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Friuli | |
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| Anthem: Incuintri al doman | |
 Friulian language area superposed to the borders of Friuli-Venezia Giulia | |
| Country | Italy |
| Region | Friuli-Venezia Giulia |
| Area | |
• Total | 8,240 km2 (3,180 sq mi) |
| Population | |
• Total | ~800,000–1,000,000 |
| • Density | 128/km2 (330/sq mi) |
| Demonym(s) | English:Friulian Italian:Friulano (man) Italian:Friulana (woman) Friulian:Furlan (man) Friulian:Furlane (woman) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC + 1 |
Friuli (Italian:[friˈuːli];Friulian:Friûl[fɾiˈuːl]ⓘ;Venetian:Friul orFriułi;Slovene:Furlanija;Austrian German:Friaul) is ahistorical region ofnortheast Italy. The region is marked by its separate regional and ethnic identity predominantly tied to theFriulians, who speak the Friulian language. It comprises the major part of the autonomous regionFriuli-Venezia Giulia, i.e. the administrativeprovinces ofUdine,Pordenone, andGorizia, excludingTrieste.
The name originates from the ancient Roman town ofForum Iulii ("Julius'Forum"), nowCividale del Friuli.
Friuli is bordered on the west by theVeneto region with the border running along theLivenza river, on the north by the crest of theCarnic Alps betweenCarnia and AustrianCarinthia, on the east by theJulian Alps, the border withSlovenia and theTimavo river, and on the south by theAdriatic Sea. The adjacent Slovene parts of theSoča/Isonzo valley fromGorizia/Nova Gorica up toTriglav and theVipava Valley, forming theGoriška region, may also be considered part of historic Friuli.
The mountainous northern part of the region belongs to theSouthern Limestone Alps. From west to east, the region's highest peaks are, in theCarnic Prealps (Dolomiti Friulane)—theCima dei Preti, 2,703 metres (8,868 ft), Duranno 2,652 metres (8,701 ft), andCridola 2,581 metres (8,468 ft); in the Carnic Alps—Peralba 2,694 metres (8,839 ft),Monte Bìvera 2,474 metres (8,117 ft) andCoglians 2,780 metres (9,120 ft); in the Julian Alps, the Jôf Fuârt 2,666 metres (8,747 ft), theJôf di Montasio 2,754 metres (9,035 ft),Mangart 2,677 metres (8,783 ft), andCanin 2,587 metres (8,488 ft), which dominates the plain.
Rivers flowing southwards from the mountains are numerous. The Friulian mountains surround the course of theTagliamento river, which, at the latitude ofGemona del Friuli first crosses the hills that occupy the center of the Friuli, then flows into a large flood plain. This plain is commonly divided into the High Friulian plain and the Low Friulian plain (Bassa Friulana), whose boundary is the Napoleonic road that connects the cities ofCodroipo andPalmanova. To the south of this road is therisorgive zone, where water resurfaces from underground waterways in spring-fed pools throughout the area. South of the plains lie thelagoons ofMarano andGrado, which are nature reserves. Other important rivers include theTorre,Natisone, Stella,Isonzo/Soča, andAusa.
Friuli covers an area of 8,240 square kilometres (3,180 sq mi), subdivided among the provinces of Udine 4,905 square kilometres (1,894 sq mi), Pordenone 2,178 square kilometres (841 sq mi) and Gorizia 466 square kilometres (180 sq mi). The historical capital and most important city isUdine, which was also the capital of the medievalPatria del Friuli. Other important towns arePordenone,Gorizia/Nova Gorica,Sacile,Codroipo,Cervignano del Friuli,Cividale del Friuli,Gemona del Friuli,Monfalcone, andTolmezzo.
The climate of the Friulian plain is mainlyhumid subtropical. The climate in this area is suitable for growing white wine grapes, and 2.5% of wine produced in Italy comes from this part of the region.[1] The hills, however, have a continental climate, and the mountainous regions have an alpine climate. On the coast the mean annual temperature is 14 °C (57 °F), while in the inner plains, the average is lowered to 13 to 13.5 °C (55.4 to 56.3 °F; Udine 13.1 °C (55.6 °F), Pordenone 13.3 °C (55.9 °F), Gorizia 13.4 °C (56.1 °F)). Further north, in Tolmezzo, the average temperature is approximately 10.6 °C (51.1 °F). The lowest values are recorded in the Alps: 4 °C (39 °F) atPasso di Monte Croce Carnico (at 1,300 metres / 4,300 ft) and between 5.5 and 7 °C (41.9–44.6 °F) in Val Canale, which is situated 850 metres (2,790 ft)above sea level. In the coldest month, January, temperatures vary between approximately 4.5 °C (40.1 °F) in Monfalcone and nearly −5 °C (23 °F) inPasso di Monte Croce Carnico, with intermediate temperatures of 3 °C (37 °F) in Udine and −2 or −3 °C (28 or 27 °F) in Valcanale. Gorizia, a short distance from Udine, enjoys a particularly milder micro-climate with its approximate annual average of 4 °C (39 °F). In the warmest month, July, the temperatures range between 22.5 and 24 °C (72.5–75.2 °F) along the coast and plains and between 14 and 16 °C (57–61 °F) in Val Canale.
