![The Origin of Italians With Blue Eyes (1) The Origin of Italians With Blue Eyes (1)](https://i0.wp.com/www.usworldherald.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/pure-italians-born-with-blue-eyes.jpeg)
Anybody with even a passing knowledge of Italy knows that most Italians with blue eyes are from the North.
The reason why Italians vary somewhat in looks is that Italy has been invaded and colonized by various groups over the millennia.
Prior to Italy’s invasion by the Moors, Italians were more often than not fair.
The Moors were mostly dark-haired and dark-eyed (they were an ethnic mix of Middle Eastern Arabs and North African tribes), who settled largely in Sicily and the far south.
The ancestral lineage of most southern Italians goes back to the Moors and the Greeks, and other people from all corners of the Mediterranean area, whereas the northerners go back to the Gauls, the Celts, and the vast assortment of Germanic tribes which came, and went for centuries.
This is why Italians from the north are generally lighter than those from the south.
While it’s more common for Italians to have hazel/brown eyes, around 14% are blue-eyed according to a recent French magazine article.
So next time someone tells you Italians only have dark eyes, tell them to take a step back from the usual stereotype and, maybe, take a trip to Italy in order to see how diverse it is.
Five famous Italians with blue eyes
Carla Bruni
![The Origin of Italians With Blue Eyes (2) The Origin of Italians With Blue Eyes (2)](https://i0.wp.com/www.usworldherald.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/blue-eyed-italians.jpeg)
Carla Bruni is a former Italian singer-songwriter and fashion model. In 2008, she married Nicolas Sarkozy, then president of France.
Born: Turin, Piedmont (Northern Italy).
Chiara Ferragni
![The Origin of Italians With Blue Eyes (3) The Origin of Italians With Blue Eyes (3)](https://i0.wp.com/www.usworldherald.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/italian-eyes.jpeg)
Chiara Ferragni is an Italian entrepreneur, and designer. In September 2017, Ferragni was ranked first on the Forbes “Top Fashion Influencers” list.
Born: Cremona, Lombardy (Northern Italy).
Marco Verratti
![The Origin of Italians With Blue Eyes (4) The Origin of Italians With Blue Eyes (4)](https://i0.wp.com/www.usworldherald.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/italians-with-blue-eyes.jpeg)
Marco Verratti is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain and the Italy national team.
Born: Pescara, Abruzzo (central Italy).
Bianca Balti
![The Origin of Italians With Blue Eyes (5) The Origin of Italians With Blue Eyes (5)](https://i0.wp.com/www.usworldherald.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/italian-with-blue-eyes.jpeg)
Bianca Balti is an Italian actress and top model.
Born: Lodi, Lombardy (Northern Italy).
Frank Sinatra
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Despite being born in the U.S., Frank Sinatra was 100 percent Italian. His bright blue eyes earned him the popular nickname “Ol’ Blue Eyes”.
Born: Hoboken, New Jersey. His father was from Palermo, Sicily (southern Italy), and his mom was from Genoa, Liguria (northern Italy).