Central Italy (Lucia Costantina Vargas)

Central Italy (中央イタリア Chūō Itaria) is a fan character (OC) of the series Hetalia: Axis Power. Her human name is Lucia Costantina Vargas (ルチア・コンスタンティナ・ヴァルガス Ruchia Konsutantina Varugasu) and she's the middle sister of the italian brother: older than Feliciano but younger than Lovino.

{Critiques are allowed, just comment on my profile.}

Names's meaning
Lucia (ルチア Ruchia) is a name of latin origin from the word "lux" ("light") and means "bright" or "shining". Probably was assigned, in ancient Rome, to babies who born at dawn or on bright days like Lucio. In the Christian world is the name of the saints Lucia Filippi (Rome) and Lucia (Siracusa). The others are the beate Lucia Bartolini Rucellai (Florence, protectress of Rucellai's family), Lucia da Caltagirone (Salerno) and Lucia da Settefonte (near Bologna). Costantina (コンスタンティナ Konsutantina) is a female variant of "Constantine" ("Costantino" in italian). At first was a latin cognomen, a "nickname" indicating a particular characteristic of a person, subsequently this name assumed a meaning (like every latin name) from the verb "consto" or the participle "costans", that means, "stand still", "stay firm","don't waver","the one who has firmness." It was also the name of the Roman Emperor Constantine who, as legend has wanted, has been baptized at the point of death and he assumed the nickname of "Christian-Roman emperor" because of his great tolerance towards the Christian people.

Appearance
She looks like a young, twenty-one-year-old woman with slightly wavy hair, medium brown and medium length. Once she kept them long, but with the advent of the Unification of Italy initially she had been cuts them short (They not reached her shoulders) then, at the end of the war, she decided to let them grow because, in her opinion, they stoned with her classical way to be. She usually wears elegant clothes, for her to appear important, like white shirts lined with lashes and tight black skirts. Posture always erect, almost regal in some ways, and dry physical without curves too accentuated. Her dark eyes, of an emerald green, seem perennially serious or lost in the void, wandering in a separate world. She has two scars behind her back: one, the smallest, passes horizontally close to her waist and through a quarter of her back, the other, bigger, begins after her shoulder and cross vertically her back until the scar reaching the first and crossing slightly it. They represent respectively the Battle of Tolentino in 1815 and the fall of the Second Roman Republic in 1849. The curl, typical of the brothers, lies right and in the center. Obviously it is an erogenous zone, so she doesn't want someone touch it. It represents her geographical position, at the center of Italy.

Causual outfit
Lucia usually wears white or pink shirts, short black (or dark blue) skirt and black ballerina with a bit of heel. She doesn't love too loose clothes because of her ties with the Chatholic Church, but it doesn't mean, for her, get dressed too much especially in summer. During winter she prefers wears jeans and jerseies for no suffer the cold. She has also a necklace with a christian cross, symbol of her faith into religion (even now it's not so big). When there are important events Lucia loves wears long dresses, elegants and refined.

Traditional outfit
[Work in progress]

Military outfit
[Work in progress]

