The term Ladinia describes a geographical area
situated between Trentino, Alto Adige and the northern part of Veneto where
still today lives a distinct ethnical group, culturally, linguistically and only
partly administratively indipenden both from Italy and the german world: the
Ladins of the Dolomites. Ladinia takes up nowadays the land of three italian
provinces (Trento, Bolzano and Belluno) and it's divided into five valleys:
Fassa Valley (Fascia), in the province of Trento; Gardena Valley (Ghërdeina)
and Badia Valley, in the provoince of Bolzano; Livinallongo (Fodom) and
Ampezzo
(Anpezo), in the province of Belluno. Althought in Italy the existence of this
folk is not so known, the Ladins have always fought a very important battle
against the national administrations (Italy and Austria) for the preservation of
their cultural identity. These lands in fact were during the first World War the
main battelfield between the austrian nationalists and the italian irredentists,
that fighting only for an abstract ideal of national pride, never took care of
the real needs of the ladin valley-dwellings. At the end of the war all the
districts of Ladinia were surrended to the Italian Kingdom, with a lot of
controversy: the Ladins, that always had fought side by side with the Tyroleans
under the flag of Franz Joseph, and with whomthey wanted to keep strong links.
Another obscure period for Ladinia was the fascist regime and the second World
War; everyone knows Mussolini's obsession for the purity of Italy as daughter of
the ancient Rome: as a consequence the ancient ladin toponymy was almost totally
erased for the purer italian appellations, and the same ladin language suffered
heavy repressions. After the destruction of the regime but above all after the
end of the war in 1945, a bigger confidence towards the italian state began to
circulate among the Ladins; btu this confidence vanished so fast as it was
appeared. Ladinia was then divided in three different provinces, in three
dioceses and in two regions: the dream of the Ladin Union desappeared. But no
one gave up and in 1945 were created the first cultural ladin associations, such
as the "Unione Popolare Ampezzana" and the "Union Culturèla di
Ladins", that the following year fused to set up the political movement
"Zent Ladina Dolomites". Headed by Guido Jori Rocia from Fassa Valley
and Sisto Ghedina from Ampezo, the association sent to president De Gasperi a
list of 12 claims, established at the first ladin meeting at the Sella Pass the
14 July 1946, between whom stood out the recognition of the Ladin Ethnic Group,
the union of Ladinia in the province of Bolzano and the equalization of the
ladin language with the italian and the german ones. the reaction of the italian
government was raging, and De Gasperi described the Ladins as simple supporters
of Austria with separatist tendences: this was an heavy slight against Ladins
that wnt on fighting. The Ladins of Belluno asked at this point at least the
union with the province of Trento, but the italian governement anwered again
negativly, not considering the sixth article of the constitution, that grants
the defens of the minorities; so went Ladinia to its fast disgregation. The
partition of the land went on after the promulgation of the first Autonomy
Charter, that recognized the worth of ethnic group only to the Ladins of
Bolzano, not including the ones of Trento and Belluno. Than was born the
"Union Generèla di Ladins dla Dolomites", that promoted a lot of
cultural activities of exchange among the five ladin valleys, in order to
recover the unity. Great results were reached, but that was not enough; so began
the demonstration and also the dynamitard attacks, untill the italian government
approved the Second Autonomy Charter in 1972, that recognized again the Ladins
of Gardena and Badia as privileged, to the detriment of the ones of Fassa,
Livinallongo and Ampezzo. Only in 1977 the "Comprenjorie Ladin de
Fascia" was created, that recognized al the villages of fassa Valley as
ladin. However the survival of ladin culture and language was still very
difficult untill around the half of the 80es, when seemed to come up again the
idea of cultural ladin unity, before that the political one. Conferences and
other activities increased thanks to each association, the compulsory
teaching of ladin was extended from the primary schools to the secondary ones.
It seems taht nowadays it's a little better than once, but it won't be
easy to remedy the errors of the past.
