One of the most common tropes in Italian cinema is the figure of the mamma’s boy, (il mammone) a grown man who is still emotionally and practically dependent on his mommy. This character often appears in comedies and dramas. Reflecting the complex and sometimes problematic relationship between Italian men and their mothers–and women in general– it’s a role that the legendary actor Marcello Mastroianni honed to perfection in Italian comedies.
The other stereotype is the eternally devoted Italian mamma who would do anything for her children–even when they are middle-aged. In life the figure of the mammone may not be as humorous or as easily tolerated as in the movies, and mommies may not be as eternally devoted. Times are changing, as an Italian mom demonstrated when she took her two deadbeat middle-aged sons to court.
Tired of their ways, she won the right to evict her freeloading sons, both in their 40s, after they had repeatedly refused to leave their comfy nest. They had also refused to contribute to household expenses despite having their own incomes, and to help out around the house or take any responsibilities.
Fed up, the 75-year-old unnamed mother, living in the city of Pavia, took her problem to court where she won the legal battle to evict them. Despite having jobs, the men —aged 40 and 42 —refused to find alternative accommodation of their own.
According to the Italian newspaper La Provincia Pavese, when she was unable to get them out through persuasion, she decided to take them to court as a desperate last resort. Pavia Judge Simona Caterbi ruled that the two sons would need to vacate their mother’s home by December 18.
The judge acknowledged in the ruling that the argument for the sons staying in the property could have once been deemed “well-founded,” considering a parent’s obligations to their children, the newspaper reported. However, Caterbi said it “no longer appears justifiable” given that both men are now over 40, per ANSA.
These two big babies are not alone in wanting to hang onto mommy’s apron strings. According to the 2023 EU statistics office Eurostat, around 70% of Italians aged between 18 and 34 live in their parents’ homes, with a slightly higher percentage among men.
Figures also reveal the trend has increased in the last decade. In 2008, 61 percent of adults under 35 still lived at home.
The phenomenon is more prevalent in young men, with 72 percent of them compared to 60 percent of women in the same age group living at home. So what drives the majority of young Italians to stay home with mom and dad in their adult life?
This phenomenon may be attributed to Italy’s high youth unemployment rate, making it harder for many young Italians to reach financial independence at an early age.
The Guardian noted that Italy even has several terms for adults who are unwilling or unable to leave the family home — “bamboccioni,” which roughly translates as “big babies” or “mammoni,” meaning mommy’s boy.
Italians will on average continue living with their parents until their 30s, according to Eurostat, while the average age of those leaving the parental household in the EU is 26.
The two men in question, who had clearly overstayed their welcome by more than a decade, will now have to learn to fend for themselves.
