NI.R.C.I.
library includes more than 10.000 books, covering all kind of themes and is
therefore an essential resource for all research and consultation about
Istrian, Fiuman and Dalmatian history and culture. It includes collections of
works dedicated to one specific author thanks to endowment funds, donations and
purchases. These collections are named after their donators.
Very important
examples are Tommaseo’s works, D’Annunzio’s corpus, the complete work of
historian Giovanni Quarantotti and, most of all, his son’s works, writer
Pierantonio Quarantotti Gambini.. The library of the I.R.C.I. Institute acquired new entries from
the collections donated by Maria Laura Iona (Depiera/Iona foundation) and
Stelvio Polita.
The collection
reached national interest and counts some rare volumes written by the most
prominent Julian authors operating in the 19th and beginning of the 20th
century.We are
working on a digital cataloguing through the “ISIS biblio” system in order to
digitalize all of the material afterwards.
The photo
and print archive includes a lot of interesting elements (mostly
digital prints, only some photographies are originals), some of which
unreleased, that give an insight - especially for young people - into the
development and social life of these territories.
You can find
photos and portraits of the most important personalities of this region as well
as documentation regarding the exodus, pointing out the reasons behind it.
These reasons will not be explained here in detail, even though they could be
ascribed to one main reason: lack of the most basic human rights, which led to
an exodus of more than 90% of Italians living in those territories.
The
image archive is constantly updated and available on our digital platform.
I.R.C.I.
offers a great collection of magazines, special issues and single texts of
limited availability, published between the 19th and the first half of the 20th
century.
A lot of
newspapers of the 1920s as well of the post-war period are available thanks to Luigi Papo de Montona and Olinto Parma’s donations. Many others
contributed to the collection.
Some
examples: all issues of “Il nostro
Avvenire”, published in Trieste during the 40-day-occupation by Titus; “El
Spin”, published weekly in Pola; “Italia repubblicana”, “Grido dell’Istria”,
etc.
A very
important part of the archive is the complete and regularly updated collection
of periodicals - published once or twice a year - as well as “Atti e Memorie”,
i.e. the memoirs of the Società Istriana di Archeologia e Storia Patria and of
other similar institutions. In order to get the latest publications, the
library turns to bookshops or publishers.
Some of the
publications I.R.C.I. is interested in - because of their themes or the
possible links they provide - are made available through subscriptions or
exchanges with other institutes and universities.
(Archive
of the The National Liberation Committee of Istria). In this archive a large
number of registers covering the period from 1946 to the 1960s inform us about
the situation of the exiled people before the exodus until their re-settlement.
Furthermore, there are hundreds of sworn statements and personal records of
thousands of exiled people from Istria, Fiume and Dalmatia. To get a rough idea
of the available contents, the material can be overviewed in the digital index
of the sworn statements (Antonio Sema, I.R.C.I., 1999). The
archive has been completely re-organized. All sworn statements have been
indexed in order to facilitate name-based consultations.
Please
note that the archive can be consulted by prior appointment only.
Sworn
Statements (PDF file)
This archive
collects documentation about institutions and their activities. Part of the
material comes from prominent Istrian families. The collection has a wide range
of pamphlets, papers, newspapers, many of which dating back to the exodus.
The
photographic gallery, together with other collections, such as the newly born print section, consists
acquisitions of ancient fine art materials and future donations. We are expecting new
material from donations such as from the Italico Stener fund.
The material
has been already partly digitized (Flavio Portolan, digitized photo archive,
I.R.C.I., 2000).
The archive consists of material from writer’s Quarantotti Gambini’s family, such as manuscripts, letters and a large number of texts written by Giovanni Quarantotti like the letter to Carducci, deputy’s correspondence Antonio Madonizza and the original manuscripts by Combi, Besenghi, etc. The collection also includes historic objects like Madonizza’s cane and portable inkpot, the flag of the Risorgimento and other elements associated with other important personalities and events.
It includes teaching material developed by teacher Piccoli of Momiano at the beginning of the 20th century and was donated by his family. It is a selection of objects developed for the alphabet acquisition and for other learning activities. Another important contribution to this section was given by Anna Antoniazzo Bocchina’s donations, who developed during her many-sided lifetime work innovative pedagogical methods and strategies.
Core of the section are once again Antoniazzo’s donated paintings and artworks reflecting her artistic evolution from the very first steps in the avant-garde movements, like futurism, in the end of the 1920s to her most recent works. Another important collection is dedicated to painter Gigi Vidris from Pola, known as the painter of the exodus. His innovative technique entered the Julian artistic scenario in the 1930s. From 1945, he became a prominent satirical illustrator and worked for national periodicals like Candido (see M.Ive - P.Delbello, Gigi Vidris, L'avventura di un istriano, I.R.C.I. - ed. Italo Svevo, 1997). Recently the I.R.C.I Institute bought a collection of more than one hundred pieces (mostly drawings) by the Istrian painter Giovanni Craglietto, born in the city of Verteneglio. A thorough documentation about Giovanni Antonio Zamarin is also available. The painter worked mainly in Izola and Koper.
This archive
was created thanks to the constant monitoring of the Italian graveyards of the
territory in order to preserve and promote the artistic and historical value of
the graves. The photo archive consists of approximately 18.000 images together
with full records and updated graveyard maps.
This collection is the result of the different activities carried
out by I.R.C.I. for the preservation
of Italian graves, grave markers and cemetery monuments in Istria. The
descendants of the exiled are showing lack of interest in the preservation of
their forefathers’ graves, thus contributing to the damage and loss of an
historical heritage.
Our Institute has
therefore decided to cover all costs for the purchase and preservation of the
graves of the Quarantotti Gambini family in the cemetery of Škocjan in the municipality of Koper.