a cui non si deve dar troppo credito. L'aspetto negativo è che  questa differenza comunque porta dell'astio fra quelli del nord e quelli del sud. 

Hello there, I'm from Sicily.

Every region in Italy has its own dialect, and I listened some Northern Italian people doing mistakes just throughout an Italian conversation, because they use the dialect too, or they don't know several grammatical rules. 

When I spend my time with my friends I use only the Italian language, but I love the dialect because it is my heritage, it reminds of a particular history of a land, so I use it only if I want to emphasize a feeling, as every human being does with his own dialect or regional language. 

All you people who hate the South or Southern dialects, you shoul know how the Sicilian dialect was important during the development of the Italian language, thanks to the "Scuola Poetica Siciliana". 

Sicilia also has to be proud of many important writers, such as Luigi Pirandello, Salvatore Quasimodo, Giovanni Verga, Luigi Capuana, Leonardo Sciascia, Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa, Andrea Camilleri, each one of them well-know in Italy and out of Italy. 

I think we should stop to foment these silly stereotypes, related also to mafia, because in Sicily there were (and there are) many people who struggle against the mafia, for instance we have to remember Peppino Impastato, Giovanni Falcone, Paolo Borsellino, Don Pino Puglisi and lots of others who died in the name of freedom and justice.

It's curious and weird to notice that if you ask to Swiss dwellers from Lugano what about Northern Italians, a few of them could answer you with same obtuse stereotypes that a few Northern Italians use to describe South Italy. 

Thankfully I have friends from the North and they don't think I'm stupid or ignorant only because I'm from Sicily.

Ciao!

Ciao Grace.  Sono italo-americano di New York.  La mia madre e nata in calabria.  It is a region in the south of italy.  We deal with the same prejudices here in New York.  But instead of prejudices from northern italians we get it from americans.  In this country italian is synonomous with mafia.  The country of Italy is diverse in both language and culture.  People from the north may feel they have more in common with the swiss and germans than they do with the people from the south.  The north has more in common with europe whereas the south is more mediteranean.  The dialects are very different as well.  My mothers dialect sounds like a different language than one from Milano or other northern places.  Much of the stereotypes stem from the historical economic situation.  The south was always much poorer than the north.  With poverty comes it's problems just like in other parts of the world.  And to be honest much of the organized crime you probably have heard about originates in either Napoli, Sicilia o Calabria which are all in the south.  I agree with what the other posters said.  Naima's post gives a good explanation from both points of view.   I think the situation is that italians, although they share the same citizenship, have cultural differences.  So, just like any other place they talk bad about each other.  The southerners think the northerners are cold and stuck up and the northerners think the southerners are poor, lazy criminals.   

Ciao Grace, uno degli stereotipi più comuni tra Nord e Sud è che al Nord sono grandi lavoratori mentre al Sud sono tutti "scansafatiche".

Un film comico italiano che racchiude il mio concetto in maniera molto divertente è "Benvenuti al sud" http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benvenuti_al_Sud remake del film francese "Giù al Nord".

Ciao 

Cris

What wrote Naima is right, people from north of Italy is very different from people of the south, I add the people from South usually speak a dialect language, is jelaous, mama's boys and they get smart, these stereotype are well oulined in two moviese "Benvenuti al Sud" and Benvenuti al Nord" , but in this movies the dialectal language is dominant, if you want, i could try to tell them