It's a matter of values.
'Questione' — que-STIO-ne. Stress on the second syllable. 'Valori' — va-LO-ri, stress on the second.
Use when a disagreement goes beyond facts or logic and touches on fundamental values — political, ethical, or cultural. It explains why people can't simply 'agree on the facts' because the disagreement runs deeper.
'Questione di valori' (matter of values) frames the disagreement as value-based rather than factual. This is intellectually honest — many disagreements are not about facts but about what matters most. Using this phrase elevates the conversation.
Non è una questione di dati, ma di principi.
It's not a question of data, but of principles.
Distinguishes factual from principled disagreement — very precise framing
Qui ci sono visioni del mondo diverse.
Here there are different worldviews.
'Visione del mondo' (worldview) — from the German 'Weltanschauung', fully integrated in Italian intellectual language
È una divergenza di fondo.
It's a fundamental divergence.
'Di fondo' (fundamental/at the bottom) — Italian for a deep underlying difference
Italy's deep political and cultural divisions — between North and South, progressive and conservative, religious and secular — are often framed as 'questioni di valori'. This phrase is used by Italians to explain why certain debates seem irresolvable.