Investing in education is an investment in a prosperous and peaceful future that we all aspire to be part of. The first institution we begin to attend when we become a little older is school. And it is precisely in school that we learn to live in a community, to respect its rules, to be responsible for our actions.

School also plays a central role in maintaining the language, culture and traditions that are expressed through it. And language is a pillar of the identity of every nation. Our language is the one represented by the way of expressing ourselves of the members of the national community to which we belong, that is, Italian.

The title of the volume is “Italian Education in Rijeka. Volume I. History of Italian Schools in Rijeka: From the Origins to 1945. Italian Elementary Schools 'Belvedere' and 'San Nicolò' (1945-2005)”, written by William Klinger and Silvana Mazzieri and edited by Martina Sanković Ivančić.

The volume in question was born along the lines of the one focused on the “History of Italian secondary education in Rijeka from 1945 to today” by Giuliana Marchig Matešić and Ilaria Rocchi Rukavina, concluded with the publication of the volume in 2008, edited by Corinna Gerbaz Giuliano.

The book, an editorial and graphic project, respectively of the Italian Community of Fiume and Edit, was written by two authors, a researcher and a history professor, who unfortunately left us prematurely, without being able to see the realization of the project on which they worked with perseverance. William Klinger, a well-known historian from Fiume, whose life was tragically cut short in New York, assassinated in 2015 in circumstances that are still unclear, and Silvana Mazzieri, editor of our Publishing House and director of the school “San Nicolò”, who left us in 2009.

As explained to us by the editor of the volume, Martina Sanković Ivančić, a master's degree in Italian Studies and Philosophy and a young professor of Italian Language and Literature, Philosophy, Logic and Ethics at the Italian High School in Rijeka, the history of Italian schools from their origins to 1945 and the history of the “Belvedere” and “San Nicolò” schools from 1945 to 2005 are topics that, as part of an initial project, had been assigned to William Klinger and Silvana Mazzieri.

“Personally, I have always considered the 'content' a priority and when I leafed through those pages I realized that the disorganized wrapping in which they were presented hid important data”, begins our interlocutor, aware from the beginning of the amount of work that awaited her. She therefore thought of giving a hand so much so that today we find ourselves in front of a volume of 380 pages.

However, the help of the heirs, Francesca Klinger and Gianna Mazzieri-Sanković, who were able to intervene as spokespersons for the authors, two prominent historians of the Italian National Community, was fundamental.

As stated in the text on the golden plaque “Coat of Arms of the City of Rijeka”, awarded to him in 2015, Klinger “had a particular talent for archival research (…) he was eclectic, serious, capable, prepared, conscientious, severe, but at the same time also a passionate and enthusiastic researcher of everything that the past could offer him”.

Silvana Mazzieri's research, in turn, is based on documents kept in the archives of the two elementary schools of interest, mainly the minutes and school registers or diaries.

In the interview granted to us, the curator Martina Sanković Ivančić illustrates the key points of the history of Italian schools in Rijeka, from the origins to '45, dwelling on the importance of such a volume both for our minority and for the majority but also for scholars who perhaps one day will continue to do research in this field.

Passion for research

How did the idea of ​​curating the publishing project of the Italian Community of Fiume come about?

“The idea of ​​editing this volume was born within the Assemblies of the CI of Rijeka, of which I have been a member for almost a decade. Well, this project often returned to the agenda, as it had encountered a thousand adversities in its realization. The two researchers had left us, one in 2009, the other in 2015, and not everyone wanted to see the work published, partly due to inertia, partly due to personal hostility, partly due to excessive respect for the 'form'. The assembly councilor Mazzieri-Sanković, on the other hand, continued to reiterate the importance of the volume and the impact it would have for the capital of Kvarner; since I deal with literature and the field of research is a passion of mine, I thought of taking the matter in hand. It would have been a demanding job, but it was worth it, for the authors who had dedicated the last years of their lives to it, but above all for the CNI which, through their research, will be able to see an important piece of its history emerge from the shadows”.

What does the history of Italian language education in Rijeka represent for the CNI but also for the majority? 

“As Umberto Eco recalled in his speech at the UN in 2013, no civilization can exist and survive without a collective memory. Unfortunately, we live in the 'age of canned goods', of fast information, just a click away, devoid of depth, forgotten a few seconds after being read (if anyone has made the effort to look for it). Santarcangeli was aware of this already forty years ago – imagine what he would have said today. The history of education in the Italian language represents exactly a step against this trend, against superficiality and trivialization. I don't know how many have asked themselves why Italian-language schools exist or why they should continue to cultivate the Italian language and culture in these territories. This volume could encourage them to reflect: on the one hand it could make those 'left behind' appreciate more what their ancestors have worked so hard to preserve, on the other it has the potential to bring the majority closer to their own city which, alternatively, remains bare and arid, devoid of that 'substance' we were talking about before”.

Which schools were included in the project?

“The schools included in the project, initially, were the four Italian elementary schools – 'Belvedere', 'Dolac', 'Gelsi' and 'San Nicolò' – and about fifteen historians were supposed to collaborate. I won't go into the dynamics of that initial project now because it would be like opening Pandora's box. I will only say that thanks to the current presidency of the CI, it was decided to publish what we had – the history of Italian schools from their origins to 1945 and the history of the 'Belvedere' and 'San Nicolò' schools from 1945 to 2005 – that is, the topics that, within the initial project, had been assigned to William Klinger and Silvana Mazzieri. The history of the remaining schools has been assigned, in the meantime, to new researchers and we hope to see it published soon. Given the size of the first volume (380 pages), and taking into account that it is a demanding read, perhaps this division will also make the text easier to read in the end”.

