Friuli

Friuli is a special area in the northeast part of Italy. It is known for its unique culture and the people called the Friulians, who speak their own language called Friulian. This region makes up most of the bigger area called Friuli-Venezia Giulia, including the areas around the cities of Udine, Pordenone, and Gorizia, but not Trieste.

Names

The name Friuli comes from an old Roman town called Forum Iulii, which means "Julius' Forum." Today, this place is known as Cividale del Friuli.

Geography

Friuli is a region in northeast Italy, bordered by the Veneto region to the west, the Carnic Alps to the north, Slovenia to the east, and the Adriatic Sea to the south. The northern part of Friuli is mountainous, with many high peaks like Peralba and Coglians. Several rivers flow through the area, including the Tagliamento, which runs through a wide plain divided into the High Friulian plain and the Low Friulian plain.

The region covers 8,240 square kilometres and includes towns such as Udine, the historical capital, as well as Pordenone, Gorizia, and others.

Climate

The climate in the Friulian plain is mostly humid subtropical, which is good for growing white wine grapes. About 2.5% of all the wine made in Italy comes from this area. The hills have a continental climate, and the mountains have an alpine climate.

Along the coast, the average yearly temperature is around 14 °C (57 °F), but it gets cooler as you move inland. In places like Udine and Pordenone, the average temperature is about 13 °C (55 °F). Up in the mountains, temperatures can drop to just 4 °C (39 °F) in winter.

Rainfall is plenty in Friuli, especially in the mountains where some areas get over 3,000 mm (120 in) of rain each year. In the southern plains, there is less rain, around 1,200 to 1,500 mm (47–59 in) yearly. Snow is rare in the south but falls more often in the northern areas.

Demography

Friuli, including the area of Mandament of Portogruaro, is home to over 1,000,000 people.

One of the biggest changes in the number of people in Friuli was when many people moved away to other places. This movement started in the late 1800s and continued until the 1970s. Over a hundred years, it is thought that more than a million people from Friuli left to live in other countries. A count from 2005 shows that 134,936 people from Friuli were living outside of Italy. Most of them, about 56%, live in Europe. Around 24% live in South America, 10.3% in North America, and 4.7% in Oceania. These numbers only include people who are Italian citizens. The families of these people, who are not Italian citizens, are not counted. People from Friuli all over the world have helped create cultural groups called Fogolârs furlans. There are 46 of these groups in Italy and 156 in other parts of the world.

History

Origins and the Roman era

In ancient times, Friuli was home to different groups of people. The Castellieri culture and the Raeti lived there long ago. Later, a group called the Carni settled in Friuli. They brought new ways to work with iron and silver. The Carni lived in places like Aquileia, Concordia, and Forum Julii. Aquileia became a very important city for the Romans, located near the Adriatic Sea and the Alps. It was a major trading place and had a strategic position that helped protect against invasions. Julius Caesar even kept his soldiers there during the winter. Other towns like Cividale del Friuli and Zuglio also grew during this time. Aquileia became a significant religious center, but it was destroyed by Attila the Hun in 452. After that, the city never fully recovered, though it remained important for its religious leadership.

Middle Ages

After the Western Roman Empire fell, Friuli became part of different kingdoms, including those led by Odoacer and Theodoric the Great. Later, the Lombards took over and created the Duchy of Friuli, with its capital at Cividale del Friuli. This duchy was important because it helped protect against invasions from nearby areas. Some of its leaders even became kings of larger regions. As time went on, Friuli was reorganized many times, becoming part of the March of Friuli and later the March of Verona and Aquileia. In 1077, the patriarch of Aquileia was given control of Friuli, and the region became well-organized with its own parliament. Udine grew to become the main city of Friuli during this time.

Venetian domination to Bourbon restoration

In 1420, Friuli was taken over by the Republic of Venice after wars with Hungary. Though controlled by Venice, Friuli kept some of its own laws and a parliament. However, life was hard for many people due to wars, loss of forests, and heavy taxes. The Venetian Republic faced challenges as trade grew around the world, and Friuli felt the effects of these changes. There were also uprisings by people unhappy with the ruling noble families, showing the tensions between different groups in the region.

An uprising known as Fat Thursday 1511 began in Udine and spread across Friuli, challenging the power of local nobles. Though the revolt was eventually stopped, it led to some reduction in the nobles' control over the land.

In 1516, the borders between Venice and the Habsburg Empire were changed, affecting areas like Monfalcone and Marano. Friuli was divided between Venetian and Habsburg control for many years. In 1797, after the Treaty of Campo Formio, western and central Friuli came under Austrian control for a short time before briefly belonging to the Italic Kingdom until the Bourbon Restoration.

From the Restoration to the Great War

In 1815, after the Congress of Vienna, western and central Friuli became part of the Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia, while eastern Friuli remained under Austrian control. In 1866, after a war, central and western Friuli joined Italy, but eastern Friuli stayed with Austria until the end of World War I. During World War I, Friuli was a battleground, which brought serious difficulties for the people living there.

Autonomist movements

After World War II, some people in Friuli began to call for more self-government. There were groups that wanted Friuli to be independent or more autonomous within Italy. Others were concerned about the possibility of becoming part of Yugoslavia. Today, around 350,000 people still speak the Friulian language, and there are ongoing efforts to protect and promote this part of the region's identity.

Regional languages and dialects

In Friuli, many different languages and dialects are spoken besides standard Italian. The Friulian language is mainly spoken in the areas around Udine, Gorizia, and Pordenone.

Other languages you can hear include Venetian, especially near Pordenone and some towns in Gorizia, and even along the Adriatic coast. In the southeastern part, a special mix called Bisiaco combines Venetian with influences from Slovene and Friulian. In the mountainous border areas known as Venetian Slovenia, people speak Slovene dialects. In places like Tarvisio and Pontebba in Val Canale, people speak German, and in some towns there, you might also hear Carinthian Slovenian. In the Resia valley, an old form of Slovene called Resian is still used.

Only Friulian, Slovene, and German are recognized as official local languages in certain areas, but their various dialects are not officially recognized.

Asteroid

An asteroid named 212705 Friûl was chosen to honor this special place. The official announcement about the name was made by the Minor Planet Center on September 25, 2018.