Italian family life can be characterized by loyalty and closeness. From the immediate, nuclear family to more extended relatives, Italians tend to remain as a close unit through several generations. Whether they are meeting in the square or at someone's house over a large dinner, family life in Italy is one of the foundations of their culture.

The Family Unit
Every Culture explains that Italians have stronger feelings of loyalty to their family than they have to their country. Even though there is increasing migration with some families geographically separated, the family is still the center of the social structure, providing unity and stability.