Personality
Lucia is a grumpy woman, irascible, superb, proud, messy and cowardly. She considers her arts and knowledge superior to any other nation, and she is also considers herself the author of the literature of other nation such as England. Most of the time, she’s serious and clumsy to her similiars, especially with those who harass or annoy her like France, Austria and Prussia, yet she’s also a friendly, sunny, and sympathetic person thanks to the great sensibility she’s equipped with. She’s get angry very easily, it’s enough really little things to blow her nerves and unleash her bad words repertoire, but she doesn’t blasphemies because of a rigid Christian education after the fall of the Roman Empire (even her faith has a little faded, she doesn’t abandoned its because she doesn’t judge wrong religion). As a child she was very capricious and malleable, because of this she learned any subject or rule even though her grandfather Rome had to work a lot at her birth because of her rebellious nature. When she grow up and learning on her own, her malleability has disappeared into rigidity, and now the Italian appears to be a marble statue physically and in some psychological traits: firmness. Though she’s a Vargas, she has this peculiarity which turns out if in trouble or needs it, she’s capable of great solidity even in the toughest moments, sometimes it has pushed her to take on the classic iron fist despite there have been very few events that have spurred her to that point - mostly problems in the borders. In contrast she’s fragile, conditioned by her own feelings, preventing her from doing as she should, and forcing her, because of her pride, to build a wall of appearances around her. She has borrowed from the Roman Empire one of the great characteristics of the Romans: the patientia. Unlike the Italian, this term doesn’t mean "patience” but “endurance”, being able to undergo, undergo and undergo again, suffer, endure the hundred blades in the chest and get back up, so Lucia. Little Attention: patientia is not self-control. The Italian doesn’t know how to control herself. It’s about resisting, transforming wounds into weapons, not controlling them. She is, therefore, dreadful, there is no surrender without fighting or even there is no surrender in certain cases. She has been raised with these values. However, unfortunately, this doesn’t imply good military prowess, the wars, if not all, most of them she lost and lose them. Only with allies or in particular cases she won, in others she was defeated, and there is also a lack of interest on the part of the girl who prefers one of her precious books to a weapon in her hands. She admires her grandfather so much, she keeps his memoires in the language (she uses florentine accent, the Italian standard, the closest to latin) in ideas (all things that he has taught her like virtue, for example) in ways of doing and in traditions (the saltarello was a typical Roman dance). Her arrogant attitude derived from her past events besides the rich culture of her country, a great boon, she considers herself superior to the others nations for the huge cultural heritage formed by the gratest italian artists, architets and literary writers. Despite the long years of scientific, classical and literary studies she hasn’t lost her christian faith. Lucia believe in God, attends the church and follows some important tradition, but she never (and can’t) say that God exist or no. She is, for christian influence, slightly homophobic: thinks that homosexuals can get married because is a form of love and they can make marriages like normal people, but this is an unnatural, irregular, love form.

Lovino Romano Vargas/South Italy
Main Article: South Italy

Lovino is her old brother and she love him very much. Lucia see him as a protective figure even sometimes they quarrel. They fought together against Austria during the Battle of Tolentino and she asked his help during napoleonic conquests, in 1798, for throwing out frenchmen in her Roman Republic.

Feliciano Veneziano Vargas/North Italy
Main Article: North Italy

Feliciano is the little brother of Lucia. She loves him like her big brother and in the past helped him during the first italian indipendence war and Feliciano helped her for defending her Roman Republic (in 1849) attacked by French.

Romulus Caesar Vargas/Ancient Rome (or Grandpa Rome)
Main Article: Ancient Rome

Lucia was the first Italy born. Romulus taught her latin, Romans culture and religion, prohibiten her to learn ancient greek and greek philosopy. The education in Ancient Rome was very strich and disciplined, you had to study only what the government (or your pater familias) wantend you to learn, so Lucia learn only what Rome wanted her to learn. However, he loved her and she loved and loves him, so much that she’ll never forget the teachings of Rome, bringing them to today. (for example: her italian accent is very similiar to latin, contraly her brothers who lost this “perfect” italian that she defens with all herself).

Feliks Łukasiewicz/Poland
Main Article: Poland

They are friends, although their meeting is quite recent, in fact dates back to 1849. The Polish had come in Central Italy as a military assistance to the Roman Republic after Rome was besieged by the French and, then, he’s mentioned in the Italian anthem and Italy in the Polish anthem.

Gilbert Beilschmidt/Prussia
Main Article: Prussia

They are friends (mostly drinking) although the Italian doesn’t love so much the prussian. Their friendship began in 1198, during the first Crusade, when the Teutonic Order was born. Armed fellow fighters, they fought together until about 1250, when Lucia decided to leave the military road and jump into the intellectual one thanks to the Scola Siciliana, and became the independent communes of Florence. They later found themselves in the Congress of Vienna and, in particular, in the Italian-Prussian alliance, also known as the Third Italian War of Independence, on March 28, 1866. We can say that Gilbert is the only one who she doesn’t really feel hate, despite his and his brother terrible behavior on her during World War II.

