Istrian Italians
Encyclopedia
Istria
Istria , formerly Histria , is the largest peninsula in the Adriatic Sea. The peninsula is located at the head of the Adriatic between the Gulf of Trieste and the Bay of Kvarner...
, related to the Italian people
Italian people
The Italian people are an ethnic group that share a common Italian culture, ancestry and speak the Italian language as a mother tongue. Within Italy, Italians are defined by citizenship, regardless of ancestry or country of residence , and are distinguished from people...
of Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. Historically they are descendants from the original Latinized population of Roman
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
Istria, from the Venetian
Venetian language
Venetian or Venetan is a Romance language spoken as a native language by over two million people, mostly in the Veneto region of Italy, where of five million inhabitants almost all can understand it. It is sometimes spoken and often well understood outside Veneto, in Trentino, Friuli, Venezia...
-speaking settlers who came to Istria during the Republic of Venice
Republic of Venice
The Republic of Venice or Venetian Republic was a state originating from the city of Venice in Northeastern Italy. It existed for over a millennium, from the late 7th century until 1797. It was formally known as the Most Serene Republic of Venice and is often referred to as La Serenissima, in...
, and from the Italianized
Italianization
Italianization or Italianisation is a term used to describe a process of cultural assimilation in which ethnically non or partially Italian people or territory become Italian. The process can be voluntary or forced...
South Slavic population in Istria. Today, as a result of the Istrian exodus
Istrian exodus
The expression Istrian exodus or Istrian-Dalmatian exodus is used to indicate the departure of ethnic Italians from Istria, Rijeka, and Dalmatia , after World War II. At the time of the exodus, these territories were part of the SR Croatia and SR Slovenia , today they are parts of the Republics of...
, the majority of Istrian Italians live outside of the Istrian peninsula; however, a significant Italian minority still lives in the Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
n County of Istria and in Slovenian Istria
Slovenian Istria
Slovenian Istria often called Obala in Slovene is a region in southwest of Slovenia. It comprises the northern part of the Istrian peninsula, and it is part of the wider geographical-historical region known as the Slovenian Littoral . Its largest urban center is Koper. Other larger settlements...
, where they are granted minority rights. Their number is around 17,000. The Istrian diaspora
Diaspora
A diaspora is "the movement, migration, or scattering of people away from an established or ancestral homeland" or "people dispersed by whatever cause to more than one location", or "people settled far from their ancestral homelands".The word has come to refer to historical mass-dispersions of...
, on the other hand, counts more than 200,000 people.
Early period
Istria was part of the Roman EmpireRome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
from the 2nd century before Christ until its fall in 476. During this period, the local Illyrian and Venetic population was largely Romanized and accepted the Latin language. After the fall of the Western Roman Empire
Western Roman Empire
The Western Roman Empire was the western half of the Roman Empire after its division by Diocletian in 285; the other half of the Roman Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire, commonly referred to today as the Byzantine Empire....
, Istria was included under Odoacer
Odoacer
Flavius Odoacer , also known as Flavius Odovacer, was the first King of Italy. His reign is commonly seen as marking the end of the Western Roman Empire. Though the real power in Italy was in his hands, he represented himself as the client of Julius Nepos and, after Nepos' death in 480, of the...
's Kingdom (476-489), then to the Ostrogothic Kingdom
Ostrogothic Kingdom
The Kingdom established by the Ostrogoths in Italy and neighbouring areas lasted from 493 to 553. In Italy the Ostrogoths replaced Odoacer, the de facto ruler of Italy who had deposed the last emperor of the Western Roman Empire in 476. The Gothic kingdom reached its zenith under the rule of its...
and from 539 to the Byzantine Empire
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
.
In the 6th century, numerous incursions of Slavs
Slavic peoples
The Slavic people are an Indo-European panethnicity living in Eastern Europe, Southeast Europe, North Asia and Central Asia. The term Slavic represents a broad ethno-linguistic group of people, who speak languages belonging to the Slavic language family and share, to varying degrees, certain...
and Avars
Eurasian Avars
The Eurasian Avars or Ancient Avars were a highly organized nomadic confederacy of mixed origins. They were ruled by a khagan, who was surrounded by a tight-knit entourage of nomad warriors, an organization characteristic of Turko-Mongol groups...
took place, which caused the decline of the peninsula and decimated its autochthonous population. During this period, the Slavs settled the northern parts of what was ancient Istria: the Kras Plateau and the area around modern-day Ilirska Bistrica
Ilirska Bistrica
Ilirska Bistrica is a town and a municipality in Slovenia. It belongs to the traditional region of Primorska.The town of Ilirska Bistrica is the major economic centre of the district of the same name...
. They did not however penetrate into Istria proper, which remained under Byzantine rule until the late 8th century, when it was shortly seized by the Lombards
Lombards
The Lombards , also referred to as Longobards, were a Germanic tribe of Scandinavian origin, who from 568 to 774 ruled a Kingdom in Italy...
.
In 789, Istria was included into the Frankish Kingdom. This political shift caused profound social changes, characterized by the introduction of feudalism
Feudalism
Feudalism was a set of legal and military customs in medieval Europe that flourished between the 9th and 15th centuries, which, broadly defined, was a system for ordering society around relationships derived from the holding of land in exchange for service or labour.Although derived from the...
. In the 8th and 9th centuries, the Frankish feudal lords started settling Slavic farmers to their estates in northern Istria (mostly in what is today Slovenian Istria
Slovenian Istria
Slovenian Istria often called Obala in Slovene is a region in southwest of Slovenia. It comprises the northern part of the Istrian peninsula, and it is part of the wider geographical-historical region known as the Slovenian Littoral . Its largest urban center is Koper. Other larger settlements...
) This caused a revolt of the Romance
Romance languages
The Romance languages are a branch of the Indo-European language family, more precisely of the Italic languages subfamily, comprising all the languages that descend from Vulgar Latin, the language of ancient Rome...
-speaking municipal powers. In 804, the Assembly of Rižana took place in the vicinity of the northern Istrian town of Koper (Capodistria), in which the representatives of various Romance towns presented their complaints to the Frankish authorities, which included the protest against the settling of Slavs on former municipal lands.
By the 11th centuries, most of the interior mountainous areas of northern and eastern Istria (Liburnia
Liburnia
Liburnia in ancient geography was the land of the Liburnians, a region along the northeastern Adriatic coast in Europe, in modern Croatia, whose borders shifted according to the extent of Liburnian dominance at a given time between 11th and 1st century BC...
) were inhabited by South Slavs
South Slavs
The South Slavs are the southern branch of the Slavic peoples and speak South Slavic languages. Geographically, the South Slavs are native to the Balkan peninsula, the southern Pannonian Plain and the eastern Alps...
, while the Romance population continued to prevail in the south and west of the peninsula. Linguistically, the Romance inhabitants of Istria were most probably divided into two main linguistic groups: in the north-west, the speakers of a Rhaeto-Romance language similar to Ladin
Ladin
Ladin is a language consisting of a group of dialects spoken in the Dolomite Mountains in Northern Italy in the border regions of the provinces Trentino, South Tyrol and Belluno...
and Friulian prevailed, while in the south, the natives most probably spoke a variant of the Dalmatian language
Dalmatian language
Dalmatian was a Romance language spoken in the Dalmatia region of Croatia, and as far south as Kotor in Montenegro. The name refers to a pre-Roman tribe of the Illyrian linguistic group, Dalmatae...
