What metaphors are used in Death and Judgment by Donna Leon?

Italy itself is a metaphor for for cutural identity. The north has the Italian Alps, which lend a different feel to the countryside than the more tropical south. The people in the south tend to have darker hair, eyes, and skin and are well known for what the rest of the world considers to be "traditional" Italian food. Many think of Sicily when they think of the south, from the boot-shaped land to the heritage of those in the Sicilian mafia.