Roderich Eldestein/Austria
Main Article: Austria

Their relationship is not one of the best, since they met. The Medician dynasty, which had been left with only one childless component, had now dried up and it was replaced by the Habsburg-Lorraine, who became part of the Habsburg branch thanks to the marriage between the Archduke Maria Teresa d'Asburgo and Francesco Stefano di Lorena. The entry of the new family into the Grand Duchy of Tuscany should have included this territory into austrian possessions but they decided to keep the territories and, consequently, the respective crowns separate. Despite the decision, however, the austrian attempted to impose on her, for example, to oblige her to suppress an intellectual book because according to him was unfit, he also disagreed the Grand Duchy’s freedom of press. The Risorgimento worsened their already unstable relations with the battle of Tolentino in 1815, the siege of Ancona on May 8, 1849, and the conquest of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany on May 28, 1849. Although she hates him, in any case she owes him a big thank (that she will never say) to having returned to her the Grand Duchy of Tuscany during the Vienna Congress.

Francis Bonnefoy/France
Main Article: France

Nowadays Lucia can’t even see the French how she hates him. Even though they don’t appear, they were great friends: France has supported Florence and the Medici family for many years even during the instability period of the 15th century (he helps the Florentine Republic set up after the expulsion of the Medici). Although she was later forced to support Spain (in those periods vicious enemy of France) their relations were good, especially thanks to Caterina de 'Medici, first, wife of Henry II, then guard of Charles IX, and were also allied in the war against Charles V -Lega of Cognac. The situation remained great for centuries, until Napoleon’s arrival. Initially, like all the Italians, she greatly admired the general, but as a result of increasingly pungent choices only to increase his power, confidence in Francis and in his beloved commander collapsed until it disappeared. The Napoleonic period for the two was the most unstable one, surrounded by continual quarrels and reconciliations which ended on March 21, 1801, when the French suppressed the Grand Duchy of Tuscany with the Kingdom of Etruria, removing at the Italian girl the last territory of her property. From that moment on, their relationship was broken. There was a last moment of reconciliation during the Unity of Italy (Plombières agreements) but the Armistice of Villafranca, the betrayal of Napoleon III, reversed again and for the last time the situation.

Kiku Honda/Japan
Main Article: Japan

Lucia meet Kiku during the Second World War but they never talk together unless for important things. After the war they started to talk because he sometimes visited her at Florence and nowdays they have a little friendship link. There are many japanese tourist at Florence, one of the most popular tourist destination, especially students who come for studies or their curiosity.

Antonio Fernàndez Carriedo/Spain
Main Article: Spain

The relationship between the italian and spanish is rather neutral, they have a small friendship’s link just because they share Lovino. In the past, they have always been quite ambiguous, one allies then enemies and allies again, the culprits are also the lords/grand dukes of Lucia who have constantly danced between France and Spain for keep good relations with the firts and receive benefits from the second. Even during spanish domination period in Italy, despite she enjoyed the total support of Spain, the italian was almost forced to accept it as it was imposed by her superiors who were helped by spanish to return in Florence after the expulsion in 1494 (Piero de’ Medici was throw out in 1494 with all the other Medici’s components).

Arthur Kirkland/England
Main Article: England

Today Lucia and Arthur seems to be enemies, because italians consider british dirty, bad in the kitchen and with strange habits, british consider italians mediocre and stupids. In reality, Lucia and her brothers had been allies with Arthur: during the World War I italians leave the Triple Alliance and, with the covenant of London, they went into Triple Entente, plus british during the Second Italian Indipendent war wantend to help italians, even only for ruin France and Austria. Many english writers used as model other italian poets and as setting an italian city, plus the english authoress Mary Shelley with his husband lived in Italy. However, unfortunately, these things didn’t contribuited to create a friendship link beacause of many contrasting differences (habits, way to talk, languages, etc…) and now, althought sometimes they talk together about literature, Lucia and Arthur aren’t good friends.

