Italian Slovenes - Italians of Slovene Descent

Italians of Slovene Descent

Besides members of the Slovene ethnic minority, many notable Italians have Slovene family background. Italian naturalized citizens of Slovenian background are also usually not considered to be part of the Slovene autochthonous minority, unless they reside in the areas of traditional Slovene settlement and partake in the community life of the minority.

Famous Italians of Slovene descent include:

• Gianni Bisiach, film director and author (Slovene parents from Gorizia)
• Andrea Bosic, actor (Slovene-born, from Maribor)
• Marco Castellani, musician (Slovene mother)
• Roberto Chiacig, basketball player (Slovene family from Venetian Slovenia)
• Roberto Cociancich, politician, Senator (Democratic Party (Italy)), family of Slovene descent
• Armando Cossutta, politician, president of the Communist Refoundation Party (1991-1998) and the Party of Italian Communists, 1998-2000 (Slovene father)
• Danilo Dolci, pedagogue and activist (born in Sežana, Slovenia, Slovene mother)
• Michl Ebner, politician (Slovene maternal grandfather from Polzela)
• Pietro Fanna, football player (family of Slovene descent, from Venetian Slovenia)
• Gregor Fučka, basketball player (Slovenian-born)
• Giorgio Gaber (stage name of Giorgio Gaberscik), singer, songwriter and performer, father of Slovene descent (from the Goriška region)
• Franco Giraldi, screenwriter and film director (born in Komen, Slovenia, Slovene mother)
• Gaetano Kanizsa, psychologist (Slovene mother from Trieste)
• Guglielmo Oberdan, Italian nationalist activist and terrorist (Slovene mother from Ozeljan, Slovenia)
• Giuseppe Pagano (born as Giuseppe Pogatschnig), Italian architect (father of Slovene descent)
• Giorgio Strehler, theatre director (Slovene mother from Barcola, Trieste)
• Walter Veltroni, politician, former Deputy Prime Minister of Italy (1996-1998), and Mayor of Rome, 2001-2008 (Slovene grandfather from Carinthia, Ciril Kotnik)