Sardinia is famous for turquoise water and Costa Smeralda, but the island’s story goes much further than its beaches.

In this episode of The 21st Region, I explore Sardinia’s distinctive history, culture and identity, from the mysterious nuraghi and prehistoric Domus de Janas to Sardinian folklore, the medieval Giudicati, and a language that was being used in official documents centuries before Italy existed as a country.

We’ll also look at why Sardinian is a language rather than simply an Italian dialect, how Catalan is still spoken in Alghero, the traditions of the Mamuthones, Sardinia’s famous longevity and the food shaped by centuries of pastoral and coastal life.

And finally, we get to one of the stranger twists in Italian history: how the Kingdom of Sardinia ended up being ruled from Turin, creating the perfect bridge into our next region, Piedmont.

🎙️ Follow The 21st Region on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and on IG under @the21stregionpodcast and @camilla.vai.

Further reading:

- Informati Sardegna – Storia della Sardegna: dalle origini al Novecento: https://informati-sardegna.it/storia-della-sardegna/

- Sardegna Country – Sardegna Misteriosa: Miti, Leggende e Antichi Monumenti tra Janas, Giganti e Menhir: https://www.sardegnacountry.eu/sardegna-miti-leggende-janas-giganti-menhir/

- CagliariMag – Storia della Sardegna: un viaggio lungo millenni alla scoperta dell'isola: https://www.cagliarimag.com/storia/storia-della-sardegna/

- GeoPop – 10 curiosità sulla Sardegna: dall'olivastro di 4000 anni, ai nuraghi e al record di centenari: https://www.geopop.it/10-curiosita-sulla-sardegna-dallolivastro-di-4000-anni-ai-nuraghi-e-al-record-di-centenari/

- Mangiare Sardo – I 10 migliori piatti tipici della cucina Sarda: https://mangiaresardo.com/blog/i-migliori-piatti-tipici-della-cucina-sarda/

- Regione Autonoma della Sardegna – Special Statute: https://www.regione.sardegna.it/chisiamo/statuto

- Regione Autonoma della Sardegna – INSULAS-FRAILES 2026–2027: https://www.regione.sardegna.it/atti-bandi-archivi/atti-amministrativi/bandi/178472667587288

When you think of Lombardy, you probably think of Milan: fashion, finance, the Duomo, aperitivo and people walking like they’re permanently late, but Italy’s most populous region is much more than Milan and Lake Como.

In this episode of The 21st Region: Italy’s Many Identities, I explore how Lombardy became Italy’s economic powerhouse, where its name comes from, and why its identity is closely tied to work, industry and migration.

We’ll look at the North–South divide, the millions of southern Italians who moved north during the post-war economic boom, local rivalries between places like Bergamo and Brescia, and the different languages, stereotypes and identities found across the region.

There’s also plenty for travellers: Milan, Lake Como, Lake Iseo, Valtellina, Mantua, Cremona, Lombard food, prehistoric rock carvings, historic canals and a few slightly random stories along the way.

Because, once again, one official Italian region contains far more than one version of Italy.

🎙️ Follow The 21st Region: Italy’s Many Identities on Spotify and, if you’re enjoying the podcast, feel free to leave a 5-star review. ❤️

Instagram: @the21stregionpodcast and @camilla.vai

Sources & further reading

Città Capitali — History of Lombardy
https://www.cittacapitali.it/italia-da-vedere/lombardia/storia-lombardia.html

Milano Città Stato — Stereotypes within Lombardy
https://www.milanocittastato.it/curiosita/stereotipi-lombardi-come-i-milanesi-vedono-gli-abitanti-delle-altre-citta/

Italiani all’Estero — Stereotypes, identity and migration in Lombardy
https://www.italianiallestero.tv/post/stereotipi-immaginari-e-il-passato-migratorio-della-lombardia

Tutto in Italiano — Italy’s North–South divide
https://tuttoinitaliano.com/il-divario-nord-sud-the-north-south-divide/

Insolito Tram Travel — Facts and curiosities about Lombardy
https://www.insolitotramtravel.com/italia/curiosita-lombardia

Trieste is Italian today, but over the last century or so it’s been part of Austria-Hungary, Italy, Nazi-occupied territory, Yugoslav-occupied territory, Allied administration and the proposed Free Territory of Trieste... so, yes, there’s a bit to unpack!