Ivan Braginski/Russia
Main Article: Russia

[Work in progress]

Corbezzolo or Daisy (National Flower)
Italy doesn't have a real national flower and, because of this, there are many theories about Italy's national flower. The most accredited flower is the "Corbezzolo" (or "Arbutus") because its colors remind Italy's flag: green the leaves, white the flowers and red the fruits. Another flower that is always used as Italy national flower is the Daisy, or "Margherita" in italian, because its white remind the same color of Italy's flag.

Red Lily (Lucia's ancient National Flower)
Red Lily or "Giglio Rosso" or "Florence Lily" ("Giglio di Firenze") in italian was (and is) the symbol and national flower of Florence ("Firenze" in italian). In reality the Florence Lily is more similiar to an iris mixed with a lily, in fact remind a flower which born around the city, the Germanic iris ("Iris Germanica"). We don't know much about the origin of this symbol, but It's thought that it was born from the fact that the Florence Lilies were florid in Florence; another theory speaks of his birth during the foundation of Florence by the Romans in 59 BC which name in latin was Florentia, because the city was created in spring during festivities in honor of the goddess Flora. Plus, as i said before, around the city grew many Iris.



At the beginnig the lily was white in a red background, but when the Ghibellines were expelled in 1251, the Guelfs inverted the colors: red in a white background.

Azure or Savoia Blue (Italy national color)
Azure or Savoia Blue is the national color of Italy and its national football team. Before Azure the italian national football team used to use as national color the white, but then they had to change it in Azure because was the old Italy's color when it was "Reign of Italy". Its called also Savoia Blue beacuse was the color symbol of the royal family "Savoia".

Central Italy
Lucia's birth was around 264 B.C. when Romans founded Fermo, a colony in the Piceno's region (today Marche) after a revolt leaded by Asculum (Ascoli today). This colony was used by Romans for control Asculum and avoid other revolts. Before the Piceno's region, Romans conquered Umbrians in 295 B.C., Etruscans in 396 B.C. after the siege of Veio, Sabines in 449 B.C. (even the final conquest was in 290 B.C.) and Latins, Volsci, Equi, Falisci (all Latium region) were finally subjugated immediately afterwards Romans conquest of Veio and its destruction because this city was the center of Latium civilization. Before, Romans had to fought many wars against Latium popolation for a century. According to Livio, an Augustan latin writer, Veio was won and destroyed by Furio Camillo, a military genius who Livio identified as a predecessor of Ottaviano. Camillo and his soldiers dug a tunnel under Veio's wall taking by surprise the inhabitants.

Umbrians

The most ancient popolation established in the italic peninsula, according to traditions, were Umbrians. Their name derived from ancient greek Ὄμβροι from the word όμβρος that mean "thunderstorm". Probably greeks assigned this name to them because they resisted to the rains of a terrible flooding. We don't know much about their origins, probably Etruscans subjugated some Umbrians cities. They were, according to traditions, the founders of Sabines who were Sannis, Lucani, Breuzi and Picens (not certain) ancestors. Romans never really won this popolation, they were slowly absorbed by them.

Picens

Picens were a popolation who lived in the Piceno, today called Marche. The name "Piceni" derived from the latin word "Picantes"(Πίκεντες "Pikentes" in ancient greek) that mean "Those of the woodpecker (picus in latin)". Their origins are very ambiguous, more legendary than real, like Rome origins. According to the legend told by Strabone, Plinio il Vecchio (Old Plinio) and Festo, Picens were Sabines who, during the ver sacrum, migrated from Sabina to Piceno leaded by a Green Woodpecker, their totem animal. The "Ver sacrum" was a vote that many ancient italic populations used to do and consisted of offer to gods (this wasn't a sacrifice but a sort of blessing) children born during famines or a year of war between the 1th March and 30th April. When they grew up and became adults, at the beginning of spring they were accompanied at the borders of their territory and started looking for new lands where they settled and created new temples of their gods. About their Sabines origins many historians disagree with this theory because of some archaelogical finds. They think Picens derived from a big ethnic group of umbrian-sabels (or oscan-umbrians) who arrived into this region and created little different settlements. They had never been able to made one and strong aggregation. The Picenum was inhabitated by Picenti (North Picenum, called Ager Picenus), Petruzi (South Picenum, called Ager Praetutianus) and little groups of Liburni. During the phase "Piceno VI" (IV-III centuries B.C.) greeks from Magna Greece (Syracuse) founded a colony called Ancona and Senones Gauls invaded the Northen region of Picenum after called by Romans Ager Gallicus or Ager gallicus picenus.