. The Italian linguist Matteo Bartoli
Matteo Bartoli
Matteo Giulio Bartoli was an Italian linguist from Istria ....
however claimed that all Romance inhabitants of Istria spoke a Rhaeto-Romance language prior to the arrival of Venice.
Venetian rule
Istrian towns were first rivals of the Republic of VeniceRepublic of Venice
The Republic of Venice or Venetian Republic was a state originating from the city of Venice in Northeastern Italy. It existed for over a millennium, from the late 7th century until 1797. It was formally known as the Most Serene Republic of Venice and is often referred to as La Serenissima, in...
, but since 1149 Pula
Pula
Pula is the largest city in Istria County, Croatia, situated at the southern tip of the Istria peninsula, with a population of 62,080 .Like the rest of the region, it is known for its mild climate, smooth sea, and unspoiled nature. The city has a long tradition of winemaking, fishing,...
(Pola) and the other Istrian towns became vassalls of Venice, in order to secure their trade connections. In 1209, most of Istria became part of the Patriarchate of Aquileia, while northern and central Istria fell to the Counts of Gorizia. A conflict arose between the Patriarch and the Istrian cities, and the latter in part leant on Venice, Pula being the last one to do so in 1331.
In the 14th century, epidemies such as the Black Death
Black Death
The Black Death was one of the most devastating pandemics in human history, peaking in Europe between 1348 and 1350. Of several competing theories, the dominant explanation for the Black Death is the plague theory, which attributes the outbreak to the bacterium Yersinia pestis. Thought to have...
decimated in those years the Istrian population, which was still mostly of Romance ethnicity. As a consequence of depopulation, Venice started settling Slavic communities to repopulate the interior areas of the peninsula. These were mostly Čakavian and partially Štokavian speaking South Slavs from Dalmatia and present-day Montenegro
Montenegro
Montenegro Montenegrin: Crna Gora Црна Гора , meaning "Black Mountain") is a country located in Southeastern Europe. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea to the south-west and is bordered by Croatia to the west, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the northwest, Serbia to the northeast and Albania to the...
(differently from Kajkavian and proto-Slovene speakers that lived in the northern areas of the peninsula).
At the same time, settlers from the Veneto
Veneto
Veneto is one of the 20 regions of Italy. Its population is about 5 million, ranking 5th in Italy.Veneto had been for more than a millennium an independent state, the Republic of Venice, until it was eventually annexed by Italy in 1866 after brief Austrian and French rule...
region were used to resettle the towns. This caused a language shift
Language shift
Language shift, sometimes referred to as language transfer or language replacement or assimilation, is the progressive process whereby a speech community of a language shifts to speaking another language. The rate of assimilation is the percentage of individuals with a given mother tongue who speak...
of the local Romance population who replaced the old Romance (either Rhaeto-Romance or Italo-Dalmatian
Italo-Dalmatian languages
The Italo-Dalmatian languages are a group of Romance languages of Italy , Corsica, and, formerly, the Dalmatian Coast of Croatia...
) languages with the Venetian dialect of Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
. Only in the extreme south of the peninsula did the original Istrian Romance language survive: under strong Venetian influences it transformed itself into the modern Istriot language
Istriot language
Istriot is a Romance language spoken in the Western Region on the coast of the Istrian Peninsula, especially in the towns of Rovinj and Vodnjan , on the upper northern part of the Adriatic Sea, in Croatia.-Classification:...
. Until the early 19th century, Dalmatian
Dalmatian
Dalmatian may refer to:* Dalmatia, a region mainly in the southern part of modern Croatia* Dalmatae, an ancient people from the region* Dalmatian language, an extinct Romance language* Dalmatian , a breed of dog...
continued to be spoken on the island of Krk, and a dialect of Friulian in the town of Muggia
Muggia
Muggia is a small Italian comune in the extreme south-east of Trieste lying on the border with Slovenia.Muggia is the last and only flap of Istria still in Italian territory, after the dissolution of the Free Territory of Trieste in 1954....
: both became extinct in the mid 19th century, replaced by Venetian.
In 1374 Because of the implementation of a treaty of inheritance, central and eastern Istria fell to the House of Habsburg, while Venice continued to control the northern, western and south-eastern portion of the peninsula, including the major coastal towns of Koper, Poreč
Porec
Poreč is a town and municipality on the western coast of the Istrian peninsula, in Istria County, Croatia. Its major landmark is the 6th century Euphrasian Basilica, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1997....
, Rovinj
Rovinj
Rovinj is a city in Croatia situated on the north Adriatic Sea with a population of 13,562 . It is located on the western coast of the Istrian peninsula and is a popular tourist resort and an active fishing port...
, Pula
Pula
Pula is the largest city in Istria County, Croatia, situated at the southern tip of the Istria peninsula, with a population of 62,080 .Like the rest of the region, it is known for its mild climate, smooth sea, and unspoiled nature. The city has a long tradition of winemaking, fishing,...
, Plomin
Plomin
Plomin is a village in the Croatian part of Istria, situated approximately 11 km north of Labin, on an 80 meters high hill. It is a popular destination for tourists traveling through Istria by road....
, and the interior towns of Labin
Labin
Labin is a town in Istria, Croatia, with a town population of 6,884 and 11,703 in the greater municipality ....
and Buzet
Buzet
Buzet is a town in Istria, Croatia, population 6,059 . Already at the time of Venetian rule, Buzet supplied military stations and the local population with potable water. Today the region of Buze-stina is the central area of the future Native Park of Istria...
. This created a dichotomy that characterized Istria until the late 18th century. The Venetian culture and language left a profound impact on Venetian Istria. By the Baroque and Enlightenment periods, Istrian Italians were completely integrated in the wider Italian culture via their belonging to the Republic of Venice. The towns of Venetian Istria became almost exclusively Venetian-speaking, and Venetian Italian was the language of commerce, culture and administration. Nevertheless, significant numbers of South Slavic speakers (mostly Slovene and Čakavian Croatian) continued to dwell in the rural areas of Venetian Istria, especially in the north of the province and on the border with Austrian Istria.
On the other hand, interior and eastern Istria was included into the Central European cultural sphere and were dominated by a feudal culture. By the late 18th century, the vast majority of Austrian Istria were Slavic (Slovene and Croat) speakers.
After the Treaty of Campo Formio
Treaty of Campo Formio
The Treaty of Campo Formio was signed on 18 October 1797 by Napoleon Bonaparte and Count Philipp von Cobenzl as representatives of revolutionary France and the Austrian monarchy...
(1797) Austria occupied the Venetian part of the peninsula. After a short French interim, Austria reconquered the whole peninsula in 1813, and unified it into a single province. As a result, Istrian Italians became a minority in the new administrative unit, although they maintained their social and part of their political power.
The Austrian period
Austrian Empire
The Austrian Empire was a modern era successor empire, which was centered on what is today's Austria and which officially lasted from 1804 to 1867. It was followed by the Empire of Austria-Hungary, whose proclamation was a diplomatic move that elevated Hungary's status within the Austrian Empire...
caused deep changes in the political asset of the region, it did not alter the social balance. Venetian-speaking Istrian Italians continued to dominate the region both culturally and economically. In the first half of the 19th century, the use of Venetian language even extended to some areas of former Austrian Istria, like the town of Pazin
Pazin
Pazin is the administrative seat of Istria County in Croatia. The town has a population of 4,986 , the total Pazin municipality population is 9,227...
