Italy is much younger than the US. Risorgimento (movement to see Italian Peninsula as a unified political and cultural entity, a nation) started after 1815. Be

Italy is much younger than the US. Risorgimento (movement to see Italian Peninsula as a unified political and cultural entity, a nation) started after 1815. Before that Italy didn't exist even as a clear concept. Old cultural power of separate cities and regions included in the modern Italy is older, of course.