Renzo de’ Vidovich: Between Polemos and Testimony, a Life Dedicated to Dalmatia and Historical Memory

On Tuesday 20 May, at the Antico Caffè San Marco in Trieste, the fifteenth event in the monthly lecture series organised by the “Società Internazionale di divulgazione Manlio Cecovini per gli studi storici sociali ed etici” took place. The guest speaker for the evening was historian Diego Redivo, who entitled his talk Renzo de’ Vidovich: A Life Between Polemos and Testimony.

The lecture retraced the biographical and political journey of de’ Vidovich—born in Zara in 1934 and who passed away in Trieste in 2024—painting a portrait of a man who made struggle and memory the guiding threads of his life. Forced to leave Dalmatia with his family in 1943, de’ Vidovich, from a very young age, dedicated himself to defending Adriatic Italian identity, actively participating in the uprisings of 1953 and distinguishing himself over time for his intense political and cultural activity.

Redivo emphasised the deeply “traditional” nature of de’ Vidovich’s thought, rooted in a pre-revolutionary concept of nationhood and in the historical memory of the Dalmatian communities. His political activism—first with the Italian Social Movement, then with National Democracy, and finally with Forza Italia—was paralleled by his engagement in exile associations, culminating in his roles as President of the Federation of Exiles and Mayor of the Free City of Zara-in-Exile.

Redivo explored de’ Vidovich’s historiographical contributions and his attempt to present a unified vision of Dalmatia as a European region and a crossroads of civilisations. In his book Dalmazia, regione d’Europa, written in the 1990s, de’ Vidovich put forward the idea of a “Dalmatian nation” capable of culturally and ideally reuniting the communities divided by war and exodus. According to the speaker, the work remains significant for understanding the complex geopolitical balance of the Adriatic.

The lecturer also highlighted de’ Vidovich’s role in promoting historical culture through journals such as Il Dalmata and Dalmatica, his collaboration with the Rustia-Traine Foundation, and his organisation of training courses for teachers. Though largely disappeared today, these initiatives represented an important effort to rigorously and passionately transmit the memory of the eastern border.

The event concluded with a heartfelt comment from the audience, remembering de’ Vidovich as a political activist animated by a profound love for Dalmatia, for Trieste, and for Italian identity. A man who lived and fought with passion, leaving behind a complex yet vibrant legacy—one that deserves to be studied and reassessed.

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