. The Austrian censuses detected a gradual but constant rise of Italian speakers both in numerical and proportional terms: in 1848, around a third of Istrians were Italian (Venetian or Istriot) speakers; by 1910, this figure rose to around 38%.
From the early 19th century onward, the local Croats
Croats
Croats are a South Slavic ethnic group mostly living in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and nearby countries. There are around 4 million Croats living inside Croatia and up to 4.5 million throughout the rest of the world. Responding to political, social and economic pressure, many Croats have...
and Slovenes engaged in a national revival
Romantic nationalism
Romantic nationalism is the form of nationalism in which the state derives its political legitimacy as an organic consequence of the unity of those it governs...
, demanding linguistic and national rights that challenged the supremacy of the Italian language and culture in Istria. The Croatian-Slovene national movement gained force only in the second part of the 19th century, causing a clash with a parallel nationalist movement of the Istrian Italians.
Many Istrian Italians looked with sympathy towards the Risorgimento movement that fought for the unification of Italy. However, after 1866, when the Veneto
Veneto
Veneto is one of the 20 regions of Italy. Its population is about 5 million, ranking 5th in Italy.Veneto had been for more than a millennium an independent state, the Republic of Venice, until it was eventually annexed by Italy in 1866 after brief Austrian and French rule...
and Friuli
Friuli
Friuli is an area of northeastern Italy with its own particular cultural and historical identity. It comprises the major part of the autonomous region Friuli-Venezia Giulia, i.e. the province of Udine, Pordenone, Gorizia, excluding Trieste...
regions were ceded by the Austrians
Austrian Empire
The Austrian Empire was a modern era successor empire, which was centered on what is today's Austria and which officially lasted from 1804 to 1867. It was followed by the Empire of Austria-Hungary, whose proclamation was a diplomatic move that elevated Hungary's status within the Austrian Empire...
to the newly formed Kingdom Italy
Kingdom of Italy (1861–1946)
The Kingdom of Italy was a state forged in 1861 by the unification of Italy under the influence of the Kingdom of Sardinia, which was its legal predecessor state...
, Istria remained part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, together with other Italian-speaking areas on the eastern Adriatic (Trieste
Trieste
Trieste is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is situated towards the end of a narrow strip of land lying between the Adriatic Sea and Italy's border with Slovenia, which lies almost immediately south and east of the city...
, Gorizia and Gradisca
Gorizia and Gradisca
The County of Gorizia and Gradisca was a Habsburg county in Central Europe, in what is now a multilingual border area of Italy and Slovenia. It was named for its two major urban centers, Gorizia and Gradisca d'Isonzo.-Province of the Habsburg Empire:...
, Fiume
Rijeka
Rijeka is the principal seaport and the third largest city in Croatia . It is located on Kvarner Bay, an inlet of the Adriatic Sea and has a population of 128,735 inhabitants...
). This triggered the gradual rise of Italian irredentism among many Italians in Istria, who demanded the unification of the Austrian Littoral
Austrian Littoral
The Austrian Littoral was established as a crown land of the Austrian Empire in 1849. In 1861 it was divided into the three crown lands of the Imperial Free City of Trieste and its suburbs, the Margraviate of Istria, and the Princely County of Gorizia and Gradisca, which each had separate...
, Fiume and Dalmatia
Dalmatia
Dalmatia is a historical region on the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea. It stretches from the island of Rab in the northwest to the Bay of Kotor in the southeast. The hinterland, the Dalmatian Zagora, ranges from fifty kilometers in width in the north to just a few kilometers in the south....
with Italy.
On the other hand, the Istrian Slovenes and Croats, who represented around three fifths of the Istrian population, increased their demands for national and linguistic emancipation. The result was the intensification of the ethnic strife between the two groups, although it was limited to institutional battles and it rarely manifested in violent forms.
Until the end of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, the bourgeois Italian national liberal elites retained much of the political control in Istria.
Under Italy
During World War One, many Istrians fought as volunteers on the Italian side against the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Among them, the most famous was the Nazario SauroNazario Sauro
Nazario Sauro was an Austrian-born Italian irredentist and sailor.-Life:Born in Capodistria, in what was then the Austrian Littoral , he took to sailing from a very young age, and became the captain of a cargo ship when he was only 20...
from Koper (Capodistria).
After the end of the war, the whole peninsula was occupied by the Kingdom of Italy, and officially annexed to Italy with the Treaty of Rapallo
Treaty of Rapallo, 1920
The Treaty of Rapallo was a treaty between the Kingdom of Italy and the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes , signed to solve the dispute over some territories in the upper Adriatic, in Dalmatia and in the region which became known as the Julian March.The treaty was signed on 12 November 1920 in...
of 1920.
Istria was included in the administrative region known as the Julian March
Julian March
The Julian March is a former political region of southeastern Europe on what are now the borders between Croatia, Slovenia, and Italy...
. After the Fascist
Italian Fascism
Italian Fascism also known as Fascism with a capital "F" refers to the original fascist ideology in Italy. This ideology is associated with the National Fascist Party which under Benito Mussolini ruled the Kingdom of Italy from 1922 until 1943, the Republican Fascist Party which ruled the Italian...
takeover of Italy in 1922, Italian became the sole language of administration and education. A fierce policy of Italianization
Italianization
Italianization or Italianisation is a term used to describe a process of cultural assimilation in which ethnically non or partially Italian people or territory become Italian. The process can be voluntary or forced...
was followed which prohibited all use of any language but Italian. Many Slovenes and Croats left the region, which strengthened the Italian positions. However, ethnic tensions grew, and Slavic anti-Fascist insurgency started to appear in the late 1920s, although it was much less stronger than in other parts of the Julian March.
World War Two and its consequences
After the Italian armistice of 1943, Istria became a battlefield between the Nazi German army and the partisan (mostly Yugoslav) insurgency. Already in September 1943, several hundreds Istrian Italians were killed by the Yugoslav partisans because of their allegiance to the Italian State. This was the first wave of the Foibe killingsFoibe killings
The Foibe killings or Foibe massacres refers to the killings that took place mainly in Istria during and shortly after World War II from 1943 to 1949, perpetrated mainly by Yugoslav Partisans. The name derives from a local geological feature, a type of deep karst sinkhole called a foiba...
, which continued after the Yugoslav takeover of the region in May 1945.
After the Yugoslav Communist troops occupied Istria in May 1945, many Italians started leaving Istria under the pressure of the new authorities who demanded the annexation of Istria to Yugoslavia. With an agreement between the Allied forces and Tito
Josip Broz Tito
Marshal Josip Broz Tito – 4 May 1980) was a Yugoslav revolutionary and statesman. While his presidency has been criticized as authoritarian, Tito was a popular public figure both in Yugoslavia and abroad, viewed as a unifying symbol for the nations of the Yugoslav federation...
's Yugoslav government, a line of demarcation known as the Morgan Line
Morgan Line
The Morgan Line was the line of demarcation set up after World War II in the region known as Julian March which prior to the war belonged to the Kingdom of Italy. The Morgan Line was the border between two military administrations in the region: the Yugoslav on the east, and that of the Allied...
was set in June 1945: most of Istria remained under Yugoslav occupation, while the towns of Pula
Pula
Pula is the largest city in Istria County, Croatia, situated at the southern tip of the Istria peninsula, with a population of 62,080 .Like the rest of the region, it is known for its mild climate, smooth sea, and unspoiled nature. The city has a long tradition of winemaking, fishing,...
and Muggia
Muggia
Muggia is a small Italian comune in the extreme south-east of Trieste lying on the border with Slovenia.Muggia is the last and only flap of Istria still in Italian territory, after the dissolution of the Free Territory of Trieste in 1954....
were transferred to Allied administration.
