Ladinia ( lld, Ladinia) is
neologism
A neologism Greek νέο- ''néo''(="new") and λόγος /''lógos'' meaning "speech, utterance"] is a relatively recent or isolated term, word, or phrase that may be in the process of entering common use, but that has not been fully accepted int ...
used to describe an
Alpine countries, Alpine region in the
Dolomites
The Dolomites ( it, Dolomiti ; Ladin: ''Dolomites''; german: Dolomiten ; vec, Dołomiti : fur, Dolomitis), also known as the Dolomite Mountains, Dolomite Alps or Dolomitic Alps, are a mountain range located in northeastern Italy. They form par ...
mountain range of
Northern Italy
Northern Italy ( it, Italia settentrionale, it, Nord Italia, label=none, it, Alta Italia, label=none or just it, Nord, label=none) is a geographical and cultural region in the northern part of Italy. It consists of eight administrative regions ...
, divided between the Italian
provinces
A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions outsi ...
of
Belluno
Belluno (; lld, Belum; vec, Belùn) is a town and province in the Veneto region of northern Italy. Located about north of Venice, Belluno is the capital of the province of Belluno and the most important city in the Eastern Dolomites region ...
,
South Tyrol
it, Provincia Autonoma di Bolzano – Alto Adige lld, Provinzia Autonoma de Balsan/Bulsan – Südtirol
, settlement_type = Autonomous province
, image_skyline =
, image_alt ...
, and
Trento
Trento ( or ; Ladin and lmo, Trent; german: Trient ; cim, Tria; , ), also anglicized as Trent, is a city on the Adige River in Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol in Italy. It is the capital of the autonomous province of Trento. In the 16th centu ...
. The area takes its name from its inhabitants, the
Ladin people
The Ladins are an ethnic group in northern Italy. They are distributed in several valleys, collectively known as Ladinia. These include the valleys of Badia and Gherdëina in South Tyrol, of Fassa in the Trentino, and Livinallongo (also known ...
, a
Romance
Romance (from Vulgar Latin , "in the Roman language", i.e., "Latin") may refer to:
Common meanings
* Romance (love), emotional attraction towards another person and the courtship behaviors undertaken to express the feelings
* Romance languages, ...
-speaking ethnic group. Their
Ladin language
Ladin (, also ; autonym: , it, ladino; german: Ladinisch) is a Romance language of the Rhaeto-Romance subgroup, mainly spoken in the Dolomite Mountains in Northern Italy in the provinces of South Tyrol, Trentino, and Belluno, by the Lad ...
is generally considered a
Rhaeto-Romance language
Rhaeto-Romance, Rheto-Romance, or Rhaetian, is a purported subfamily of the Romance languages that is spoken in south-eastern Switzerland and north-eastern Italy. The name "Rhaeto-Romance" refers to the former Roman province of Raetia. The ques ...
, though there is a scientific debate (''
Questione Ladina
The Questione Ladina is a controversy over whether the Romance languages of Romansh, Ladin and Friulian form a proper language subfamily or should rather be regarded as a part of a wider Northern Italian dialect continuum. Both the idea of a di ...
'') if it forms part of a wider Northern Italian
dialect continuum
A dialect continuum or dialect chain is a series of Variety (linguistics), language varieties spoken across some geographical area such that neighboring varieties are Mutual intelligibility, mutually intelligible, but the differences accumulat ...
.
History
![Colfosco and Sella group](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2f/Colfosco_and_Sella_group.jpg)
As a Rhaeto-Romance language, Ladin was part of a large area, which about 1000 AD stretched from
Ticino
Ticino (), sometimes Tessin (), officially the Republic and Canton of Ticino or less formally the Canton of Ticino,, informally ''Canton Ticino'' ; lmo, Canton Tesin ; german: Kanton Tessin ; french: Canton du Tessin ; rm, Chantun dal Tessin . ...
(''Tessin'') and
Grisons
The Grisons () or Graubünden,Names include:
*german: (Kanton) Graubünden ;
* Romansh:
** rm, label= Sursilvan, (Cantun) Grischun
** rm, label=Vallader, (Chantun) Grischun
** rm, label= Puter, (Chantun) Grischun
** rm, label=Surmiran, (Cant ...
in the
Swiss Alps
The Alpine region of Switzerland, conventionally referred to as the Swiss Alps (german: Schweizer Alpen, french: Alpes suisses, it, Alpi svizzere, rm, Alps svizras), represents a major natural feature of the country and is, along with the Swiss ...
to the
Julian Alps
The Julian Alps ( sl, Julijske Alpe, it, Alpi Giulie, , ) are a mountain range of the Southern Limestone Alps that stretch from northeastern Italy to Slovenia, where they rise to 2,864 m at Mount Triglav, the highest peak in Slovenia. A large pa ...