Precipitation in Friuli is relatively abundant; the distribution of rainfall varies a great deal during the course of the year. Minimum values in the southern part generally fall between 1,200 and 1,500 mm (47–59 in) (Gorizia over 1,350 mm (53 in) and Udine over 1,400 mm (55 in)), whereas the alpine area's maximum annual rainfall is approximately 3,000 mm (120 in). The Julian Prealps is one of Italy's rainiest regions: Musi receives about 3,300 mm (130 in) of annual precipitation, sometimes even 5000 mm, and can receive 400 mm (16 in) in a single month. In some areas of Friuli, excessive rainfall has caused erosion and the flooding of many rivers. Snow is sparse in the southern plains (3 or 4 snowy days each year in Udine and Pordenone) but falls more consistently further to the north (Val Canale 25 days, Sauris 23 days, andPasso di Monte Croce Carnico 28 days).
The following weatherbox is fromUdine, the main city of Friuli.
| Climate data for Udine (1971–2000, extremes 1969–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 18.6 (65.5) | 23.2 (73.8) | 25.6 (78.1) | 29.5 (85.1) | 33.2 (91.8) | 36.2 (97.2) | 38.2 (100.8) | 37.0 (98.6) | 34.4 (93.9) | 29.8 (85.6) | 25.3 (77.5) | 17.4 (63.3) | 38.2 (100.8) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 7.7 (45.9) | 9.8 (49.6) | 13.5 (56.3) | 17.1 (62.8) | 22.3 (72.1) | 25.6 (78.1) | 28.2 (82.8) | 28.4 (83.1) | 24.1 (75.4) | 18.6 (65.5) | 12.6 (54.7) | 8.5 (47.3) | 18.0 (64.4) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 3.7 (38.7) | 5.0 (41.0) | 8.4 (47.1) | 12.0 (53.6) | 17.1 (62.8) | 20.3 (68.5) | 22.7 (72.9) | 22.6 (72.7) | 18.7 (65.7) | 13.7 (56.7) | 8.2 (46.8) | 4.5 (40.1) | 13.1 (55.6) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −0.4 (31.3) | 0.3 (32.5) | 3.4 (38.1) | 7.0 (44.6) | 11.8 (53.2) | 15.0 (59.0) | 17.1 (62.8) | 16.9 (62.4) | 13.3 (55.9) | 8.8 (47.8) | 3.7 (38.7) | 0.5 (32.9) | 8.1 (46.6) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −14.6 (5.7) | −11.6 (11.1) | −10.0 (14.0) | −4.8 (23.4) | 1.4 (34.5) | 5.6 (42.1) | 8.2 (46.8) | 6.6 (43.9) | 3.0 (37.4) | −3.2 (26.2) | −8.4 (16.9) | −18.6 (−1.5) | −18.6 (−1.5) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 74.9 (2.95) | 61.6 (2.43) | 86.2 (3.39) | 119.0 (4.69) | 118.2 (4.65) | 137.9 (5.43) | 81.2 (3.20) | 79.1 (3.11) | 124.3 (4.89) | 134.5 (5.30) | 108.1 (4.26) | 85.9 (3.38) | 1,210.9 (47.67) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 1.0 mm) | 6.2 | 5.2 | 7.6 | 9.8 | 10.8 | 10.5 | 7.8 | 7.2 | 7.3 | 8.3 | 7.2 | 6.7 | 94.6 |
| Source:Servizio Meteorologico[2][3] | |||||||||||||
Friuli,Mandament of Portogruaro included, is inhabited by over 1,000,000 people.
| Zona | Population(2005) | Land area (km2) | Population density (inhabitants/km2) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Province ofGorizia | 140,681 | 466 | 302 |
| Province ofUdine | 528,246 | 4,905 | 108 |
| Province ofPordenone | 297,699 | 2,178 | 137 |
| Total | 966,626 | 7,549 | 128 |
One of the most important demographic phenomena in Friuli was emigration. It began in the final decades of the 19th century and ended in the 1970s. It is estimated that more than a million Friulian people emigrated away over a period of approximately one hundred years. According to the most recent census by AIRE (2005), Friulian émigrés living abroad number 134,936. Of these, 56.0% reside in Europe, 24.0% in South America, 10.3% in North America and 4.7% inOceania. This data only reflects those Friulians and their descendants who have Italian citizenship. The descendants of Friulians are excluded from the census because they are not Italian citizens. Friulians in the world have supported cultural associations called Fogolârs furlans, of which there are 46 in Italy and 156 in the rest of the world.
