From the Continent

e. v. kuehnelt-leddihn

Tucked away in the Italian Alps, not far from the Simplon Tunnel into Switzerland, are several villages with their own distinctive character. The people who live there are a cultural amalgam, bearing the imprints of their region’s history; many of them speak German, though most speak Italian; they very definitely do not want to be confused with the neighboring Piedmontese. They are called Ossolani; and in the regional elections this spring they surprised Italy by voting overwhelmingly for the Federatzione Ossolana Autonoma, a party which demands local political autonomy.

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e. v. kuehnelt-leddihn

Tucked away in the Italian Alps, not far from the Simplon Tunnel into Switzerland, are several villages with their own distinctive character. The people who live there are a cultural amalgam, bearing the imprints of their region’s history; many of them speak German, though most speak Italian; they very definitely do not want to be confused with the neighboring Piedmontese. They are called Ossolani; and in the regional elections this spring they surprised Italy by voting overwhelmingly for the Federatzione Ossolana Autonoma, a party which demands local political autonomy.