1930 Amonn Pictorial Panoramic View of Trentino-Alto Adige / Südtirol, Italy

This is a striking unrecorded c. 1930 J. F. Amonn panoramic pictorial view of the Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol region in the Dolomites of the Italian Alps. Produced during the early fascist era, it is notable for eschewing any reference to the region's considerable Austrian cultural influence, including the use of German placenames.

A Closer Look

The view covers a swath of the Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol region, from Tirano and Berno in the west to Longarone and Belluno in the east, including part of Lago di Garda at the bottom towards the left. Details are recorded as far north as Bolzano and Cortina (d'Ampezzo), while the highest peaks of the Alps lie in the distance at the top. Cities, towns, and villages are labeled throughout, as are mountains (with their elevation noted) and waterways. Roads and railways are traced with white and black lines, respectively.

Italianizing the Alps

Most of this land had only recently come under Italian rule in the aftermath of World War I (1914 - 1918) and remained a mixed cultural landscape combining Austrian, Italian, and deeply-rooted local elements. The Italian state was desperate to consolidate its gains, and with the rise of Mussolini's fascist government, these efforts were given added impetus.

The fascists undertook an intense campaign of Italianization, seeking to eliminate the use of German in public life at a time when 90 percent of the people in Südtirol (now officially Alto Adige) spoke German. In 1923, Italian place names were dictated for all places in the region, and the use of their German place names was forbidden, explaining their absence here. German was replaced with Italian in schools, German-language newspapers and publications had to cease operations (a small handful of pro-fascist German publications were allowed to continue), and even organizations, such as local chapters of the Deutscher und Österreichischer Alpenverein, had to be renamed. These changes were strictly enforced by carabinieri gendarmes.

Local resistance to these measures was considerable, including some armed resistance, and remained a sticking point in relations between Italy and Austria, and later Germany. In June 1939, Italy and Nazi Germany signed an agreement whereby German speakers in Südtirol were given the option to emigrate to Germany (now including Austria) or remain in Italy. Local Nazi sympathizers pressured German speakers to emigrate, and some two-thirds of them chose to do so (called 'optants' Optanten), although roughly one-third of those returned to the region at the end of World War II (1939 - 1945). Those who decided to stay, known as 'stay-at-homes' (Dableiber), were harangued by both German and Italian nationalists and often became a minority in their local community as Mussolini strongly encouraged immigration from other parts of Italy.

With the fall of fascism, the return of Südtirol to Austria was considered. Instead, Italy and Austria signed an agreement, championed by Italian Prime Minister Alcide De Gasperi (1881-1954, himself a native of Trentino), to keep the region in Italy but with considerable autonomy, the local retention of most tax revenue, and the official use of German alongside Italian. Tensions remained after the fact, including some terrorist attacks and diplomatic disputes between Italy and Austria; these have eased with time while cross-border integration has increased. However, a local secessionist movement remains and still garners between 20 and 30 percent of the vote in most elections. Even today, 30 percent of locals speak a local dialect of Bavarian German as their mother tongue, while smaller numbers speak a local dialect like Ladin, Mòcheno, or Cimbrian.

Publication History and Census

This view was prepared and printed by the company J. F. Amonn. It is undated but must date to after the imposition of Italian place names in 1923. We have been unable to locate this work in any institutional collections, and it is very scarce to the market.