In the prehistoric era, Friuli was home to theCastellieri culture and theRaeti. These peoples were the dominant culture in the area from about the 15th century BC until the early historical period. During the course of the 4th century BC Friuli was also settled by theCarni (inancient GreekΚαρνίοι), a tribe of unknown ethnicity which may have spoken aCeltic, aVenetic or aRhaetic language, and which introduced advanced techniques of working iron and silver. According toStrabo [4.6] theCarni inhabited "the country about the Adriatic Gulf and Aquileia" and bothPliny [3.22(18)] andPtolemy [3.1] ascribeAquileia,Concordia andForum Julii to belong to the "towns of the Carni" in the "country of the Carni". TheCarni worshiped the deityBelenus which is attested by the most numerous votive inscriptions found in and aroundAquileia.[4] A northern mountainous area of Friuli still retains the ancient nameCarnia.
Beginning from the 2nd century BC, Friuli was colonized by theRomans:Aquileia was the fourth largest city of Italy during Roman imperial times, capital ofRegio X of theItalia province (the Augustan regionVenetia et Histria). The city was the most important river port on theNatissa river, dominating trade between theAdriatic Sea and northern Europe (carried over theVia Iulia Augusta road). Aquileia owed its importance to the strategic position it has on the Adriatic sea and its proximity to the Alps. This location allowing Rome to intercept barbarian invasions from the East.Julius Caesar quartered his legions in Aquileia during winter. The development of other centers, such asForum Iulii (Cividale del Friuli) andIulium Carnicum (Zuglio), contributed to the increase in economic and cultural wealth of Friuli until the first barbarian incursions, at the beginning of the 5th century. In the final decades of the 3rd century, Aquileia became the center of one of the most prestigious bishoprics of the empire, competing in Italy withMilan and, subsequently,Ravenna, for second place to Rome. AHun invasion marked the start of Friuli's decline: Aquileia, protected by meager forces, was forced to surrender and was razed to the ground byAttila in 452. After the retreat of the Huns, the survivors, who had found shelter in the lagoon ofGrado, returned to the city, but found it completely destroyed. The reconstruction of Aquileia was never completed and it never regained the old splendour of the capital ofX Regio. The city remained important even after the fall of the Western Roman Empire, due to the creation of thePatriarchate of Aquileia. It ranked among the highest ecclesiastic authorities in Italy from the mid-6th century onward. The lack of security in the Friulian plain, crossroads of all the great barbarian invasions, drove many people to seek shelter on the islands of the lagoons or in fortified hill-villages, causing a generalized depopulation of the more fertile part of the region and its consequent colonization by barbariangentes.
After the collapse of theWestern Roman Empire, Friuli belonged to the kingdom ofOdoacer and subsequently to that ofTheodoric the Great. TheByzantine reconquest underJustinian I was brief in the region, in 568 it was one of the first provinces conquered by theLombards, who invaded fromPannonia, and with that, ended theGreek-Byzantine era of the region. The Lombard kingAlboin established theDuchy of Friuli, the first Lombard duchy, and granted it to his relativeGisulf I. The capital of the duchy was established atForum Iulii (Cividale del Friuli), which became the most important city of the area and for where it derived its name.
The duchy of Friuli was from the start one of the most important Lombard duchies. It served as a barrier against the threat of invasion by theAvars andSlavs fromPannonia. Among the duchies of the North, which were closely aligned with the crown (unlikeSpoleto andBenevento to the South), it was the most powerful, probably due to itsmarcher status. Among later dukes,Ratchis became king in 744 and his ducal successor,Aistulf, succeeded him as king in 749. The historianPaul the Deacon was born in Friuli (730/5), he went on to write theHistoria Langobardorum and taught Latin grammar atCharlemagne's court. Another teacher and a trusted advisor Charlemagne's court,Paulinus, was born at Cividale and eventually became patriarch of Aquileia.
