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L'accento regionale è più marcato di quanto sembra.

L'accento regionale è più marcato di quanto sembra.
The regional accent is stronger than it seems.
From Lesson 281:Clause-level comparisons (di quanto, di quello che)·Italian

Questions & Answers about L'accento regionale è più marcato di quanto sembra.

Why do we use di quanto here instead of just di or che?
In Italian, when you compare something to a whole clause (a phrase with a conjugated verb, like sembra), you can't just use di or che. You need di quanto or di quello che, which translate roughly to 'than how much' or 'than that which'.
Why is sembra in the indicative? I thought we needed the subjunctive after di quanto.
It is true that the subjunctive is very common after di quanto (like di quanto pensassi), especially for thoughts or expectations. However, the indicative (sembra) is also used, particularly in everyday speech or when pointing out an objective reality rather than a personal opinion. Using the subjunctive (sembri) would also be completely correct and is actually preferred in formal writing.
Could I say più forte instead of più marcato?
You could, and it would be understood perfectly. But marcato (literally 'marked' or 'pronounced') is the standard, most natural adjective Italians use to describe an accent, a facial feature, or a flavor that clearly stands out.
Where is the word for 'it' in sembra ('it seems')?
Italian doesn't use dummy pronouns like 'it' for verbs like seeming, raining, or happening. The verb sembra just stands on its own in the third person singular, meaning 'it seems'.

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