The Slovene minority in Italy is highly differentiated along geographic, cultural-historical, identity and linguistic lines. In cultural-historical terms, three separate groups can be differentiated: the Slovenes of the
Julian March (the Provinces of Trieste and Gorizia), the Slovenes from
Venetian Slovenia, and the Slovenes from the
Canale Valley (in the Province of Udine). Each of these three groups has had a significantly different history, which resulted in different identities. The Slovenes in the
Resia Valley are sometimes considered as a fourth group, due to their specific linguistic features and separate identity; nevertheless, they share a common history, as well as similar cultural and linguistic features with the Slovenes from Venetian Slovenia.
Slovenes of Trieste and Gorizia dress at a celebration issued in Trieste The Slovenes living in the Provinces of Trieste and Gorizia shared, until 1918, the same history with most other
Slovenes: by the end of the 15th century, they were included in the
Habsburg monarchy, and in the 19th century they actively participated in the Slovene national revival. Between 1849 and 1918, they were part of the Austrian administrative region known as
Austrian Littoral, and were known as Littoral Slovenes (
Primorski Slovenci). After 1918, they came under
Italian administration and were included in the region known as the
Julian March (
Venezia Giulia). They shared the same fate as other Slovenes in the Julian March: they were subjected to
Fascist Italianization, which gave rise to
pro-Yugoslav irredentism. In 1947, after World War II, a new border between Italy and Yugoslavia was drawn, dividing the Julian March between the two states. The border was artificial, insofar as it was not based on any significant historical or geographical divides. In many cases, the border separated families and ran through fields and estates. All these reasons contributed to the strong connection between the Slovenes who remained in Italy with their counterparts that were annexed to Yugoslavia. Until the 1950s and 1960s, the Slovenes from the Provinces of Gorizia and Trieste frequently referred to themselves as Littoral Slovenes. Since the 1960s, this identification with the
Slovenian Littoral has faded, but it can still be traced in the names of certain institutions, most notably in the title of the Slovene daily newspaper of Trieste, called
Primorski dnevnik which means “The Littoral Daily”. Between the 1940s and 1960s, the Slovenes from the Provinces of Gorizia and Trieste established the infrastructure of minority organizations that now serve the needs of the whole minority. They have enjoyed a certain degree of cultural autonomy (the most important feature being the education system in Slovene) since 1945, and they have maintained strong relations with Slovenia, especially with the neighboring border areas of the Slovenian Littoral. In 1986 the Slovenian community founded the football club
Kras Repen, which locates its fan base among the Slovenes in Italy.
Venetian Slovenia Venetian Slovenia ( or
Benečija, ) is the traditional name for Slovene-speaking areas in the valleys of upper
Natisone and
Torre rivers in eastern
Friuli (currently in the
Province of Udine). The history of these areas has been strongly linked to the history of Friuli. Unlike most other ethnic Slovene territories (including the areas of Gorizia and Trieste), this region was part of the
Venetian Republic for around 350 years (hence the name of the region). During that period, they enjoyed a large degree of autonomy. The Slovenes in this area were annexed to Italy together with the rest of the
Venetia region in 1866, that is, half a century before the Slovenes of Gorizia and Trieste, who remained under Austrian rule until after
World War I. For long, the identity of the local Slovenes was mostly a linguistic and, to an extent, an ethnic one, but not a national one. The Slovenes of these areas lacked any form of collective minority or linguistic rights until the year 2000, when the Law for the Defense of the Slovene-Speaking Minority was passed by the Italian Parliament.
Canale Valley Slovenes Around 3,000 Slovenes live in the
Canale Valley in the north-easternmost part of the
Province of Udine. The valley is currently divided among three municipalities:
Tarvisio (
Trbiž),
Malborghetto Valbruna (
Naborjet - Ovčja vas), and
Pontebba (
Tablja). Most of the local Slovenes live in the first two, representing around half of the population in Malborghetto Valbruna and a lower percentage in Tarvisio. Until 1918, the Canale Valley (
Kanalska dolina) was part of the
Austro-Hungarian Empire. Since the Middle Ages, it was a part of the
Duchy of Carinthia. The local Slovene speakers shared the same history, traditions and linguistic features with other
Carinthian Slovenes. According to the last Austrian census of 1910, the valley had around 9,000 inhabitants, among whom around a third were Slovene speakers, with the remainder
German speakers. In 1918, after the end of World War I, the valley was occupied by the Italian Army, and in 1919 it was officially annexed to Italy. In the 1920s and 1930s, many Italians were settled in this area, which bordered both Austria and
Yugoslavia. In 1939, the
South Tyrol Option Agreement between Italy and
Nazi Germany was also applied to ethnic Germans in the area; as a consequence, most of the German-speaking population was resettled to neighboring
Carinthia. New settlers from other parts of Italy gradually took their place, which significantly altered the ethnic composition of the valley. Nowadays, Slovene is still spoken in several villages in the valley, especially Valbruna (
Ovčja vas), Camporosso in Valcanale (
Žabnice), Ugovizza (
Ukve), and San Leopoldo (
Lipalja vas). There has been a revival of Slovene language in these villages after 1990, with a focus on the younger generations.
Resia Valley road sign in the
Resia Valley,
Friuli The inhabitants of the
Resia Valley (
Rezija) in north-western
Friuli speak a specific dialect of Slovene, known as
Resian. Due to its specific phonetic features and archaic grammar, Resian is not mutually intelligible with standard Slovene and with most other
Slovene dialects. Historically and culturally (as well as linguistically), Resia could be considered a part of
Venetian Slovenia. According to Italian and regional legislation, Resians are considered as part of the Slovene minority in Italy; however, there are strong local movements that oppose identification with Slovenes and Slovene language, and defend a separate Resian identity. ==Notable Slovenes in Italy==