The Istrian peninsula borders Croatia, Slovenia and Italy. Here there are
substantial communities of Italians, so much so that Slovenian-Italian or Croatian-Italian
bilingualism is widespread throughout the peninsula . The Italian flag is often present as well as schools,
theaters and universities in the Italian language. Thanks to Antonino today we will discover what it is like to be Italian and to
live in Istria. Hi Antonino welcome to our channel it is a great pleasure to have you here
with us. Hi, thanks for me too. Tell us a little about where you are? Where were you born? I was born in
Bollate in the province of Milan and I am from Verona, but my origins betray descent from southern
Italy for my father who was a Calabrian and half Apulian destination and for an Istrian mother,
my mother was born in Pola but she lived in Poreč the first half of his life and my
maternal grandparents were both Istrians then yes, the origin is different let's say there is a
different background both from the grandmother and the grandfather which is a bit let's say exemplifying
what the ethnic cultural situation in Istria which is all a mixture of origins. To
make you understand my grandfather had a Friulian surname but he came from Coridigo which in Croatian is called
Kringa which is a town in the center of Istria where the majority has always been, let's say, Slavophone
so in itself it is an anomaly but it means that some her ancestor from Friuli
came to Istria and settled there and my grandfather was a Slavic mother tongue while my grandmother was born
in a village always in the center of Istria that calls us Cerovci but we say that
she settled in Trieste during the war then in Poreč in an Italian-speaking city and therefore
despite being ethnically Slavic, let's say Croatian, who has always spoken
the Istrian dialect at home, in short, with my mother and then with us grandchildren. So you
basically had a lot to do with Istria in your past? Of course
I am half Istrian and then let's say that in the Istrian diaspora there are those who ended up in Australia,
those who ended up in Argentina, if you are Istrian you get used to having relatives all over the world we
are finished three hours by car so let's say that you live much more than others, let's say
exiles or people who live far away for various reasons, I've always spent let's say summers or
holidays there and therefore I live it as a home like Verona. Ok, so in Istria you
feel at home, also because if I'm not mistaken you speak the local language? Yes certainly yes, well there are
many people who may not be family-related with Istria who still feel at
home because it is a rather hospitable land is a frequent comment on Istria and on Istrians
then the language yes obviously the reality of the facts now he speaks of a more Croatian
than Slovenian or Italian Istria because after the Second World War the Istrian geographical region
was divided and the largest slice ended up in Yugoslavia which then became Croatia and Slovenia
while Italy remained Muggia and San Dorligo Della Valle that still belong to Italy
but then there are many nuances because then the part that is now Croatia and Slovenia there is an
area, which is the area that was part of the zone B of the free territory of Trieste, which is pushes
up to the Mirna river then up to roughly the city of Novigrad, there the integration into
Yugoslavia and it was after the world war and therefore there is even more
Italian influence than that llo that is not found in the rest of Istria but yes, Italian is a
language very present in families, in the economy of course in tourism it
is almost essential to learn it then after the European Union let's say that many Italian companies are
decentralizing production etc. with us, in Istria, and therefore it is used even more since
2011. You know, it depends so much on the family background you have because after the world war
then many Italians, most of the Italians have left and the population it has been
repopulated by people from the rest of Yugoslavia and therefore now it depends so much if
your family is indigenous, let's say one hundred percent then it's almost mathematical that let's say a
person like me of my generation spoke, addressed his grandparents in Italian or let's say in
dialect while if one the background say Zagreb or other parts of non- Istrian Yugoslavia it
is more likely that Italian speaks it as a second language, that you do not speak it at home,
eco. Sure, so you recap how many languages ​​do you speak? So, I speak Italian,
English, Croatian and Spanish but related to Istria let's say that I speak Italian and Croatian and I understand
and speak the Istrian-Italian dialect and I understand the Istrian-Croatian dialect. Ok,
so anyway you are bilingual Italian-Croatian because you grew up speaking these two languages?
Yes yes yes yes ... you know what it is, Croatian is a very very difficult language it is very complex
grammatically and syntactically and therefore for one who has not completed education in
a non-Slavic context it is a bit more difficult to speak it perfectly: I speak it well, I don't
speak it at the level of Italian let's say, let's say that we can manage a conversation in Croatian
without any kind of problem. Then in the mirror you in Istria can find yourself in situations in which
Italian native speakers who speak Italian or dialect at home, if you prefer, and have
attended Italian schools because in Istria there are many, there are several and let's say not they are
so safe speaking in Croatian it is something that surprised me but I have met people in person
who if you speak in Croatian they will tell you: no no you do in Italian which is better, so it is rare such
a combination but still exists. Very interesting! You are not directly part
of the Italian linguistic minority in Istria, right? No, I am not a member of any
Italian community, my grandmother and my mother were as long as she lived in what was
Yugoslavia at the time. In your experience, how is the Italian linguistic minority seen in
Istria, is it well received, is it well integrated? How does the relationship between the two peoples work a little?