With the peace treaty of 1947, most of Istria (including Pula) was assigned to Yugoslavia. Only the north-western portion was assigned to the short-lived Free Territory of Trieste
Free Territory of Trieste
The Free Territory of Trieste was to be a city-state situated in Central Europe between northern Italy and Yugoslavia, created by the United Nations Security Council in the aftermath of World War II and provisionally administered by an appointed military governor commanding the peacekeeping United...
, but de facto remained under Yugoslav administration. This triggered the Istrian exodus
Istrian exodus
The expression Istrian exodus or Istrian-Dalmatian exodus is used to indicate the departure of ethnic Italians from Istria, Rijeka, and Dalmatia , after World War II. At the time of the exodus, these territories were part of the SR Croatia and SR Slovenia , today they are parts of the Republics of...
: the departure of the large majority of Istrian Italians to Italy.
Part of Yugoslavia
After the dissolution of the Free Territory of TriesteFree Territory of Trieste
The Free Territory of Trieste was to be a city-state situated in Central Europe between northern Italy and Yugoslavia, created by the United Nations Security Council in the aftermath of World War II and provisionally administered by an appointed military governor commanding the peacekeeping United...
in 1954, almost the totality of Istria became officially part of Yugoslavia. This triggered the last wave of the Istrian exodus
Istrian exodus
The expression Istrian exodus or Istrian-Dalmatian exodus is used to indicate the departure of ethnic Italians from Istria, Rijeka, and Dalmatia , after World War II. At the time of the exodus, these territories were part of the SR Croatia and SR Slovenia , today they are parts of the Republics of...
, with some 40,000 Istrian Italians chosing to leave Yugoslavia and move to Italy for various reasons - some were intimidated into leaving and some simply preferred not to live in communist Yugoslavia.
Only around 20,000 Italians remained in Istria after 1954: an estimated 10%-12% of the pre-World War Two number.
Yugoslav Istria was divided between Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
and Slovenia
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
, so that the Istrian Italians became subject to two different administrations. From the 1960s onward, extensive linguistic rights were granted to the Italian minority, but the actual level of human rights remained relatively low, resulting in a further impoverishment of the Italian culture in Istria.
Characteristics
Historian Theodor MommsenTheodor Mommsen
Christian Matthias Theodor Mommsen was a German classical scholar, historian, jurist, journalist, politician, archaeologist, and writer generally regarded as the greatest classicist of the 19th century. His work regarding Roman history is still of fundamental importance for contemporary research...
wrote that Istria (the X region of Roman Italia since Augustus
Augustus
Augustus ;23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14) is considered the first emperor of the Roman Empire, which he ruled alone from 27 BC until his death in 14 AD.The dates of his rule are contemporary dates; Augustus lived under two calendars, the Roman Republican until 45 BC, and the Julian...
) was fully romanized in the 5th century AD.
From the Middle Ages onwards numbers of Slavic people near and on the Adriatic
Adriatic Sea
The Adriatic Sea is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan peninsula, and the system of the Apennine Mountains from that of the Dinaric Alps and adjacent ranges...
coast were ever increasing, due to their expanding population and later due to pressure from the Turks
Turkish people
Turkish people, also known as the "Turks" , are an ethnic group primarily living in Turkey and in the former lands of the Ottoman Empire where Turkish minorities had been established in Bulgaria, Cyprus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Greece, Kosovo, Macedonia, and Romania...
pushing them from the south and east. This led to Italic people becoming ever more confined to urban areas, while some areas of the countryside were populated by Slavs, with exceptions in western and southern Istria (that remained fully romance speaking)
Anyway, there is a questionable claim that the original language of the romanized Istrians survived the invasions (and is still alive in our days: it is called Istrioto
Istriot language
Istriot is a Romance language spoken in the Western Region on the coast of the Istrian Peninsula, especially in the towns of Rovinj and Vodnjan , on the upper northern part of the Adriatic Sea, in Croatia.-Classification:...
, but it is reduced to a small area near Pola
Pula
Pula is the largest city in Istria County, Croatia, situated at the southern tip of the Istria peninsula, with a population of 62,080 .Like the rest of the region, it is known for its mild climate, smooth sea, and unspoiled nature. The city has a long tradition of winemaking, fishing,...
). Indeed Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
influenced the neolatins of Istria for many centuries from the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
until 1797, when was conquered by Napoleon
Napoleon I
Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader during the latter stages of the French Revolution.As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815...
: Capodistria
Capodistria
Capodistria or Capo d'Istria may refer to:* Giovanni Capo d'Istria or Capodistria, the Italian name of the Greek statesman Ioannis Kapodistrias* Capo d'Istria or Capodistria, the Italian name of the city of Koper...
and Pola were important centers of art and culture during the Italian Renaissance
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
. Other historians have attributed the ancient language of romanized Istrians as being the Istrorumeno
Istro-Romanian language
Istro-Romanian is an Eastern Romance language that is still spoken today in a few villages and hamlets in the peninsula of Istria, on the northern part of the Adriatic Sea, in what is now Croatia as well as in other countries around the world where the Istro-Romanian people settled after the two...
.
Under Austrian rule
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...
in the 19th century, it included a large population of Italians
Italian people
The Italian people are an ethnic group that share a common Italian culture, ancestry and speak the Italian language as a mother tongue. Within Italy, Italians are defined by citizenship, regardless of ancestry or country of residence , and are distinguished from people...
, Croats
Croats
Croats are a South Slavic ethnic group mostly living in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and nearby countries. There are around 4 million Croats living inside Croatia and up to 4.5 million throughout the rest of the world. Responding to political, social and economic pressure, many Croats have...
, Slovenes, some Vlachs
Vlachs
Vlach is a blanket term covering several modern Latin peoples descending from the Latinised population in Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe. English variations on the name include: Walla, Wlachs, Wallachs, Vlahs, Olahs or Ulahs...
/Istro-Romanians
Istro-Romanians
Istro-Romanians / Istrorumeni are an ethnic group living in northeastern Istria, currently spanning over a small area of Croatia and a...
and even a few Montenegrins. The Italians in Istria supported the Italian Risorgimento: as a consequence, the Austrians saw the Italians as enemies and favored the Slav communities of Istria This fact created a huge emigration of Italians from Istria before World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, reducing their percentage inside the peninsula inhabitants (they were more than 50% of the total population during Napoleonic
Napoleon I
Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader during the latter stages of the French Revolution.As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815...
times (when General Marmont did a French census), but at the end of the 19th century they were reduced to only two fifth according to some estimates).
Indeed in 1910, the ethnic and linguistic composition was completely mixed and the Italians were reduced to a minority (even if huge). According to the Austrian census results, out of 404,309 inhabitants in the "Margravate of Istria", 168,116 (41.6%) spoke Croatian
Croatian language
Croatian is the collective name for the standard language and dialects spoken by Croats, principally in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Serbian province of Vojvodina and other neighbouring countries...
