The Southern accent of a Northerner

Today, I had a conversation about a possible future job for me. It is very hypothetical right now, but anyway, the agent, who was Italian, asked me if I knew any other languages apart from French and English. I told her the usual line, to which she replied, in Italian: "You say you don't understand a word, yet you speak with a Southern accent." As I said then, the smallest thing can make my day. I was happy not only to see that I could have the accent of a native, but that I could understand what she was saying. It is also funny that it appears that I am a Northerner everywhere except in Italy.