Brindisi

Brindisi
Established
Motto
Neighbours	Genua, The Neverlands
Geographical Features	Gulf of Brindisi
Population
Size	medium
Capital	Limbardi
Type of government	The Subumbra Family
Notable Citizens	Enrico Basilica
Imports
Exports	Pasta, singers and performers
National Anthem
Books	Maskerade

Brindisi is the Discworld equivalent of Italy on Roundworld. Evaree-ona speaka lika dis iffa dey comea from dere! And if your name is Henry Slugg and you want to sing opera you're liable to get laughed at, but if you are named Signore Enrico Basilica - from Brindisi, remember - then you can be a Disc-wide star! The Flying Pastrami Brothers are another example. Their real names were Sidney and Frank Cartwright. Who wants to see acrobats called that? No-one. So they called themselves Marco and Falco Pastrami, and got a job on Monty Bladder's Three-Ring Circus.

The country is near-tropical, rimward and turnwise of Genua and includes a peninsula into the Gulf of Brindisi. Brindisi is three thousand miles across the continent from Ankh-Morpork, but its language is obviously derived from Latatian, so it was likely an outpost of the Morporkian Empire.

Brindisian immigrants contribute much to the Artistic and Food Service Industries in Ankh-Morpork. The Brindisian language is not widely spoken there, but it is common in restaurants and at the opera. According to The Compleat Ankh-Morpork the cuisine can be sampled at 'La Triviata', a Brindisian restaurant on Holofernes Street in the Isle of Gods.

Annotation

There might be two reasons for Pratchett's choice of Brindisi as the name for the Italian counterpart of Discworld.

• First, there really is a Roundworld city called Brindisi. It is located in the Eastern part of the Italian "heel" peninsula, a fact that matches Pratchett's description. In addition, Brindisi itself stands on a small peninsula whose shape resembles a deer head (i.e.: 'Brentesion' in Greek).
• Second, "brindisi" is the Italian term for "toast", commonly preceded by the sentence "let's have a...". Choosing "Brindisi" as a name for an Italian-like country, Pratchett wisely emphasizes Italian taste for wine - a drink that comes with the typical Brindisian food Enrico Basilica hates.
• Thirdly, "Brindisi" is the title of a very well know operatic aria from "La Traviata" (Pavarotti Verdi La Traviata - Brindisi).