, 147,416 (36.5%) spoke Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
, 55,365 (13.7%) spoke Slovene, 13,279 (3.3%) spoke German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
, 882 (0.2%) spoke Romanian
Romanian language
Romanian Romanian Romanian (or Daco-Romanian; obsolete spellings Rumanian, Roumanian; self-designation: română, limba română ("the Romanian language") or românește (lit. "in Romanian") is a Romance language spoken by around 24 to 28 million people, primarily in Romania and Moldova...
, 2,116 (0.5%) spoke other languages and 17,135 (4.2%) were non-citizens, which had not been asked for their language of communication.
But scholars like Matteo Bartoli
Matteo Bartoli
Matteo Giulio Bartoli was an Italian linguist from Istria ....
complained that these census percentages included areas outside Istria (like the island of Veglia/Krk
Krk
Krk is a Croatian island in the northern Adriatic Sea, located near Rijeka in the Bay of Kvarner and part of the Primorje-Gorski Kotar county....
and the city of Castua/Kastav
Kastav
Kastav is a historical town located about 10 km northwest of Rijeka and about 5 km northeast of Opatija in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County in Croatia.-Demographics:The total population of Kastav is 10,472 ....
, a mostly Croatian town situated north of Fiume
Rijeka
Rijeka is the principal seaport and the third largest city in Croatia . It is located on Kvarner Bay, an inlet of the Adriatic Sea and has a population of 128,735 inhabitants...
and outside the real Istrian peninsula): in his opinion the peninsula of Istria was still with a majority of Italians during World War I.
Generally speaking, Italians lived on coast, while Croats, Slovenes and the dwindling numbers of Istro-Romanians mainly lived inland.
In the second half of the 19th century] a clash of new ideological
Ideology
An ideology is a set of ideas that constitutes one's goals, expectations, and actions. An ideology can be thought of as a comprehensive vision, as a way of looking at things , as in common sense and several philosophical tendencies , or a set of ideas proposed by the dominant class of a society to...
movements, Italian irredentism
Irredentism
Irredentism is any position advocating annexation of territories administered by another state on the grounds of common ethnicity or prior historical possession, actual or alleged. Some of these movements are also called pan-nationalist movements. It is a feature of identity politics and cultural...
(which claimed Trieste and Istria) and Slovene and Croatian nationalism
Nationalism
Nationalism is a political ideology that involves a strong identification of a group of individuals with a political entity defined in national terms, i.e. a nation. In the 'modernist' image of the nation, it is nationalism that creates national identity. There are various definitions for what...
, manifested itself in Istria as the alternate irredentism (developing individual identities in some quarters whilst seeking to unite in a South Slav bid in others), resulted in growing ethnic conflict between Italians one side and Slovenes and Croats in opposition. This was intertwined with the class conflict, as inhabitants of Istrian towns were mostly Italian, whilst Croats
Croats
Croats are a South Slavic ethnic group mostly living in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and nearby countries. There are around 4 million Croats living inside Croatia and up to 4.5 million throughout the rest of the world. Responding to political, social and economic pressure, many Croats have...
or Slovenes largely lived out in the countryside even if in western Istria there were many Italians in the agricultural areas.
The Italians in the actual Slovenian and Croatian Istria were mostly an indigenous population (in the first years of the 20th century they accounted for nearly half of the local inhabitants), bolstered by some new arrivals of the so called regnicoli (from the Kingdom of Italy), never well liked by the indigenous Venetian-speaking Istrians.
Austrian 1910 census indicated approximately 182,500 people who listed Italian as their language of communication in what is now the territory of Slovenia and Croatia: 137,131 in Istria and 28,911 in Fiume/Rijeka
Rijeka
Rijeka is the principal seaport and the third largest city in Croatia . It is located on Kvarner Bay, an inlet of the Adriatic Sea and has a population of 128,735 inhabitants...
(1918). Meanwhile the Italian 1936 census indicated approximately 230,000 people who listed Italian as their language of communication (in what is now the territory of Slovenia and Croatia, then part of the Italian state): nearly 194,000 in today’s Croatia and 36,000 in today’s Slovenia.
So, in the 1936 Census, the peninsula of Istria had 294,000 residents: the majority were Istrian Italians. Here there are the percentages for al the Istrian cities/districts:
| District (1936 Census) | Italians | Slovenians | Croatians |
| Pola | 68% | - | 32% |
| Pisino (Province of Pola) | 28% | 2% | 70% |
| Capodistria (Province of Pola) | 51% | 34% | 15% |
| Lussino (Province of Pola) | 57% | - | 43% |
| Parenzo (Province of Pola) | 72% | 4% | 24% |
| Fiume | 81% | 3% | 16% |
| Abbazia (Province of Fiume) | 24% | 30% | 46% |
From the end of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
(characterized even by the Foibe massacres) until 1953, according to various data, nearly 350,000 Italians emigrated from these regions (this number including even Dalmatians): the so-called optanti emigrants who were living permanently in this region on June 1940 and who expressed their "forced" wish to obtain Italian citizenship and emigrate to Italy. This emigration of Italians (called Istrian exodus
Istrian exodus
The expression Istrian exodus or Istrian-Dalmatian exodus is used to indicate the departure of ethnic Italians from Istria, Rijeka, and Dalmatia , after World War II. At the time of the exodus, these territories were part of the SR Croatia and SR Slovenia , today they are parts of the Republics of...
) reduced the total population of the region and altered its ethnic structure.
In 1953, officially, only 36,000 Italians lived in Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
, 16% of the Italian population before World War II. Furthermore, most of the Istrian Italians living in the area "B" of the Free Territory of Trieste
Free Territory of Trieste
The Free Territory of Trieste was to be a city-state situated in Central Europe between northern Italy and Yugoslavia, created by the United Nations Security Council in the aftermath of World War II and provisionally administered by an appointed military governor commanding the peacekeeping United...
left when their area passed to Josip Broz Tito
Josip Broz Tito
Marshal Josip Broz Tito – 4 May 1980) was a Yugoslav revolutionary and statesman. While his presidency has been criticized as authoritarian, Tito was a popular public figure both in Yugoslavia and abroad, viewed as a unifying symbol for the nations of the Yugoslav federation...
's Yugoslavia.
In its 1996 report on 'Local self-government, territorial integrity and protection of minorities' the Council of Europe
Council of Europe
The Council of Europe is an international organisation promoting co-operation between all countries of Europe in the areas of legal standards, human rights, democratic development, the rule of law and cultural co-operation...
's European Commission for Democracy through Law (the Venice Commission
Venice Commission
The Venice Commission is an advisory body of the Council of Europe, composed of independent experts in the field of constitutional law. It was created in 1990 after the fall of the Berlin wall, at a time of urgent need for constitutional assistance in Central and Eastern Europe...
) put it that "a great majority of the local Italians, some thousands of Slovenes and of nationally undefined bilingual 'Istrians', used their legal right from the peace treaty to 'opt out' of the Yugoslav controlled part of Istria". In several waves they moved to Italy and elsewhere (also overseas, mainly in the Americas
Americas
The Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...
) and claimed Italian or other citizenship.
Anyway, in various municipalities in actual Croatia and Slovenia, census data shows that there are still significant numbers of Italians living in Istria, such as 51% of the population of Grožnjan
Grožnjan
Grožnjan is a settlement and municipality in Croatia. It is part of Croatia's Istria County, which takes up most of the Istria peninsula. It is also the only place in Croatia to have an Italian majority.-Early history:...