For a more precise documentation about the
history of Ladinia:
. Richebuono B. "Breve storia dei Ladini
Dolomitici" - Istitut Cultural Ladin "Micura de Rü"
. Scroccaro M. "De Fascia ladina-La
questione ladina in Val di Fassa dal 1918 al 1948" - Istitut Cultural Ladin
. "Mondo Ladino" - Rivista dell'Istitut
Cultural Ladin "Majon di Fascegn"
the northern part of Veneto where
still today lives a distinct ethnical group, culturally, linguistically and only
partly administratively indipenden both from Italy and the german world: the
Ladins of the Dolomites. Ladinia takes up nowadays the land of three italian
provinces (Trento, Bolzano and Belluno) and it's divided into five valleys:
Fassa Valley (Fascia), in the province of Trento; Gardena Valley (Ghërdeina)
and Badia Valley, in the provoince of Bolzano; Livinallongo (Fodom) and
Ampezzo
(Anpezo), in the province of Belluno. Althought in Italy the existence of this
folk is not so known, the Ladins have always fought a very important battle
against the national administrations (Italy and Austria) for the preservation of
their cultural identity. These lands in fact were during the first World War the
main battelfield between the austrian nationalists and the italian irredentists,
that fighting only for an abstract ideal of national pride, never took care of
the real needs of the ladin valley-dwellings. At the end of the war all the
districts of Ladinia were surrended to the Italian Kingdom, with a lot of
controversy: the Ladins, that always had fought side by side with the Tyroleans
under the flag of Franz Joseph, and with whomthey wanted to keep strong links.
Another obscure period for Ladinia was the fascist regime and the second World
War; everyone knows Mussolini's obsession for the purity of Italy as daughter of
the ancient Rome: as a consequence the ancient ladin toponymy was almost totally
erased for the purer italian appellations, and the same ladin language suffered
heavy repressions. After the destruction of the regime but above all after the
end of the war in 1945, a bigger confidence towards the italian state began to
circulate among the Ladins; btu this confidence vanished so fast as it was
appeared. Ladinia was then divided in three different provinces, in three
dioceses and in two regions: the dream of the Ladin Union desappeared. But no
one gave up and in 1945 were created the first cultural ladin associations, such
as the "Unione Popolare Ampezzana" and the "Union Culturèla di
Ladins", that the following year fused to set up the political movement
"Zent Ladina Dolomites". Headed by Guido Jori Rocia from Fassa Valley
and Sisto Ghedina from Ampezo, the association sent to president De Gasperi a
list of 12 claims, established at the first ladin meeting at the Sella Pass the
14 July 1946, between whom stood out the recognition of the Ladin Ethnic Group,
the union of Ladinia in the province of Bolzano and the equalization of the
ladin language with the italian and the german ones. the reaction of the italian
government was raging, and De Gasperi described the Ladins as simple supporters
of Austria with separatist tendences: this was an heavy slight against Ladins
that wnt on fighting. The Ladins of Belluno asked at this point at least the
union with the province of Trento, but the italian governement anwered again
negativly, not considering the sixth article of the constitution, that grants
the defens of the minorities; so went Ladinia to its fast disgregation. The
partition of the land went on after the promulgation of the first Autonomy
Charter, that recognized the worth of ethnic group only to the Ladins of
Bolzano, not including the ones of Trento and Belluno. Than was born the
"Union Generèla di Ladins dla Dolomites", that promoted a lot of
cultural activities of exchange among the five ladin valleys, in order to
recover the unity. Great results were reached, but that was not enough; so began
the demonstration and also the dynamitard attacks, untill the italian government
approved the Second Autonomy Charter in 1972, that recognized again the Ladins
of Gardena and Badia as privileged, to the detriment of the ones of Fassa,
Livinallongo and Ampezzo. Only in 1977 the "Comprenjorie Ladin de
Fascia" was created, that recognized al the villages of fassa Valley as
ladin. However the survival of ladin culture and language was still very
difficult untill around the half of the 80es, when seemed to come up again the
idea of cultural ladin unity, before that the political one. Conferences and
other activities increased thanks to each association, the compulsory
teaching of ladin was extended from the primary schools to the secondary ones.
It seems taht nowadays it's a little better than once, but it won't be
easy to remedy the errors of the past.