Attilio Tamaro, Natioalism and the history of Trieste: Luigi Fattorini to give a lecture at the Cecovini association on friday 13 November
13 November 2026
Exploring the life, ideas and works of Attilio Tamaro, a prominent figure in Trieste's 20th-century political and cultural history, and examining the legacy of an intellectual who, despite his significant contribution to historical scholarship, occupies a relatively marginal place in the city's collective memory. This is the aim of the lecture “Attilio Tamaro. Portrait of a Triestine Nationalist”, taking place on Friday 13 November at 6.00 pm at the headquarters of the “Manlio Cecovini Study Society” Association, in Viale Miramare 23, Trieste. The lecture will be delivered by Luigi Fattorini, a scholar of contemporary history with a particular focus on the history of Venezia Giulia and Dalmatia.
A historian, writer and diplomat, Attilio Tamaro was a significant figure in Trieste's and Italy's intellectual landscape during the first half of the 20th century. The author of numerous publications, including the monumental Storia di Trieste(History of Trieste), published in 1924 and one of the most extensive historical accounts ever written about the city, Tamaro witnessed some of the major political transformations of his time. His political journey took him from the irredentism of his youth, shaped under Habsburg rule, to nationalism and subsequently to fascism.
These political choices contributed to making his legacy controversial and relegating his figure to the background compared with other leading figures in Trieste's cultural history, such as Scipio Slataper and the Stuparich brothers. The lecture will provide an opportunity to explore the reasons behind this relative marginalisation, examining not only Tamaro's ideological convictions but also his gradual distancing from the city in which his intellectual identity had first taken shape.
After spending his early years between Trieste and Istria, Tamaro moved to Rome, where he lived for most of his life, combining his intellectual pursuits with diplomatic appointments, particularly in Helsinki and Bern. At the same time, his historical interests broadened from Venezia Giulia and Dalmatia to Italian political history, as reflected in his works Vent'anni di storia (Twenty Years of History), devoted to the Fascist period, and Due anni di storia (Two Years of History), focusing on the final phase of the Second World War.
The transition from a local to a national perspective, from the “small homeland” to the “greater homeland”, will provide the central theme of Fattorini's lecture. He will trace Tamaro's personal, political and intellectual journey, exploring the relationship between his historical writings and the events and ideologies that shaped 20th-century Italy.
Luigi Fattorini specialises in contemporary Italian history, with particular interests in the Risorgimento, the history of Italy's north-eastern borders, irredentism and the political history of Venezia Giulia and Dalmatia. He is a founding member of AssoStoria and collaborates with historical research organisations and institutions, including the Centre for Historical Research in Rovinj, the Deputazione di Storia Patria della Venezia Giulia and the Società di Studi Fiumani. He has published contributions on Italian political and cultural history and has taken part in numerous initiatives aimed at bringing historical research to a wider audience.
The event forms part of the programme of cultural meetings organised by the “Manlio Cecovini Study Society” Association, dedicated to exploring the history, culture and political developments of the region and Italy as a whole.
A historian, writer and diplomat, Attilio Tamaro was a significant figure in Trieste's and Italy's intellectual landscape during the first half of the 20th century. The author of numerous publications, including the monumental Storia di Trieste(History of Trieste), published in 1924 and one of the most extensive historical accounts ever written about the city, Tamaro witnessed some of the major political transformations of his time. His political journey took him from the irredentism of his youth, shaped under Habsburg rule, to nationalism and subsequently to fascism.
These political choices contributed to making his legacy controversial and relegating his figure to the background compared with other leading figures in Trieste's cultural history, such as Scipio Slataper and the Stuparich brothers. The lecture will provide an opportunity to explore the reasons behind this relative marginalisation, examining not only Tamaro's ideological convictions but also his gradual distancing from the city in which his intellectual identity had first taken shape.
After spending his early years between Trieste and Istria, Tamaro moved to Rome, where he lived for most of his life, combining his intellectual pursuits with diplomatic appointments, particularly in Helsinki and Bern. At the same time, his historical interests broadened from Venezia Giulia and Dalmatia to Italian political history, as reflected in his works Vent'anni di storia (Twenty Years of History), devoted to the Fascist period, and Due anni di storia (Two Years of History), focusing on the final phase of the Second World War.
The transition from a local to a national perspective, from the “small homeland” to the “greater homeland”, will provide the central theme of Fattorini's lecture. He will trace Tamaro's personal, political and intellectual journey, exploring the relationship between his historical writings and the events and ideologies that shaped 20th-century Italy.
Luigi Fattorini specialises in contemporary Italian history, with particular interests in the Risorgimento, the history of Italy's north-eastern borders, irredentism and the political history of Venezia Giulia and Dalmatia. He is a founding member of AssoStoria and collaborates with historical research organisations and institutions, including the Centre for Historical Research in Rovinj, the Deputazione di Storia Patria della Venezia Giulia and the Società di Studi Fiumani. He has published contributions on Italian political and cultural history and has taken part in numerous initiatives aimed at bringing historical research to a wider audience.
The event forms part of the programme of cultural meetings organised by the “Manlio Cecovini Study Society” Association, dedicated to exploring the history, culture and political developments of the region and Italy as a whole.