/Grisignana, 37% at Brtonigla
Brtonigla
Brtonigla is a village and municipality in the north-western part of Istria, Croatia, 6 km southwest of Buje; elevation 141 m. It is close to the A9 motorway. Chief occupations include farming, viniculture and vegetable growing....
/Verteneglio and nearly 30% in Buje
Buje
Buje is a town situated in Istria, Croatia's westernmost peninsula, population 2,979 .Buje was known as the "sentinel of Istria" for its hilltop site located inland from the Adriatic sea. It still commands an excellent panorama. Buje has a rich history; traces of life in the region date back to...
/Buie.
2001/2002 Census data
The following 2001/2002 census data show that there are nearly 50,000 Istrian Italians in Istria (between Croatia, Slovenia and Italy):| Municipality | Other name (if bilingual) |
Country | Inhabitants | Mother tongue Italian | Mother tongue Croatian/Slovenian |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labin Labin Labin is a town in Istria, Croatia, with a town population of 6,884 and 11,703 in the greater municipality .... , city |
Albona | 12426 | 03.09% | 92.62% | |
| Buje Buje Buje is a town situated in Istria, Croatia's westernmost peninsula, population 2,979 .Buje was known as the "sentinel of Istria" for its hilltop site located inland from the Adriatic sea. It still commands an excellent panorama. Buje has a rich history; traces of life in the region date back to... , city |
Buie | 5340 | 39.66% | 53.76% | |
| Novigrad, city | Cittanova | 4002 | 15.32% | 77.59% | |
| Vodnjan Vodnjan -Geography:Vodnjan is situated 10 km north of Pula, on elevation of 135 m. It is located at the intersection of the main road Buje - Pula and the regional road Vodnjan - Fažana, as well as on the railroad Divača - Pula.-Demographics:... , city |
Dignano | 5651 | 19.93% | 73.16% | |
| Poreč Porec Poreč is a town and municipality on the western coast of the Istrian peninsula, in Istria County, Croatia. Its major landmark is the 6th century Euphrasian Basilica, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1997.... , city |
Parenzo | 17460 | 06.42% | 87.12% | |
| Buzet Buzet Buzet is a town in Istria, Croatia, population 6,059 . Already at the time of Venetian rule, Buzet supplied military stations and the local population with potable water. Today the region of Buze-stina is the central area of the future Native Park of Istria... , city |
Pinguente | 6059 | 00.87% | 96.63% | |
| Pazin Pazin Pazin is the administrative seat of Istria County in Croatia. The town has a population of 4,986 , the total Pazin municipality population is 9,227... , city |
Pisino | 9227 | 01.21% | 97.56% | |
| Pula Pula Pula is the largest city in Istria County, Croatia, situated at the southern tip of the Istria peninsula, with a population of 62,080 .Like the rest of the region, it is known for its mild climate, smooth sea, and unspoiled nature. The city has a long tradition of winemaking, fishing,... , city |
Pola | 58594 | 04.87% | 88.38% | |
| Rovinj Rovinj Rovinj is a city in Croatia situated on the north Adriatic Sea with a population of 13,562 . It is located on the western coast of the Istrian peninsula and is a popular tourist resort and an active fishing port... , city |
Rovigno | 14234 | 10.81% | 81.85% | |
| Umag Umag Umag is a coastal city in Istria, Croatia.The city hosts the yearly Croatia Open ATP tennis tournament on clay courts.-Geography:It is the westernmost city of Croatia, and the municipality includes Savudrija which is westernmost point of Croatia.... , city |
Umago | 12901 | 20.70% | 72.87% | |
| Bale Bale - Places :* Bale , a small town in Croatia* Bale, California, in Napa County* Bale, Norfolk in England* Bale, Poland* Balé Province, Burkina Faso* Basel, the Swiss city, for which the French name is Bâle-Ethiopia:* Bale Mountains... |
Valle | 1047 | 22.54% | 75.36% | |
| Barban Barban Barban is a small town and municipality in the southern part of eastern Istria, Croatia, 28 km northeast of Pula, above the Raša river valley; elevation 229 m.... |
Barbana d'Istria | 2802 | 00.39% | 99.21% | |
| Brtonigla Brtonigla Brtonigla is a village and municipality in the north-western part of Istria, Croatia, 6 km southwest of Buje; elevation 141 m. It is close to the A9 motorway. Chief occupations include farming, viniculture and vegetable growing.... |
Verteneglio | 1579 | 41.29% | 52.83% | |
| Cerovlje Cerovlje Cerovlje is a village and municipality at the very centre of the Istrian peninsula in Croatia. Many ancient settlements, old towns and once solid castles can be found on that territory... |
Cerreto | 1745 | 00.46% | 99.31% | |
| Fažana Fažana Fažana is a village and a municipality in Istria, Croatia, a small port and fishermen's centre in the south-western part of the western Istrian coast in the Fažana Strait, 8 km northwest of Pula. It is located on a low part of the coast, well protected from the sea by Brijuni - Brioni Islands... |
Fasana | 3050 | 04.66% | 90.75% | |
| Gračišće Gracišce Gračišće is a village and the administrative centre of the same-named municipality in Istria, Croatia, elevation 457 meters. Total municipality population is 1,433 living in 7 settlements:-Towns and villages in municipality:* Batlug - 142... |
Gallignana | 1433 | 00.28% | 99.16% | |
| Grožnjan Grožnjan Grožnjan is a settlement and municipality in Croatia. It is part of Croatia's Istria County, which takes up most of the Istria peninsula. It is also the only place in Croatia to have an Italian majority.-Early history:... |
Grisignana | 785 | 66.11% | 29.17% | |
| Kanfanar Kanfanar Kanfanar is a municipality in the central part of Istria, Croatia, 20 km northeast of Rovinj, on the edge of the Lim Cove, on the open limestone plain of Istria. The elevation is 281 m.Chief occupations are farming and livestock breeding... |
Canfanaro | 1457 | 01.51% | 96.23% | |
| Karojba Karojba Karojba is a village and municipality in Istria, Croatia located 18 km north-west of Pazin. The population is 1,489 .-External links:**... |
1489 | 00.94% | 97.99% | ||
| Kaštelir-Labinci Kaštelir-Labinci Kaštelir-Labinci is a municipality in Istria, Croatia. The population is 1,334 .List of villages in municipality: * Babići - 73* Brnobići - 123* Cerjani - 15* Deklići - 34* Dvori - 37* Kaštelir - 283* Kovači - 55* Krančići - 80... |
Castellier-Santa Domenica | 1334 | 07.80% | 88.23% | |
| Kršan Kršan Kršan is a village and municipality in the central part of Istria, Croatia, 15 km north of Labin. The elevation is 50 m. The population is 3.264 . The chief occupation is farming. Kršan is located on the regional road Vozilići - Podpićan.... |
Chersano | 3264 | 00.40% | 94.49% | |
| Lanišće Lanišce Lanišće is a village and municipality in Istria, Croatia. In 2001, the population of the area was 398, over 95% of the population are Croats.... |
Lanischie | 398 | n.p. | 98.99% | |
| Ližnjan Ližnjan Ližnjan is a village and municipality in the southern part of Istria, Croatia, 12 km south-west of Pula, 2 km north-east of Medulin; elevation 61 m. Chief occupations are farming and tourism . Ližnjan is located on the regional road Medulin - Sisan.First mentioned already in AD 990... |
Lisignano | 2945 | 08.05% | 88.29% | |
