Alto Adige Info
- Alto Adige
- This is the Northern part of the Trentino-Alto Adige region, made up of the province of Bolzano, which passed to Italy after World War I. In German it is called the Südtirol. Most of the population are of German ethnicity and speak German. Since 1948 it has enjoyed a special autonomy, which was further strengthened in 1972: place names are given in German and Italian and civil servants have to pass a bilingual examination. School lessons are held exclusively in German for those of German extraction, and in Italian for those of Italian extraction. This ethnic separation for education should change in the future, giving way to true bilingualism.