[kyashan]

I don't know where all this germanic thing spawned from: before browsing anthro-boards I had never heard of such thing regarding N.Italy.
I just did notice that the Northern League party promoted a celtic renaissance but usually in a folkloristic and unrehearsed way.
about the long time debated issue on phenotypical differences between north and south I basically agree with Coon: the north has a higher % of atlanto-meds while the south is more insular med. Southern regions have also berids and "a local approximation to an armenoid" type (this is the Coon's definition) which are not common among native people of the north.
the real radical difference is in social-economics and culture. Northern Italians are more mild-mannered, soft-spoken and respectful towards authority while the Southerners are more extroverted, loud-mouthed with a familistic attitude towards society.
I can say it's rather annoying for us northerners to be equated to some stereotypes about Italians supposedly lazy, non-professional at work, unorganised and connected to Mob. We are one of the most hard-working people in Europe and we haven't that familistic way of life which Mafia culture is rooted in (I'm not saying those stereotypes are true in regards of South Italy anyway)
On an ethno-linguistic viewpoint Northern Italian languages belong to the Rheto-Cisalpine family opposed to the Italo-tuscanian family in the rest of the country.
the economical differences are also worth mentioning but that would deserve a thread of its own.
the whole concepted of Padania is basically an invention but so is Italy, so I'd personally pick Padania over Italy because I consider the north (and on a lesser extent also central Italy) as my real 'heimat'.