| Lupoglav Lupoglav Lupoglav is a village and municipality in Istria, Croatia. The population is 929 . The Castle Mahrenfels which belonged to the family Herberstein and later to the counts Brigido is situated over the village.... |
929 | 00.32% | 98.82% | ||
| Marčana Marcana Marčana is a village and municipality in the southern part of Istria, Croatia, 15 km northeast of Pula; elevation 170 m. Chief occupation is farming. The central part of the village is of a compact type, with a number of isolated houses in the surroundings. Most of the population descends... |
3903 | 00.74% | 97.72% | ||
| Medulin Medulin Medulin is a small town and municipality in the southern part of the Istrian peninsula in Croatia. As of the 2011 census the municipality has a population of 6,552, while the settlement proper has 2,633 inhabitants.Medulin's economy is based on tourism... |
Medolino | 6004 | 03.05% | 89.77% | |
| Motovun Motovun Motovun is a village in central Istria, Croatia. The population of the village itself is 531, with a total of 983 residents in the municipality ; 442 of the residents have Italian as their mother language... |
Montona | 983 | 15.46% | 81.28% | |
| Oprtalj Oprtalj Oprtalj is a village and municipality in Istria, Croatia. Oprtalj is a community in central northern part of Istrian County situated across the Mirna river valley of the much more celebrated city of Motovun, about 20 km northwest of Pazin.... |
Portole | 981 | 32.11% | 65.04% | |
| Pićan Pican Pićan is a village and municipality in the central part of Istria, Croatia, 12 km southeast of Pazin; elevation 360 m. The chief occupations are agriculture and livestock breeding. It is situated on the Pazin-Kršan-Vozilići regional road... |
Pedena | 1997 | 00.95% | 98.05% | |
| Raša Raša Raša is a town and municipality in the inner part of the Raška Inlet in the south-eastern part of Istria, Croatia. Raša lies southwest of Labin at an elevation of .... |
Arsia | 3535 | 02.63% | 94.29% | |
| Sveta Nedelja Sveta Nedelja Sveta Nedelja can refer to:* Sveta Nedelja, Istria, a municipality in Croatia* Sveta Nedelja, Zagreb County, a village and a municipality in Croatia* Sveta Neđelja, an island in Montenegro... |
2909 | 01.51% | 97.32% | ||
| Sveti Lovreč Sveti Lovrec Sveti Lovreč is a village and municipality in Istria, Croatia. The population is 1,408 .-External links:**... |
San Lorenzo del Pasenatico | 1408 | 01.49% | 96.38% | |
| Sveti Petar u Šumi Sveti Petar u Šumi Sveti Petar u Šumi is a village and municipality in Istria, Croatia. The population is 1,011 .-External links:* *... |
San Pietro in Selve | 1011 | 00.30% | 99.21% | |
| Svetvinčenat Svetvincenat Svetvinčenat is a village and municipality in the south of the central part of Istria, Croatia, 16 km north of Vodnjan; elevation 250 m. Svetvinčenat was first mentioned around AD 965, when the town began to grow around a Benedictine abbey. The economy is based on farming and livestock... |
Sanvincenti | 2218 | 01.17% | 97.16% | |
| Tinjan Tinjan Tinjan is a village and municipality in Istria, Croatia. The population is 1,800 , 400 pf whom live in the eponymous village. It is 50 km north of Pula and 10 km southwest of Pazin, in the Draga valley. The Coat of Arms of Tinjan is azure on a base vert a tower argent behind walls of the... |
Antignana | 1770 | 00.79% | 98.59% | |
| Višnjan Višnjan Višnjan is a village and municipality in Istria, Croatia. Višnjan is the site of Višnjan Observatory . The observatory is home of several long-running international summer programs for youth in astronomy, archeology, marine biology and other disciplines.-Geography:Višnjan is located 12 kilometers... |
Visignano | 2187 | 08.78% | 89.44% | |
| Vižinada Vižinada Vižinada is a village and municipality in the interior of the western part of Istria, Croatia, 17 km northeast of Poreč; elevation 40 m. Economy is based on agriculture. The parish was first mentioned in 1177, in the papal document granting a privilege to the bishop of Poreč... |
Visinada | 1137 | 08.36% | 90.59% | |
| Vrsar Vrsar Vrsar is a village in Istria, Croatia.Today, Vrsar is a tourist resort. Vrsar is situated close to a large archipelago with 18 unpopulated islets covered with Mediterranean plants.... |
Orsera | 2703 | 02.96% | 90.75% | |
| Žminj Žminj Žminj , a municipality in the central part of Istria , 15 km south of Pazin; elevation 355 m; population 3.447. It was first mentioned in 1177 as a parish of the Poreč diocese.... |
Gimino | 3447 | 01.28% | 97.80% | |
| Muggia Muggia Muggia is a small Italian comune in the extreme south-east of Trieste lying on the border with Slovenia.Muggia is the last and only flap of Istria still in Italian territory, after the dissolution of the Free Territory of Trieste in 1954.... |
13208 | 94.80% | 04.80% | ||
| San Dorligo della Valle San Dorligo della Valle San Dorligo della Valle is a comune in the Province of Trieste in the Italian region Friuli-Venezia Giulia, located about 4 km southeast of Trieste, on the border with Slovenia. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 6,019 and an area of 24.5 km²... |
Dolina | 6025 | 29.20% | 70.50% | |
| Koper, city | Capodistria | 49206 | 02.22% | 74.14% | |
| Izola Izola Izola is an old fishing city and a municipality in southwestern Slovenia on the Adriatic coast of the Istrian peninsula. Its name originates from the Italian Isola, which means island.- History :... |
Isola | 14549 | 04.26% | 69.13% | |
| Piran Piran Piran is a city and municipality in southwestern Slovenia on the Gulf of Piran on the Adriatic Sea. It is one of the three major towns of Slovenian Istria. The city resembles a large open-air museum, with medieval architecture and a rich cultural heritage. Narrow streets and compact houses give... |
Pirano | 16758 | 07.00% | 66.69% | |
| Lovran Lovran Lovran is a town in Istria, Croatia. It is situated on the western coast of the Kvarner Bay with a population of 3,241 . Its name derives from Laurel , as shown in the coat of arms.... |
Laurana | 3987 | 01.71% | 92.65% | |
| Opatija Opatija Opatija is a town in western Croatia, just southwest of Rijeka on the Adriatic coast. , the town proper had a population of 7,850, with the municipality having a total 12,719 inhabitants.-Geography:... , city |
Abbazia | 12719 | 04.64% | 93.81% | |
| Mošćenička Draga Mošcenicka Draga Mošćenička Draga is municipality in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County. It has 1,641 inhabitants, 91.5% which are Croats. It is situated southwest of Opatija under the Mt. Učka. Center of municipality is former fishing village of Mošćenička Draga which is today an attractive tourist resort with two... |
1641 | 00.91% | 95.67% | ||
Source: Croatian Census - 2001. Slovenian Census - 2002. Italian Census - 1970/2001
Famous Istrian Italians
- Andrea AnticoAndrea AnticoAndrea Antico was an Italian music printer, editor, publisher and composer of the Renaissance, of Istrian birth, active in Rome and in Venice...
, music editor and composer of the Renaissance - Mario AndrettiMario AndrettiMario Gabriele Andretti is a retired Italian American world champion racing driver, one of the most successful Americans in the history of the sport. He is one of only two drivers to win races in Formula One, IndyCar, World Sportscar Championship and NASCAR...
