Valle di Casies
The Autonomous Province of Bolzano - South Tyrol
The Autonomous Province of Bolzano - South Tyrol is the northernmost province of Italy, located in the Trentino-Alto Adige region. With a population of 533,175 and an area of 7,400 km², it is the largest province in Italy. The Autonomous Province of Bolzano - South Tyrol is linguistically and culturally connected to the autonomous province of Trento and Tyrol (Austria), forming the Euroregion Tyrol-South Tyrol-Trentino. Together with Trentino, Veneto and Friuli-Venezia Giulia, it belongs to the larger geographical area of Triveneto.
Toponymy
The province has different names in Italian and German. In the 1972 special statute region and subsequent state implementation laws, the name is "Province of Bolzano" or "Autonomous Province of Bolzano," with the official German translation being "Provinz Bozen" or "Autonome Provinz Bozen." The province uses the double name "Autonomous Province of Bolzano - South Tyrol" in all its acts (officially translated into German as "Autonome Provinz Bozen - Südtirol"). The inhabitants of the province are generally called Alto Adigeans, but the use of the names "South Tyrol," "Südtirol" or "Tyrol of the South" for the province of Bolzano and "sudtirolesi" for its German or Ladin-speaking inhabitants is also frequent.
The Ladin form is not present in the autonomy statute or other state laws, but in provincial acts, it is usually rendered as "Provinzia Autonoma de Balsan - Südtirol" (in the Badioto dialect variant) or "Provinzia Autonoma de Bulsan - Südtirol" (in the Gardenese dialect variant).
During Austro-Hungarian rule
During Austro-Hungarian rule, the territory of today's province of Bolzano was also known as "Mitteltirol," or Central Tyrol, while "Südtirol" (South Tyrol) often referred to the Trentino or the entire southern part of Tyrol (i.e. Trentino-Alto Adige), where there was a distinction between Italian-speaking South Tyrol ("italienisches Südtirol", "Welschsüdtirol" or "Welschtirol," Trentino) and German-speaking South Tyrol ("Deutschsüdtirol," today's South Tyrol). The use of the term "Südtirol" to indicate the territory between the Brenner Pass and Salorno is therefore considered unjustified by some authors. In any case, in the Pact of London of 1915, article 4 explicitly spoke of "Trentino" and "Cisalpine Tyrol" (south of the Brenner Pass) separately.
Conclusion
The Autonomous Province of Bolzano - South Tyrol is the largest province in Italy and is rich in culture and traditions. Known by different names depending on the spoken language, its cultural authenticity and origins are highly regarded. The area is bilingual, with both Italian and German being regularly spoken. The region is famous for its natural beauty, making it a popular tourist destination, especially in the summer months.