(in present-day
Slovenia
Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, an ...
) in the east.
The Ladin people developed a national identity during the 19th century, when most of the area—except for the Venetian parts—was incorporated into the
Princely County of Tyrol
The (Princely) County of Tyrol was an estate of the Holy Roman Empire established about 1140. After 1253, it was ruled by the House of Gorizia and from 1363 by the House of Habsburg. In 1804, the County of Tyrol, unified with the secularised pr ...
and, as part of the
Austrian Empire
The Austrian Empire (german: link=no, Kaiserthum Oesterreich, modern spelling , ) was a Central-Eastern European multinational great power from 1804 to 1867, created by proclamation out of the realms of the Habsburgs. During its existence, ...
, underwent a process of
Germanisation
Germanisation, or Germanization, is the spread of the German language, German people, people and German culture, culture. It was a central idea of German conservative thought in the 19th and the 20th centuries, when conservatism and ethnic nationa ...
. The local peasants were called ''
Welsche'' by Germans (similar to ''
Wenden'' or ''Windische'' for Slavs), while they called themselves "
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
" (''Ladin''). The Ladin movement was sparked by the
Tyrolean Rebellion
The Tyrolean Rebellion (german: Tiroler Volksaufstand) is a name given to the resistance of militiamen, peasants, craftsmen and other civilians of the County of Tyrol led by Andreas Hofer supported by his wife Anna and a strategic council cons ...
during the
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...
; in 1833, the Ladin language was codified by Micurà de Rü (alias Nikolaus Bacher, 1789–1847), a priest from
Badia. A ''Naziun Ladina'' association was established in 1870 by several seminarists in
Brixen
Brixen (, ; it, Bressanone ; lld, Porsenù or ) is a town in South Tyrol, northern Italy, located about north of Bolzano.
Geography
First mentioned in 901, Brixen is the third largest city and oldest town in the province, and the artistic and ...
, among them Saint
Joseph Freinademetz
Joseph Freinademetz, S.V.D., () (April 15, 1852 - January 28, 1908) was a Ladin Roman Catholic priest and missionary in China. He has been declared a saint by the Catholic Church.
Early life
Freinademetz was born the fourth among the 13 child ...
; followed by the ''Uniun Ladina'', founded in 1905 at
Innsbruck
Innsbruck (; bar, Innschbruck, label=Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian ) is the capital of Tyrol (state), Tyrol and the List of cities and towns in Austria, fifth-largest city in Austria. On the Inn (river), River Inn, at its junction with the ...
, which also maintained relations with
Romansh and
Friulian organisations.
![Museum Ladin Ćiastel de Tor](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5f/Museum_Ladin_%C4%86iastel_de_Tor.JPG)
Ceded of Italy after
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, the Ladin community, in spite of its high level of identification with the land, did not enjoy any official recognition. On 5 May 1920, representatives from the Ladin valleys met at
Gardena Pass
Gardena Pass ( it, Passo Gardena; german: Grödnerjoch; lld, Ju de Frara or ''Jëuf de Frea'') is a high mountain pass in the Dolomites of the South Tyrol in northeast Italy.
At an elevation of above sea level, the pass connects Sëlva in the ...
to protest against the resolutions of the
Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye and to demand their rights of
self-determination
The right of a people to self-determination is a cardinal principle in modern international law (commonly regarded as a ''jus cogens'' rule), binding, as such, on the United Nations as authoritative interpretation of the Charter's norms. It stat ...
according to the
Fourteen Points
U.S. President Woodrow Wilson
The Fourteen Points was a statement of principles for peace that was to be used for peace negotiations in order to end World War I. The principles were outlined in a January 8, 1918 speech on war aims and peace terms ...
outlined by US President
Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921. A member of the Democratic Party, Wilson served as the president of ...
.
A blue-white-green flag was adopted, symbolising Ladinia's forests, the snow-covered peaks, and the blue sky above. The Ladin movement was suppressed under the
Italian Fascist regime, when many Ladin citizens joined the German emigrants under the terms of the 1939
South Tyrol Option Agreement
The South Tyrol Option Agreement (german: Option in Südtirol; it, Opzioni in Alto Adige) was an agreement in effect between 1939 and 1943, when the native German and Ladin-speaking people in South Tyrol and several other municipalities of northe ...
.