In Part 2 of Friuli Venezia Giulia, I’m heading east into Venezia Giulia, starting with Trieste’s Habsburg past, its Central European character and the slightly surreal fact that James Joyce spent years here writing about Dublin.

From the bora, historic cafés and the rocky Carso, we move into the much harder history of Italy’s eastern border: Fascist Italianisation of Slovene and Croatian communities, Nazi occupation, the Risiera di San Sabba, the foibe, the Istrian-Dalmatian exodus and the post-war fight over where the border should actually be.

And then there’s Gorizia and Nova Gorica: two neighbouring cities divided by a Cold War border that, decades later, ended up sharing the title of European Capital of Culture 2025.

Few places make the whole point of The 21st Region quite as clearly as this one: borders can move very quickly. Languages, memories and identities usually don’t.

Sources & further reading

• Treccani — Friuli-Venezia Giulia
• Treccani — Trieste
• Museo Joyce Trieste — James Joyce and Trieste
• Risiera di San Sabba — History
• Slovene-Italian Historical and Cultural Commission — Slovene-Italian Relations 1880–1956
• Presidency of the Council of Ministers — Giorno del Ricordo
• GO! 2025 Nova Gorica–Gorizia

Follow The 21st Region: Italy’s Many Identities wherever you listen to podcasts, and find me on Instagram at @the21stregionpodcast or @camilla.vai.

Friuli Venezia Giulia might be one region on the map, but Friuli had its own identity long before modern Italy existed.

In Part 1, I’m exploring the Friulian side of the region: from the medieval Patria del Friuli and centuries of Venetian influence to Friulian, or furlan, a recognised minority language with its own history, literature and regional varieties.

We’ll also get into the mix of languages spoken across the region, why Friulian food tells you more about this borderland than a map sometimes does, and what Friulians are supposedly like — including the traditional image of being salt, onest, lavoradôr: strong, honest and hardworking.

Then we come to the 1976 Friuli earthquake, which killed 965 people and devastated towns including Gemona and Venzone. The way those communities rebuilt became such an important part of Friulian memory that the reconstruction itself is now part of the region’s identity.

In Friuli, borders changed, rulers came and went, and Italy eventually arrived, but the language and sense of place never disappeared.

Sources & further reading/listening

• Treccani — Friuli-Venezia Giulia
• ARLeF — Friulano, Lingua d’Europa
• Regione Autonoma Friuli Venezia Giulia — Linguistic communities
• Dipartimento della Protezione Civile — The Friuli earthquake
• Teche Friulane — Rimis furlanis — source of the Friulian audio used in this episode

Follow The 21st Region: Italy’s Many Identities wherever you listen to podcasts, and find me on Instagram at @the21stregionpodcast or @camilla.vai.

Explore Veneto beyond Venice, from the Republic of Venice and La Serenissima to Venetian language, regional identity, migration, folklore and food.

In this episode of The 21st Region, I trace how communities in the Venetian lagoon created a powerful maritime republic, why Venice expanded into the Terraferma, and how Verona, Padua, Vicenza, Treviso and Belluno maintained their own distinct identities. We’ll also explore Venetian autonomy, the language-versus-dialect debate, mass emigration and Talian in Brazil, alongside Anguane water spirits, Marostica’s human chess match, Prosecco, polenta and the disputed origins of tiramisù.

So, is Veneto simply the region of Venice, or is Venice only the very famous entrance to a much larger story?

Follow The 21st Region on Spotify and your favourite podcast platforms, and find me on Instagram at @the21stregionpodcast and @camilla.vai for more stories about Italy’s regional identities, minority languages, history, food and the places that don’t fit neatly into the postcard version of the country.

