Italo-libanesi (Italian) | |
|---|---|
_3.jpg) Genoese crusader castle ofByblos | |
| Total population | |
| 5,100[1] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Beirut (Greater Beirut),Tripoli | |
| Languages | |
| Lebanese Arabic · French · English · Italian andItalian dialects | |
| Religion | |
| Christian: MostlyLatin Catholic; someMaronite Catholic andMuslim | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Italians,Italian Emiratis,Italian Indians,Italian Levantine |
There is a smallItalian community in Lebanon (Italian:italo-libanesi, also calledItalian Lebanese) consisting mainly ofLebanese citizens of Italian heritage as well with expatriates and migrants fromItaly who reside inLebanon. It is a community with a history that goes back toRoman times.
In 64 B.C., theRoman generalPompey added Lebanon to theRoman Republic. During and before this time,Phoenicians and Romans exchanged knowledge, habits, and customs. Indeed, the veterans of twoRoman legions were established in the city of "Berytus" (modernBeirut): thefifth Macedonian and thethird Gallic.[2] The city quickly became Romanized, with the descendants of those legionaries from the Italian peninsula.
Between the 12th and, 15th centuries the ItalianRepublic of Genoa had some Genoese colonies in Beirut, Tripoli, andByblos.
In more recent times theItalians came to Lebanon in small groups during theWorld War I andWorld War II, trying to escape the wars at that time in Europe.Some of the first Italians who choose Lebanon as a place to settle and find a refuge were Italian soldiers from theItalo-Turkish War in 1911 to 1912. Also, most of the Italians chose to settle inBeirut, because of itsEuropean style of life. Only a few Italians left Lebanon forFrance after independence.
Lebanon opened alegation in 1946, which was transformed into an embassy in 1955. Both countries signed a Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Navigation in 1949. Both countries are members of theUnion for the Mediterranean.
Italy and Lebanon are linked by an ancient friendship, which finds its roots in their common Mediterranean heritage, their antique civilizations and thousands of years of common history, intense trade relations and deep cultural and human exchanges. In the 16th century, the special relationship between Emir Fakhreddine and the Medicis family of Tuscany was instrumental in forging modern Lebanon as we know it today, which is a unique mixture of Western and Arabic cultures. Lebanon also left important traces in Italy’s history: in 1584 theMaronite College was founded in Rome, fostering contacts between clergymen, researchers and young students, which today is being continued under the framework of Inter-University cooperation. This excellent level of bilateral relations between Italy and Lebanon is reinforced today by the common views of the two countries on a number of Middle East issues, and by the growing awareness that in a globalized world the two shores of the Mediterranean sea share the same destiny.[3]
The Italian community in Lebanon is very small (about 4,300 people) and it is mostly assimilated into theLebanese Catholic community.
The intermarriage in the Italian community is very high and most of the younger members are half Italian on the paternal side. In mixed Latin-Maronite or other mixed-rite marriages, the children are raised in the father's rite, and along with bearing the father's surname, identify with the father's ethnic group. Therefore, the children of Italian fathers and Lebanese mothers are counted as Italian, and those of Lebanese fathers and Italian mothers as Lebanese, some last name were modified. There are some Italian families who returned to Italy afterWorld War II together with their Lebanese born children.
There is a growing interest in economic relationships between Italy and Lebanon (like with the "Vinifest 2011"), thanks even to the remaining Italian Lebanese.[4]
Only a small percentage of all remaining Italian Lebanese speak some Italian, while the majority of them speakArabic as a first language andFrench and/orEnglish as second language, and are mainlyRoman Catholics. Their main organizations are the formerAssociazione Nazionale Pro Italiani del Libano (ANPIL) and theIstituto Italiano di Cultura di Beirut (IICB).[5]
The Italian Lebanese of the current generations are assimilated to Lebanese society, and most of them speak only Arabic and French and English (only a few young Italian Lebanese know some basic words in Italian). In religion, most of the young generation are Roman Catholics, while only a few young people practiseIslam, mainly because of marriage although some are descendants of Italian converts.
See alsoList of Lebanese people in Italy
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1 TheLebanese people has the most religious diversity of all peoples in theMiddle East, comprising 18 recognized religious sects recognized by theConstitution of Lebanon. 2 Under the terms of theConstitution of Lebanon, the Druze community is designated as a part of the Lebanese Muslim community. | |||||||
