is commonly called "Plaza Italia." ,
Valparaíso campus
Italian emigration in
Chile was limited to a few tens of
Italians during the centuries of the
Spanish colony. After independence, the Chilean government encouraged European emigration but with less success than in neighboring
Argentina, given the markedly lower number of foreigners present in Chile (in 1907 the presence of foreigners in Chile was 4.5% of the population, while in Argentina it was 78%). However, there was a substantial flow of migration from
Liguria to the area of
Valparaíso, which came to control 70% of the city. These immigrants founded the "Body of Fire" (called "Cristobal Colon") of the city and its "Italian School," whose building the government of Chile has declared a National Historic Monument (Spanish: "Monumento Histórico Nacional"). At the end of the 19th century, many Italian merchants were rooted in the northern part of
Arica, where they began exploiting the rich mines of
saltpetre. Meanwhile, many Italian families settled in the capital
Santiago,
Concepción and
Punta Arenas. In 1904, immigrants from
Emilia brought by
Giorgio Ricci founded "Nueva Italia" in
Araucanía which was in 1907 renamed
Capitán Pastene. Throughout the central-southern zone of Chile, 78,740 Italians were transplanted to the early 20th century. Some Italian-Chileans voluntarily returned to Italy, like the aviator Arturo Dell'Oro, who died in the skies of
Belluno in 1917, which was head to
Valparaíso one of the main Italian schools in Chile. Giulio Ravazzano (medal of honor) went back to Italy to defend his country during the Great War, to return later on where he married. After
World War I, it had exhausted major migration from Italy, and Chile currently are 339,650 Italian citizens (including those with dual passports). Many Italian Chileans have reached positions of leadership in the society of Chile, like President
Jorge Alessandri. ==Italian community==