Sources and further reading:

1. ​UNESCO World Heritage Centre, Venice and its Lagoon https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/394/
2. ​Treccani, Venezia https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/venezia/
3. ​GeoPop, Venezia La Serenissima: perché si chiama così, il significato e la massima espansione https://www.geopop.it/venezia-la-serenissima-perche-si-chiama-significato-massima-espansione/
4. ​Michael Knapton, Venice and the Terraferma, in The Italian Renaissance State, Cambridge University Press https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/abs/italian-renaissance-state/venice-and-the-terraferma/498C1203078F9EEE3572AC42721F3D40
5. ​Treccani, La quarta crociata https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/la-quarta-crociata_%28Storia-di-Venezia%29/
6. ​Venezia Unica, Festa della Sensa https://www.veneziaunica.it/en/things-to-do-in-venice/events/festa-della-sensa
7. ​Casa Mia Tours, Venice versus Veneto https://casamiatours.com/venice-versus-veneto/
8. ​University of Padua, Galileo’s Paduan Years https://www.unipd.it/en/galileo-anni-padovani
9. ​UNESCO, City of Vicenza and the Palladian Villas of the Veneto https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/712/
10. ​Regione del Veneto, Regional Development Programme https://www.regione.veneto.it/static/www/programmazione/PRSlr52007.pdf
11. ​Regionalismo veneto overview https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regionalismo_veneto
12. ​Veneto Regional Statute https://www.consiglioveneto.it/statuto-del-veneto-leggi
13. ​Treccani, Dialetti veneti https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/dialetti-veneti_%28Enciclopedia-dell%27Italiano%29/
14. ​Veneto Regional Law No. 8 of 2007 https://bur.regione.veneto.it/BurvServices/pubblica/DettaglioLegge.aspx?id=196722
15. ​Emigrazione veneta overview https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emigrazione_veneta
16. ​Veneto Regional Law on Venetian Migration https://bur.regione.veneto.it/BurvServices/Pubblica/DettaglioLegge.aspx?id=208105
17. ​Brazil’s IPHAN, Talian Language Inventory https://indl.iphan.gov.br/identificacao-da-pesquisa/identificacao-da-pesquisa-lingua-talian/
18. ​VenetoInside, The Folklore of Veneto https://www.venetoinside.com/en/news-and-curiosities/the-folklore-of-veneto
19. ​Veneto Outdoor, Anguane Traditions https://venetooutdoor.regione.veneto.it/tours/tra-anguane-e-boschi-sentiero-ciclamino-di-bolca/it.html
20. ​Official Marostica Chess Association, History of the Performance https://www.marosticascacchi.it/en/history
21. ​Italia.it, Typical Food and Dishes in Veneto https://www.italia.it/en/veneto/things-to-do/typical-food-and-dishes-in-veneto-italy
22. ​Le Beccherie, History of Tiramisù https://www.lebeccherietiramisu.it/en/history
23. ​Prosecco DOC Consortium, Production Regulations https://www.prosecco.wine/en/prosecco/production-regulation/

Trentino looks like the straightforward, Italian-speaking half of Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol. Unfortunately for anyone hoping for a simple explanation, it isn’t.

In this episode of The 21st Region, I’m travelling just south of South Tyrol to explore Trentino, an autonomous province in northern Italy with a Tyrolean past, three historical minority languages, actual brown bears and a traditional dish whose name translates as “priest stranglers”.

I’ll look at why Trentino and South Tyrol are officially part of the same region but govern many aspects of everyday life separately, and why speaking Italian didn’t always mean wanting to belong to Italy.

We’ll travel from the Habsburg Empire and the First World War to modern autonomy, stopping along the way to hear Ladin, Mòcheno and Cimbrian, two of which are Germanic languages still spoken south of South Tyrol.

There are also more than a thousand dinosaur footprints, a lake that once turned red and a brown bear debate that is considerably more serious than the local stereotype suggesting people from Trentino are slightly bear-like themselves.

So, is Trentino "typically" Italian?

As usual, the answer depends on which valley you’re standing in and who you ask.

Follow The 21st Region on Spotify and your favourite podcast platforms, and find me on Instagram at @the21stregionpodcast and @camilla.vai for more stories about Italy’s regional identities, minority languages, history, food and the places that don’t fit neatly into the postcard version of the country.