So, in my opinion, there is a slightly broader discussion to make because
I never really like to generalize very much but it is good to distinguish in the perception of the Istrian-Croatian, the Italian
that comes from Istria, from the Italian that comes from Triveneto, to the Italian that comes from the rest of
Italy, let's say. In my opinion, Istrian Italians are mostly
seen as compatriots, therefore with people who perhaps speak another language at home but
are Croatian citizens in all respects; with the Italians of the Triveneto I think that the perception
by a Croatian-Italian is that not of a compatriot but of a foreigner with a lot
in common while if you come from Rome or Turin from Cagliari in short, you are a foreigner for all purposes
then you know the Italian triggers very different opinions from each other there is the Italian who
is seen as very polite, others very arrogant, others effeminate, other male chauvinists,
it always depends on the situation; then there is a lot ... you know, the influence given by the fact that the Italian
who comes to Istria is a tourist and therefore a certain type of relationship is created, let's say between those who are
served and those who serve but in short, you know Istria is very popular with Italians if you wander around
the streets of Poreč in my city in August you hear only Italian and there are many people
who you know maybe either rent apartments or stay at home with people who host who have rented houses for 10,
20 even 30 years so it means that in any case there is a partnership, then you will always find the person
who perhaps dislikes the average Italian but that also to many Italians I believe. Exactly. But does
the Italian linguistic minority also speak Croatian or Slovenian or do they manage to do
everything, to survive even just using Italian? As I said before, it is quite
rare to say that it is linked to situations in which maybe you are from an Italian-speaking family,
you have attended Italian schools and I do not know do you deal with agriculture or contexts in which we say
you do not necessarily have to know the jargon of office here, it is quite rare it is quite rare but yes,
you find such situations. But I tell you in everyday life you normally have no problems if you
address a person in Italian; I know that in public offices, in short, in public
administration you are required if you work in contact with the public to be able to answer both in
Italian and in Croatian so in theory no, then honestly if you, I don't know about work, I take care
of I trade and I talk to people from all over the world from all over Italy and I find it difficult to imagine an
Italian who speaks only Italian working in an office in an Istrian office because then you don't
speak only with Istria and the rest of Croatia has a totally different history
from what is that of Istria but in everyday life yes I would answer yes. If you go, for example, to
get bread or to a restaurant or to go shopping or go to the town hall or go to the post office: 90 out of 100 you can
speak Italian with confidence, maybe you will find the one who works in the post office, has studied
Italian but is not Istrian and maybe it takes a bit more effort but they are singular cases. I get it,
very interesting. What are the advantages of living a little in Italy and a little in Istria?
Because if I understand correctly you are often in Istria, on weekends or during holidays:
what advantages does Italy have and what advantages does Istria have in your opinion? Yes yes, you feel at home in two
places ... it's nice. Then you know, in Istria it is difficult to be in a non-rural housing context, I do n't
know if I mean it, the largest city has 50,000 inhabitants than Pula which is still a large country
where everyone knows each other, where you know you stop on the street and you speaks, one wonders how it is,
which in Italy is dying out a bit and therefore in comparison we say that the big city has
advantages, the medium-large provincial city as it can be Verona or Trieste gives advantages but
the modus vivendi of average country, middle Istrian village in some respects is priceless, the
tranquility you perceive ... in the evening when I go to the countryside in those parts I see the fireflies
that instead in Italy have become extinct instead we are still there so it gives a sense, you know, an
uncontaminated life , a simpler life is like going back a bit in time before the internet,
social networks and this constant cascade of information that what invests us every second of our
daily life would appear in our lives, however yes, I am lucky because precisely for me it is
a walkable distance I speak well because obviously I have no particular obstacles to get
from one place to another quickly. Well then also knowing both languages ​​so Italian and
Croatian in my opinion is a big plus because you can communicate with everyone so you have no
obstacles let's say. Yes, and among other things, let's say Croatian acts as a lingua franca in a certain sense
so if I meet a Bosnian or a Serbian or a Montenegrin and to a lesser extent a Slovenian
or a Macedonian I can speak calmly and make myself understood without problems which then you know,
because of positive clicks in people who are beautiful, no ... because in my life I have lived in
many places then when I grew up and once you come across a person from the Balkans
then connect immediately because there is this point in common even if you don't have the same
nationality let's say. Yes absolutely so let's say that it is a language that manages to unite you to
many other countries. Yes it does not seem but it has a usefulness let's say. That's right and this can only be a
great wealth. Absolutely, absolutely, yes. Very well Antonino, thank you very much for
sharing so much useful and interesting information with us and above all for telling us about
your personal experience. Thanks to you and nothing I congratulate you for the channel which is very
interesting for language lovers, for linguistics nerds it is really a godsend
and keep it up! Thank you very much indeed, a much appreciated compliment, hello everyone! Bye!