Southern Italy

The mezzogiorno is generally viewed as encompassing  Basilicata, Campania, Calabria, Apulia, and Sicily, which lie in Italy's south, as well as Molise and Abruzzo, which are geographically in central or south-central Italy. Some would also include Sardinia and the southern half of Lazio in the Mezzogiorno. Italians often refer to Southern Italy as Il Meridionale (the South); the terms Meridionale and Mezzogiorno are often used interchangeably, though word Meridionale has less cultural and political baggage associated with it. The Istituto Nazionale di Statistica (ISTAT) now uses the term Meridionale Italia in place of Mezzogiorno. ISTAT excludes Sicily, Sardinia and southern Lazio in its definition of the Meridionale but does include Abruzzo and Molise.
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