Linguistic Minorities

Promotion of the ethnic and linguistic minorities of Veneto

Italy’s diverse cultural and linguistic traditions form an important part of its historical heritage. Law No. 482 of 15 December 1999 recognises and protects twelve historical linguistic minorities throughout the country.

Three linguistic minorities are recognised in Veneto and are found across approximately seventy municipalities: Ladin in the Province of Belluno, Cimbrian in the provinces of Belluno, Treviso, Vicenza and Verona, and Friulian in the Portogruaro area.

The Veneto Region promotes their protection and enhancement through Regional Law No. 30 of 25 October 2021, which replaced the former Regional Law No. 73/1994. The law provides for an annual programme of activities and supports both regional projects and initiatives promoted by local authorities, associations and organisations representing linguistic communities. Regional policies also draw on the findings of a socio-linguistic survey of the communities present in Veneto.

The Veneto Region also works at cross-border level to promote minority languages and cultures. In this context, it participated in the PRIMIS PLUS project under the Interreg Italy–Slovenia Programme, which promoted the tangible and intangible heritage of linguistic communities through culture, sustainable tourism, cooperation and digital tools.

For any further updates see the link to the pages in Italian: http://www.regione.veneto.it/web/relazioni-internazionali/minoranze-linguistiche