Sabines

Sabines, as I said before, were the result of Umbrians migration with Sannis and Sabels. Their name probably derived from the ancient greek word σέβομαι (sèbomai) that mean "adore" because of their big faith on gods. With Umbrians, Sabines were one of the most ancient italic popolation, we have informations about their settlements from 3000 B.C., but the origins are unknown. Probably, because of similiarities with Umbrians, they derived from a magration of this popolation during Ver Sacrum. Sabines where divided in two parts: Sabines of Tiber (or Sabina Tiberina) and Sabines of Rieti, Norcai and Amiternum (or Mountainous Sabina). The first lived next the river Tiber, near Romans, the part of Sabina richer and more evolved (famous for values like justice and honesty), the seconds were the poorest part where inhabitans based their life on pastoralism. Sabines of Tiber and Romans shared many things like kings (Numa Pompilio was a sabine) and, according to a legend, the first contact between Romans and Sabines was during the Rape of the Sabine Women event, when Romulus, for make alliances, ask others popolation to give him their women for procreate and populate his new city (Rome). These popolation refused his request, so Romulus organized a show for attired all the inhabitants's regions and, while they were watching this show, Romans kidnap their women. This action caused a war between Romulus (Romans) and Tito Tazio, king of Sabines ended with the Battle of Lake Curzio where women, wives of Romans and daughters of Sabines, placed in the midst of the factions and convinced Romans and Sabines to stop the war.

Ethruscans

(working in progess)

Latium popolations

(working in progress)

Florence - Respublica Florentina and Signoria di Firenze
In 476 A.D. the West Roman Empire fall, destroyed by Odoacer, general of Huns. He deposed the last Roman emperor Romulus Augustus and he created the Kingdom of Ostrogoths which was conquered by Byzantine Empire after the bloody Ghotic War (535-555 A.D.), but Longobards, thanks probably to Narsete, invaded regions and cities of Italy between 568 A.D. and 751 A.D. and took away most of territories to Byzantine Empire. Lucia, after these invasions, was conquered again by the Franks (or Carolingian Empire) ofCharlemagne (or Charles the Great), the last alive son of Pepin the Short. When he died in 814 A.D., his reign in 817 A.D. was divided by his three sons: Lotario I became emperor of the Kingdom of Central Franks (its territories were Provence, North Italy, Central Italy and Lotaringia), Louis the German became king of East Franks, Charles the Bald became king of West Franks. In 752 A.D. born the Papal States formed by most of Central Italy regions (Umbria, Marche, Lazio and Emilia-Romagna) thanks to Donations made by kings. At this point Lucia remained with only a region in her hands, while Papal States was absorbing her territories: Tuscany. Before she knew Scola Siciliana thanks to Frederick II of Swabia, she stayed with Papal States and fought as a crusader (all Crusades from 1095, the first, to 1291, the last, even with Scola Siciliana she decided to dedicate herself in literature). When Frederick II of Swabia, an emperor hated by the pope Gregory IX, in 1220 showed to Lucia the Sicilian Poetry School, she was so impressed that she started to copy the sicilian poems in Florence, because in 1227 and 1234 there was revolts in Rome leaded by Ghibellines. But, instead of returns in Rome, she prefered to stay in Florence

When Frederick II of Swabia made famous the Sicilian Poetry School in Florence writers started to copy these poems in florentine. At the end of XI century, after a great democratic development and a great flourishing period, cities reborned and the new urban classes gathered together for create an indipendent reality free from the imperial authority and feudal constraints: the communes. Lucia in this period began to think about a free existence like his brother Feliciano (especially when in 1115 Florence became a commune), who fought with Papal States against Frederick Barbarossa for the liberty of communes (Lombard League) so, because of this, she prefered to stay in Florence despite the civil wars.

(working in progress)