After theKingdom of Italy fell to theFranks, the duchy of Friuli was reorganized into counties according to the Frankish model. The region was again reorganized into theMarch of Friuli in 846. The march was granted to theUnruoching dynasty. Friuli became the base of power ofBerengar I during his struggles for the throne of Italy between 888 and 924.
The march was transformed under his rule, its territory extended toLake Garda, the capital moved toVerona, and a newMarch of Verona and Aquileia established in its place. The territory was now subjected to theDuchy of Bavaria, then to theDuchy of Carinthia, for more than a century.
On 3 April 1077, theEmperor Henry IV granted the county of Friuli, with ducal status, toSigaerd,Patriarch of Aquileia.[5] In the succeeding centuries, the patriarchate expanded its control over neighboringTrieste,Istria,Carinthia,Styria, andCadore. The patriarchal state of Friuli was one of the best organized polities of the Italian Middle Ages. From the 12th century it possessed aparliament representing thecommunes as well as the nobility and the clergy. This institution only survived six centuries, remaining alive yet weak even duringVenetian domination. It convened for the last time in 1805, when it was abolished byNapoleon Bonaparte. The PatriarchMarquard of Randeck (1365–1381) had gathered together and codified all the laws of Friuli and promulgated them as theConstitutiones Patriae Foriiulii ("Constitutions of the Country of Friuli"). Cividale del Friuli was seat of the Patriarchate until 1238, when the patriarch moved his seat toUdine, where he had a magnificent episcopal edifice constructed. Udine was so important that it in time became the institutional capital of Friuli.
The Patriarchate ended in 1420: surrounded by the powerful states of theAustrian Empire, theKingdom of Hungary and theRepublic of Venice, it was the theatre of a war betweenHungary andVenice, and was conquered by the latter. Friuli maintained some form of autonomy, by keeping its own Parliament ruling on the old territory of the Patriarchate, an autonomy not granted to the other cities and provinces submitted to Venice (even Venetian ones); on the other side, it maintained also its feudal nobility, which was able to keep their feudal rights over the land and its inhabitants for some time.
Friuli was the eastern border of theStato da Tera, and suffered both fromOttoman raids and from the border wars with Austria. These wars led to poverty and instability of the rural population, with the inability to cultivate the land crossed by fighting armies and with the forced surrender of all livestock to feed traveling troops. The harvesting of timber needed to build Venetian ships caused complete deforestation of theBassa Friulana and central Friuli. Venice took possession of collective farms belonging to rural Friulian communities, seriously impoverishing them.[citation needed] These properties in turn would be sold by Venice during the 17th century to raise cash to alleviate its poor financial condition.
Beginning in the 1630s, the Venetian Republic entered a relative decline, due to the enlarging horizon of European markets (reaching now from Asia to Africa to the Americas). Venice's richest families often directed financial resources into unproductive investments (specifically real estate), while there was a loss of competitiveness in industries and services. Friuli was subject to increasing fiscal pressure, and its industries and commercial activities were affected.
According to some historians, the political populism practiced by Venice looked for ways to limit the most oppressive and anachronistic effects offeudalism. Other researchers assert that the Venetian aristocratic government maintained a most oppressive feudal condition in Friuli.[citation needed] These policies were practiced by the Venetian government to ensure the support of the urban and rural population as a counterbalance to the independent tendencies and power of local oligarchies and aristocrats.
An importantjacquerie, known asJoibe Grasse 1511 (Fat Thursday 1511), was started in Udine on February 27 by starvingUdinesi citizens. They were subsequently joined by the farmers and the revolt spread to the whole territory of Friûl, against the feudal rule of some noble families; some other noble family, like the pro-Venetian Savorgnan, initially supported the revolters. This insurrection was one of the largest in Renaissance Italy and it lasted from 27 February until 1 March, when it ended as Venice dispatched around one hundred cavalry to put down the rebellion. The chiefs of the revolt were executed, but the feudal powers of the Friulian noblemen were reduced.
With the 1516Noyon pacts the boundary between the Venetian Republic and theCounty of Gorizia and Gradisca, now in the hands of theHouse of Habsburg, were redefined. Venice lost the upper Isonzo valley (that is the Gastaldia of Tolmino with Plezzo and Idria), but it keptMonfalcone,Marano and a series of shed feudal islands in the Western Friuli stayed with the Archduke of Austria (until 1543). Between 1615 and 1617 Venice and Austria again fought for the possession of the fort ofGradisca d'Isonzo. The so-called War of Gradisca ended with a return to thestatus quo.
