Introduction to the German Language Islands in Italy: A Historical and Legal Overview

Abstract

The goal of this paper is to give a historical and legal overview of the Germanspeaking communities in Italy. To do so, I will divide the paper in four sections: first, I will introduce the topic itself; in the second section, I will describe the historical background of each community; in the third section, I will analyse the legal framework of the protection of these communities, investigating on the Italian and regional legislations. Finally, in the conclusion I will answer to the following question: Is the culture and the idiom of the German communities living in the language islands, properly protected by the national and regional legislations?