An interesting new trend seems to have enveloped one of the most charming and delightful of all European countries. In a part of the world where a colorful culinary culture, majestic architecture, and a course of absorbing history are more often than not, the huge drawing points, it appears that Italy is giving a new topical subject of interest for the rest of the world’s attention.
It appears that more Italians are marrying foreigners than ever before. And this clear development seems to have become a huge talking point for most European journals at the moment.
But that said, there’s another different view to look at this piece of development.
The fact that more Italians are marrying foreigners at the present moment also provides a welcome respite to what has for a while been a distressing development straight from the heart of Italy: the drowning and flooding of the glorious city of Venice.
In the past several years what hasn’t usually happened is the rising frequency in the occurrence of a civilian wedding over a traditional church wedding. And this, precisely, is the highlight of the current Italian narrative that tells us that more Italians are marrying foreigners than before.
The Local (one of the widely read platforms in all of Europe in its Italian journal) stated- “Of the more than 195,000 marriages, 33,933 – or 17.3 percent – involved at least one foreign spouse.
The total number of weddings involving “at least one foreign spouse” peaked at almost 37,000 in 2008, before sharply dropping to 25,000. It has been steadily increasing since, and is now close to 34,000.”
In addition, the following is important to know in the context of the current development:
The concept of marriage may be back in fashion in Italy, as the total number of weddings taking place in the country grew last year by 2.2 percent after slowly dropping for years.
The figures give a snapshot of Italian society in 2018, showing that the average age of those getting married keeps increasing and that civil ceremonies have now (only just) overtaken church weddings as the most popular option in Italy.
What is really interesting in all of this is that at a time where many couples flock to Italy to exchange wows and seek marital alliance, the number of Italian weddings taking place in the country has seemingly increased.
Currently, anywhere you look, you’ll chance upon a common finding: civil unions are taking place everywhere in the country famous for birthing pizza and pasta. Specifically, in Northern Italy, civil weddings constitute around 64 percent of all the weddings that take place.
The varying difference, in this regard, comes down to further south of the country where the wedding in a church remains the most sought option in cases of matrimonial alliance.
The Local also highlighted: the region with the most weddings with at least one non-Italian spouse was highest in Bolzano, which borders Austria, and lowest in the southern region of Puglia!
Another trend, it ought to be highlighted in this aspect, is a relative increase in second marriages in Italy. This, some believe, is down to the fact that today in Italy, people are studying more and cohabiting later in life.
As such, second marriage, by law or rule, cannot take place in a church anywhere in Italy.