After World War II, an ''Uniun Generela'' was re-established and the Ladin flag was again occasionally displayed. In 1976, the ''
Istitut Ladin Micurà de Rü'' was founded at
San Martin de Tor
San Martin de Tor ( it, San Martino in Badia ; german: St. Martin in Thurn ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in South Tyrol in northern Italy, located about northeast of the city of Bolzano.
Geography
As of 30 November 2010, it had a population of ...
for the promotion of the Ladin culture. The ''Museum Ladin'' opened in 2001 at nearby Tor Castle.
Territory
![Towns of Ladinia (in ladin)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/40/Towns_of_Ladinia_%28in_ladin%29.gif)
The territory occupies approximately 1,200 square kilometers (460 sq. mi), encompassing five valleys in the Dolomite Alps centred around the
Sella massif:
*
Fascia Valley
The Fassa Valley ( Ladin: ''Fascia'', it, Val di Fassa, german: Fassatal) is a valley in the Dolomites in Trentino, northern Italy. As an administrative valley community (Italian: ''Comunità di valle'', German: ''Talgemeinschaft'') of Trentino, i ...
(''Val de Fascia'') in Trentino
*
Val Gardena
Val Gardena (; german: Gröden ; lld, Gherdëina ) is a valley in Northern Italy, in the Dolomites of South Tyrol. It is best known as a tourist skiing, rock climbing, and woodcarving area.
Geography
The valley's main river is the Derjon, a ...
(''Gherdëina'') and
Val Badia
The Val Badia ( en, Badia Valley, Ladin: ''Val Badia''; it, Val Badia; german: Gadertal) is the valley of the Gran Ega river in South Tyrol, Italy. It stretches from the Sella massif northwards to the Puster Valley. The villages in the Val Badia, ...
in South Tyrol
*
Livinallongo (''Fodom'') and
Ampezzo
Ampezzo ( fur, Dimpeç, german: Petsch) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Udine in the Italian region Friuli-Venezia Giulia, located about northwest of Trieste and about northwest of Udine. As of 31 December 2004, it had a popula ...
(''Anpezo'') in Veneto.
Other notable peaks in the region include
Marmolada
Marmolada (Ladin: ''Marmolèda''; German: ''Marmolata'', ) is a mountain in northeastern Italy and the highest mountain of the Dolomites (a section of the Alps). It lies between the borders of Trentino and Veneto. The Marmolada is an ultra-pr ...
at 3,343 m (10,968 ft) and
Antelao
Monte Antelao (Cadorino dialect: Nantelòu) is the highest mountain in the eastern Dolomites (a section of the Alps) in northeastern Italy, southeast of the town of Cortina d'Ampezzo, in the region of Cadore. The Monte Antelao is an ultra-promi ...
, the "King of the Dolomites" at 3,263 m (10,705 ft). The main rivers are the
Aviso
An ''aviso'' was originally a kind of dispatch boat or "advice boat", carrying orders before the development of effective remote communication.
The term, derived from the Portuguese and Spanish word for "advice", "notice" or "warning", an '' ...
stream, a tributary of the
Adige
The Adige (; german: Etsch ; vec, Àdexe ; rm, Adisch ; lld, Adesc; la, Athesis; grc, Ἄθεσις, Áthesis, or , ''Átagis'') is the second-longest river in Italy, after the Po. It rises near the Reschen Pass in the Vinschgau in the prov ...
rising from the
Marmolada Glacier
Marmolada ( Ladin: ''Marmolèda''; German: ''Marmolata'', ) is a mountain in northeastern Italy and the highest mountain of the Dolomites (a section of the Alps). It lies between the borders of Trentino and Veneto. The Marmolada is an ultra-p ...
and running through the Fascia Valley, the
Boite in Ampezzo, a tributary of the
Piave. Other creeks include the
Gran Ega
The Gran Ega (alternative Ladin language, Ladin name: ''Ghaidra''; german: Gader; it, Gadera) is the main river of the Val Badia in South Tyrol, Italy. Its name literally translates to ''great water''.
References
* Information about the ''Gran ...
in Val Badia and the
Derjon in Val Gardena.
Administratively, Ladinia is divided between two Italian regions, three provinces, and 18 small municipalities:
:
Furthermore, the Ladin language is officially recognised in 53 ''comuni'' of Belluno, South Tyrol, and Trentino.
See also
*
Friuli
Friuli ( fur, Friûl, sl, Furlanija, german: Friaul) is an area of Northeast Italy with its own particular cultural and historical identity containing 1,000,000 Friulians. It comprises the major part of the autonomous region Friuli Venezia Giulia ...
References
{{Reflist
External links
Information about the Ladinia and the Ladin culture
Dolomites
South Tyrol
Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol
Ladin language
Ladin people