( in Northern
Italy . It consists of two distinct areas, the Italian-speaking
Trento and the largely German-speaking
South Tyrol . The region was part of
Austria-Hungary until its annexation by Italy in
1919 . It was called ''Venezia Tridentina'' between
1919 and
1947 .
The autonomous region is bordered by
Austria to the north and by the Italian regions of
Lombardy to the west and
Veneto to the south. It covers
13,619 Km&2 (5,256
Mi&2 ). It is extremely mountainous, covering a large part of the
Dolomites and the southern
Alps . The lowest pass across the Alps, the
Brennerpass , is located at the far north of the region on the border with Austria.
The fertile valleys of Trentino-South Tyrol produce wine, fruit, dairy products and timber, while its industries include paper, chemical and metal production. The region is a major exporter of
Hydroelectric power. Tourism is an important source of revenue and the region is renowned for its winter skiing opportunities, especially in the
Gröden-Val Gardena area.
Trentino-South Tyrol has a population of about 940,000 people (460,000 in Bolzano and 480,000 in Trento). The main ethnic groups are Italian-speakers (about 60% of the total) and German speakers (a little under 35%), with a small minority speaking the
Ladin Language (5%).
In Bolzano-Bozen province or South Tyrol, the majority language is German (about 68% of the population), although in the capital city of the same name Bolzano-Bozen three quarters of the population speak Italian.
In Trento province or Trentino there are very few German-speakers. They live mainly in the municipality of Lusern/Luserna and four municipalities in the Bersntol/Mocheni Valley. There are also Ladins living in the Fassa Valley.
Unlike in South-Tyrol, the protection of
Minority Language groups in Trentino is not covered by the new Statuto d'Autonomia, although it is under current provincial statutes.
From the
11th Century onwards, part of the region was governed by the
Prince-bishop s of
Trento and
Brixen-Bressanone , to whom the
Holy Roman Emperors had given extensive temporal powers over their bishoprics. The rest was part of the
County Of Tyrol , which, from the
14th Century , was a possession of the House of
Habsburg . This arrangement ended at the start of the
19th Century with the dissolution of the Empire. The Bishoprics were secularized in
1803 and given to the Habsburgs. Two years later, following the Austrian defeat at
Austerlitz , the whole region was annexed to the
Napoleonic Kingdom Of Italy ; after Napoleon defeat, in
1815 , the region returned to Austria. The large Italian minority agitated for unification with Italy, making the issue a key priority for the
Irredentist movement in Italian politics. Some say that in reality, aside from certain political circles based in Trento, the vast majority of the population never really warmed up to the idea of joining the newly created Italian Kingdom, as their alleagence lays with the Habsburg Empire; also they cite a meeting between
Alcide De Gasperi , a Trento representative at the
Reichsrat in
Vienna , and Italy's Foreign Minister
Sonnino during which De Gasperi affirmed that, should a referendum be held in the region, 95 percent of the population would most likely confirm their loyalty to Austria-Hungary.
During the
First World War , major battles were fought high in the Alps and Dolomites between Austrian and Italian forces, for whom control of the South Tyrol was a key strategic objective. The collapse of the Austrian war effort enabled Italian troops to occupy the region in
1918 and its annexation was confirmed in the post-war treaties, which awarded the Trentino and South Tyrol to Italy under the terms of the
Treaty Of Saint-Germain .
Under the rule of (in fact the Republic never ruled Trentino).
Hitler and Mussolini agreed in
1938 that the German-speaking population would be transferred to German-ruled territory or dispersed around Italy, but the outbreak of the
Second World War prevented them from fully carrying out the relocation. Nevertheless thousands of people were relocated to the Third Reich and only with great difficulties managed to return to their ancestral land after the end of the war.
In
1943 , when the Italian government signed an armistice with the Allies, the region was occupied by
Germany , which reorganised it as the "Alpenvorland" (literally "Alpine Foreland") and put it under the administration of a
Nazi Gauleiter . The region was ''de facto'' annexed to the
German Reich (with the addition of the
Province Of Belluno ) until the end of the war. This status ended along with the Nazi regime and Italian rule was restored in
1945 .
Italy and Austria negotiated an agreement in
1946 , put into effect in
1947 when a new
Italian Constitution was promulgated, that the region would be granted considerable autonomy. German and Italian were both made official languages, and German-language education was permitted once more. However, the implementation of the agreement was not seen as satisfactory by either the German-speaking population or the Austrian government. The issue became the cause of significant friction between the two countries and was taken up by the
United Nations in
1960 . A fresh round of negotiations took place in
1961 but proved unsuccessful, partly because of a campaign of
Terrorism by German-speaking separatists.
The issue was only resolved in
1971 when a new Italo-Austrian treaty was signed and ratified. It stipulated that disputes in Bolzano province would be submitted for settlement to the
International Court Of Justice in
The Hague , that the province would receive greater autonomy from Italy, and that Austria would not interfere in Bolzano's internal affairs. The new agreement proved broadly satisfactory to the parties involved and the separatist tensions soon eased. Matters were helped further by Austria's accession to the
European Union in
1995 , which has helped to improve cross-border cooperation.
The regional capital is and
South Tyrol . The provincial capitals alternate biennially as the site of the regional parliament.
The autonomy of both provinces elevates them ''de facto'' to the status of autonomous regions.