(originally Andretich), international automobile racing driver - Laura AntonelliLaura AntonelliLaura Antonelli is a retired Italian film actress, who appeared in 45 movies between 1965 and 1991.- Early years :Antonelli was born Laura Antonaz in Pola, then capital of the province of Istria, Italy ....
(originally Antonaz), international film actress - Giovanni ArpinoGiovanni ArpinoGiovanni Arpino was an Italian writer and journalist.- Life :Born in Pula to Piedmontese parents, Arpino moved to Bra in the Province of Cuneo...
, writer and journalist - Lidia BastianichLidia BastianichLidia Matticchio Bastianich is an American chef, author, and restaurateur....
, chef, author and restauranteur - Nino Benvenuti, professional boxing champion
- Villi BossiVilli BossiVilli Bossi is an Italian sculptor.Born at Muggia, near Trieste, he studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Genoa under the scholarship of Lodovico Caraventa....
, sculptor - Fausto BudicinFausto BudicinFausto Budicin is a Croatian football defender, who currently plays for and captains NK Istra 1961.-External links:...
, footballer for HNK Rijeka of the Prva HNL - Sergio EndrigoSergio EndrigoSergio Endrigo was an Italian singer-songwriter.Born in Pola, Istria, Italy he has been often compared--for style and nature--to authors of the so called "Genoa school" like Gino Paoli, Fabrizio De André, Luigi Tenco, and Bruno Lauzi.He won the Sanremo Music Festival in 1968 with the song...
, singer-songwriter - Aurelio JuriAurelio JuriAurelio Juri is a Slovenian politician and journalist of Italian ethnic origin. Between 2008 and 2009, he served as Member of the European Parliament. He was an influential member of the Social Democrats, before he left the party in 2009....
, politician, Member of European Parliament - Pietro PolaniPietro PolaniPietro Polani was the 36th Doge of Venice. He reigned from 1130 to 1148.Polani was elected Doge over the protests of the Dandolo and Bado families because of his first marriage to Adelasa Michele, who was the daughter of his predecessor Domenico Michele...
, Doge of Venice - Santorius Santorio, inventor of clinical thermometer and physician
- Nazario SauroNazario SauroNazario Sauro was an Austrian-born Italian irredentist and sailor.-Life:Born in Capodistria, in what was then the Austrian Littoral , he took to sailing from a very young age, and became the captain of a cargo ship when he was only 20...
, Italian irredentism's martyr - Antonio SmaregliaAntonio SmaregliaAntonio Smareglia was an Austro-Hungarian opera composer of Italian ethnicity.-Life:Antonio Smareglia was born in the town of Pola , in a house on Via Nettuno which still stands and in which there is now a small museum of his life and work...
, opera composer - Giuseppe TartiniGiuseppe TartiniGiuseppe Tartini was an Italian baroque composer and violinist.-Biography:Tartini was born in Piran, a town on the peninsula of Istria, in the Republic of Venice to Gianantonio – native of Florence – and Caterina Zangrando, a descendant of one of the oldest aristocratic Piranian families.It...
, music composer and violinist - Fulvio TomizzaFulvio TomizzaFulvio Tomizza was an Italian language writer. He was born in Giurizzani in Kingdom of Italy ....
, international writer - Francesco TrevisaniFrancesco Trevisanithumb|250px|Portrait of [[Pietro Ottoboni |Cardinal Pietro Ottoboni]] by Francesco Trevisani. The [[Bowes Museum]], [[Barnard Castle]], [[County Durham]], [[England]]....
, Rococo painter - Alida ValliAlida ValliAlida Valli , sometimes simply credited as Valli, was an Italian actress who appeared in more than 100 films, including Mario Soldati's Piccolo mondo antico, Alfred Hitchcock's The Paradine Case, Carol Reed's The Third Man, Michelangelo Antonioni's Il Grido, Luchino Visconti's Senso, Bernardo...
(her stage name, not her real name), international film actress - Pier Paolo VergerioPier Paolo VergerioPier Paolo Vergerio was an Italian religious reformer.-Life:He was born at Capodistria , then part of the Venetian Republic and studied jurisprudence in Padua, where he delivered lectures in 1522. He also practiced law in Verona, Padua, and Venice...
, Reformer and Humanist - Vittorio VidaliVittorio VidaliVittorio Vidali , also known as Vittorio Vidale, Enea Sormenti, Jacobo Hurwitz Zender, Carlos Contreras, "Comandante Carlos") was an Italian-born Stalinist.- Early life :...
, politician - Spartaco SchergatSpartaco SchergatSpartaco Schergat was an Italian military frogman during World War II.-Biography:Schergat was born in Istria from an Italian irredentist and as a voluntary entered in the Royal Italian Navy in 1940...
, military frogman, hero of WWII - Elvis ScoriaElvis ScoriaElvis Scoria is a Croatian former football player and as of December 2010, the manager of HNK Rijeka in the Croatian First League....
, former footballer and current coach of NK Istra 1961
See also
- IstriaIstriaIstria , formerly Histria , is the largest peninsula in the Adriatic Sea. The peninsula is located at the head of the Adriatic between the Gulf of Trieste and the Bay of Kvarner...
- Istrian exodusIstrian exodusThe expression Istrian exodus or Istrian-Dalmatian exodus is used to indicate the departure of ethnic Italians from Istria, Rijeka, and Dalmatia , after World War II. At the time of the exodus, these territories were part of the SR Croatia and SR Slovenia , today they are parts of the Republics of...
- Italian irredentism in Istria
- Free Territory of TriesteFree Territory of TriesteThe Free Territory of Trieste was to be a city-state situated in Central Europe between northern Italy and Yugoslavia, created by the United Nations Security Council in the aftermath of World War II and provisionally administered by an appointed military governor commanding the peacekeeping United...
- Dalmatian ItaliansDalmatian ItaliansDalmatian Italians are a mostly historical Italian national minority in the region of Dalmatia, part of the Republics of Croatia and Montenegro.-Characteristics:...
- Istriot languageIstriot languageIstriot is a Romance language spoken in the Western Region on the coast of the Istrian Peninsula, especially in the towns of Rovinj and Vodnjan , on the upper northern part of the Adriatic Sea, in Croatia.-Classification:...
- Istro-Romanian languageIstro-Romanian languageIstro-Romanian is an Eastern Romance language that is still spoken today in a few villages and hamlets in the peninsula of Istria, on the northern part of the Adriatic Sea, in what is now Croatia as well as in other countries around the world where the Istro-Romanian people settled after the two...
- Nazario SauroNazario SauroNazario Sauro was an Austrian-born Italian irredentist and sailor.-Life:Born in Capodistria, in what was then the Austrian Littoral , he took to sailing from a very young age, and became the captain of a cargo ship when he was only 20...
- Spartaco SchergatSpartaco SchergatSpartaco Schergat was an Italian military frogman during World War II.-Biography:Schergat was born in Istria from an Italian irredentist and as a voluntary entered in the Royal Italian Navy in 1940...
External links
- Slavs and Latins in Istria
- Arrigo Petacco: "The exodus. The story of the Italian population of Istria (1943-1956)" (English translation).
- Official website of bilingual Groznan/Grisignana
- Official website of Italians (Istrian exodus) from Piemonte d'Istria-Grisignana
- Official Website of the Italian community in Croatia and Slovenia
- Centro Ricerche Storiche di Rovigno: "Istria nel Tempo on line" (in Italian)