Beginning in 1516 theHabsburg Empire controlled eastern Friuli, while western and central Friuli was Venetian. In 1797, the year of theTreaty of Campo Formio, this part of the Friuli was surrendered to Austria. For a brief period from 1805 until theBourbon Restoration, Friuli belonged to the Italic Kingdom.
In 1815, theCongress of Vienna confirmed the union of Veneto, which Central-West Friuli was part of, with Lombardy (previously divided between Austrian Empire and Venetian Republic), to constitute theKingdom of Lombardy–Venetia. Eastern Friuli was not included in the puppet state. In 1838, the District of Portogruaro was removed from the Province of the Friuli due to the Austrians' wishes[citation needed] and assigned to the Province of Venice. Portogruaro was for long time part of Friuli, even under Venetian Republic, and Friulian language was spoken in the area. In 1866, central Friuli (today'sprovince of Udine) and western Friuli (today'sprovince of Pordenone) were annexed by Italy together with Veneto after theThird Italian War of Independence, while eastern Friuli (County of Gorizia and Gradisca) remained under Austria until the end of World War I.
The Ethnographic map of Karl von Czoernig-Czernhausen, issued by thek. u. k. Administration of Statistics in 1855, recorded a total of 401,357 Friulians living in theAustrian Empire. The majority of Friulians (351,805) lived in that part of Friuli that belonged to theKingdom of Lombardy–Venetia, the others (49.552) in the Friulian parts of theAustrian Küstenland. Friulians were registered as their own category separate from Italians.
During World War I, Friuli was a theater of battle that had serious consequences for the civilian population, specifically theBattle of Caporetto.
After World War II, the pro-devolution movement gained momentum in 1945. Friuli got entangled in the maze of opposing forces acting in the territory. Yugoslavian Titoists pursued an annexation of Friuli to the rising communist Yugoslavia. By contrast, in 1945, the traditionalist association Patrie tal Friul was founded by Tiziano Tessitori with a view to establishing an autonomous Friuli within Italy.[6] The draft autonomic project was launched with the support of theChristian Democratic Party.
In January 1947, the poet and filmmakerPier Paolo Pasolini went on to found the party Movimiento Popolari Friulano, with the same purpose of devolution. Pasolini opposed a possible Yugoslavian annexation, but at the same time lashed out at those who aimed at using regionalism for their immobilist, "backwards Conservatism".[7] Pasolini dropped membership in his party after the Christian Democrats came to pull its strings. The Communist Party of Italy opposed devolution, sticking to an Italian centralist agenda.[8]
Around 350,000 people claim Friulan as their native language, though it is sparsely used in public life.[9] There are some movements and political parties that advocate a more autonomous, or even an independent Friuli in line with historical borders, such as theFriuli Movement,Front Furlan, Patrie Furlane andRepubliche dal Friûl – Parlament furlan.
While standardItalian is the primary official language of the region, several other regional languages and dialects are spoken in Friuli.
Friulian is spoken in the provinces of Udine, Gorizia, and Pordenone.
Venetian and its dialects are usually spoken (for historical reasons) on the western border regions (i.e.Pordenone), sparingly in a few internal towns (i.e.Gorizia, etc.), and historically in some places along theAdriatic coast.
In the southeastern part of Friuli, a Venetian transitional dialect is spoken, calledBisiaco, that has influences of bothSlovene and Friulian.
Slovene dialects are spoken in the largely rural border mountain region known asVenetian Slovenia.German (Bavarian dialect) is spoken in Val Canale (mostly inTarvisio andPontebba); in some of Val Canale's municipalities (particularly inMalborghetto Valbruna),Carinthian Slovenian dialects are spoken too.Slovene is also spoken in theCollio area north of Gorizia. In theResia valley, betweenVenetian Slovenia and the Val Canale, most of the inhabitants still speak an archaic dialect of Slovene, known asResian. According to the official estimates of the Italian government, between 45,000 and 51,000 Slovene speakers live in Friuli: around 11,000 in the Province of Gorizia, and the rest in the Province of Udine.[10] Due to emigration, most Slovene speakers in the Province of Udine live outside their traditional compact zone of settlement.[10]
German-related dialects (like Rogasaxon) are spoken in several ancient enclaves like Timau, Zahre (Sauris) and Plodn (Sappada).
Only Friulian, Slovenian and German are allowed to be local secondary official languages in their historic areas, but not their related dialects.
Asteroid212705 Friûl was named in honor of the region.[11] The officialnaming citation was published by theMinor Planet Center on 25 September 2018 (M.P.C. 111803).[12]
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