Sources and further reading

• Autonomy and history:
  https://www.ufficiostampa.provincia.tn.it/Comunicati/Educare-all-Autonomia-laboratori-incontri-pubblici-e-iniziative
• Trentino and the First World War:
  https://www.trentinograndeguerra.it/context.jsp?ID_LINK=311&area=103
• Historical linguistic minorities:
  https://www.provincia.tn.it/Argomenti/Cultura/Minoranze-linguistiche-storiche
• Mòcheno audio:
  https://www.bersntol.it/Risorse/Audio/Spruch-iber-de-trisa#page-content
• Cimbrian audio:
  https://mediateca.istitutocimbro.it/audioTest/B-24374.page
• Brown bears and the Life Ursus project:
  https://grandicarnivori.provincia.tn.it/L-orso/Storia-sull-arco-alpino/Il-Progetto-di-reintroduzione-Life-Ursus
• Trentino food and wine:
  https://www.visittrentino.info/en/articles/food-and-wine/food-and-wine-in-trentino
• Lake Tovel:
  https://www.visittrentino.info/en/guide/nature/lakes/lake-tovel-the-legend-of-the-red-lake_md_2273
• Paneveggio and the Forest of Violins:
  https://parcopan.org/en/the-territory/the-environments/
• Lavini di Marco dinosaur footprints:
  https://www.visittrentino.info/en/guide/nature/nature-trails/dinosaur-tracks_md_2373

In Part 1, we started in South Tyrol as the Italy tourists don’t always see: mountains, German signs, Italian signs, Ladin valleys, canederli, strudel, espresso and the feeling of being in Italy, but not necessarily in the Italy people expect.

In Part 2, we go deeper into the history underneath that feeling.

This episode looks at how language became political in South Tyrol, from the region’s long connection to the German-speaking Alpine world to its annexation to Italy after the First World War, Fascist Italianisation, the banning of German in schools and public life, the Catacomb schools, the Option, post-war autonomy, the Night of Fire, and the bilingual and trilingual system that shapes the region today.

Because in South Tyrol, language is never just language. It can be a right, a wound, a bridge, a boundary and a memory all at the same time.

South Tyrol is Italy, but it is Italy with footnotes.

You can find The 21st Region on Instagram at @the21stregionpodcast, and you can find me at @camilla.vai.

I’d love to hear what you think, especially if you’re from South Tyrol, Italian abroad, or from a place where language and belonging are not as simple as they look from the outside.

Sources and further reading:

• The Guardian, “South Tyrol: where Austria and Italy collide” (2012)

• The Guardian, “The South Tyrol identity crisis: to live in Italy, but feel Austrian” (2014)

• BBC News, “South Tyrol’s identity crisis: Italian, German, Austrian…?” (2012)

• Südtirol / South Tyrol official tourism language page

For the first episode of The 21st Region, we’re starting in the mountains.

South Tyrol (or Alto Adige, or Südtirol) is in Italy, but it doesn’t always look or sound like the Italy people expect. It is a place of German signs, Italian signs, Ladin valleys, Alpine villages, canederli, strudel, espresso, castles, apple orchards and a lot of history sitting underneath the postcard version.

In this first part, I look at South Tyrol as the Italy tourists don’t always see: a borderland shaped by language, food, mountains, names, identity and the everyday question of belonging.

What makes a place Italian? Is it the border, the passport, the language, the food, the history, the people, or the feeling?

South Tyrol is not confused. It is layered.

You can also find The 21st Region on Instagram at @the21stregionpodcast, and you can find me at @camilla.vai.

I’d love to hear what you think of the episode, especially if you’re from South Tyrol, Italian abroad, or from a place people always think they understand before you’ve even explained it.

Sources and further reading:

• The Guardian, “South Tyrol: where Austria and Italy collide” (2012)

• The Guardian, “The South Tyrol identity crisis: to live in Italy, but feel Austrian” (2014)

• BBC News, “South Tyrol’s identity crisis: Italian, German, Austrian…?” (2012)

• Südtirol / South Tyrol official tourism language page

Welcome to The 21st Region.

In this short intro episode, I’m explaining what this podcast is, why Italy’s identity is much more complicated than the postcard version, and why I’m calling it The 21st Region.

Italy has 20 regions on the map. This podcast is about all of them, plus the one carried around the world by the people who leave.

Expect culture, identity, stereotypes, migration, regional chaos, emotional attachment to food, and the occasional dramatic argument about what counts as “real” Italian.

The first proper episode lands in two weeks, and we’re starting in South Tyrol: mountains, apple orchards, German road signs, and a very confusing answer to the question, “So where are you actually from?”

Follow @the21stregionpodcast and @camilla.vai on Instagram. ❤️