One story, two points of view

What do the documents of William Klinger and Silvana Mazzieri look like?

“The documents by Klinger and Mazzieri, which at first glance might have given the impression of being of different styles, upon closer and more in-depth reading reveal themselves to be the natural continuation of each other, although the two researchers did not agree on anything. I had occasion to note that the basic methodology was the same – in fact, the authors, while waiting for the other researchers, had completed the first phase of the project, that of collecting data from the archives, and had drawn up a first draft containing, in summary, the most important questions. The most beautiful point, the one in which the historical authenticity of their research was clearly shown, was the passage in which they met, recounting the same events from two different points of view. In the common chronological extreme – 1945 – Klinger's data merged with those of Mazzieri, and different sources (on the one hand those of the state archive and on the other those kept in schools) attested to the same 'story'”.

The book is divided into two parts. Tell us the characteristics of each unit. 

“The first part is dedicated to William Klinger's essay, which focuses on Italian education in Fiume from its origins to 1945, while the second presents Silvana Mazzieri's research on the history of the 'Belvedere' and 'San Nicolò' schools from 1945 to 2005 – both divided into sub-chapters based on the various historical periods. Klinger's work is accompanied in the appendix by archive documents and drafts by the author which, for scientific rigor, have been left unchanged from the original. In Mazzieri's text, however, each chapter is provided with a chronology of events in the form of a table to make the search for specific data faster and more effective and to facilitate future studies on the topic”.

The 400s and the beginnings

When did Italian language education originate in Fiume?

“According to Klinger, the origin of education in Fiume can be traced back to the fifteenth century, a period in which public schools were born in ecclesiastical circles. To have schools as we know them today, however, we had to wait until 1779, the year in which, following a series of school reforms, an attempt was made to replace individual teaching with classroom teaching. A period that could be particularly interesting, however, is the one following the Napoleonic events. The historian from Fiume notes that in that period the 'German' schools were born, where, however, teaching was integrated with the use of the Italian language to facilitate understanding by the students”.

An elite environment

Since 1970, primary schools with Italian as the language of instruction in Istria and Rijeka have seen a constant increase in the total number of pupils. What changes have occurred?

“Italian schools in Rijeka have had a very troubled history. To focus only on the twentieth century – if on the one hand from 1945 to 1964, due to the choices of many citizens of Rijeka as well as the fear of enrolling their children in Italian schools, the number of pupils had been decimated (in the 'Belvedere', in the Italian sections, from 405 to 65 pupils), on the other hand from 1970 to 1990 there was an increase in the overall number of pupils equal to 97,9%. Among the reasons for this increase should be mentioned the enrollment in our schools of numerous pupils of Croatian nationality, whose parents began to perceive the institutions of the CNI as an elitist environment”.

The nineties

In 1991, following the Patriotic War, there will be another reform. What will be the consequences?

“Following the 1991 school reform, all relevant aspects of the teaching process will be revolutionized: the weekly norm and working hours will be reorganized, new textbooks will be introduced (from which all topics close to communist ideology will be removed), new teaching programs will be prepared and religion class will be introduced. In the following decade, moreover, Italian schools will reflect a lot on the increase in the number of 'natural' communication situations, where language would be used to establish interpersonal relationships, participate in events or exchange information. An aspect that, moreover, minority schools have always tried to cultivate, with educational trips, intercultural exchanges, art exhibitions and sports competitions, refresher courses and more, as Mazzieri's research attests”.

Which sources and archives were consulted by the two authors?

“Klinger's essay is based mainly on documents found at the State Archives of Fiume, while Mazzieri's research is based on documents kept in the archives of the two elementary schools of interest, mainly the minutes and school registers or diaries. It should be emphasized that, for the 'Belvedere' school, these archives were very bare for the years of the Yugoslav period, but ultimately it is the volume itself that explains the reasons for this situation”.

A basis for future research

What were the challenges you faced while editing the volume?

English: “The first and greatest challenge was to process and combine the texts provided by the authors, making them easier to read, without, however, doing any harm to the authors’ will or altering the content in the slightest. There were times when the members of the scientific committee and I simply wanted to be able to ask the authors what they would have wanted to say with that known date or that other abbreviation, or how they would have wanted to integrate that attachment or that other chapter of history. After all, they themselves could not have known that they would not have seen the second phase of the project in person and, therefore, it was our moral obligation to try to do our best and make the results of their research public. Only in this way will these works be able to lend themselves as an object of study and analysis for other researchers. There was no shortage of challenges, but fortunately they were overcome, also thanks to the invaluable help of those who believed in this project. The help of the heirs, Francesca Klinger and Gianna Mazzieri-Sanković, was fundamental. They were able to intervene as spokespersons for the authors, the directorates and secretariats of the schools, in particular the secretary Annamaria Persić, the scientific committee, Gerbaz, Đuđulov and Mazzieri, with repeated revisions and analytical observations, as well as the president of the CI, Melita Sciucca who, contrasting the Donabbondio-like 'this book must not be made', exclaimed 'the book will be made'!”

What is the importance of the book that will be presented tomorrow to the Italian Community of Fiume?

“I think it would be too naive to hope that this book will awaken compatriots and non-compatriots, pushing them to do more for this now minute ethnic microcosm. However, if it will succeed in moving even one fellow citizen, inducing him to deepen his research, to share it with those who now write everything about the capital of the Kvarner region, inventing the story ad hoc, or with those who simply would like to know more about the history of this city so contested over the centuries, we can say we are satisfied. It is an act of humanity, for those who have walked these streets before us and for those who have entered those classrooms, without textbooks, without colleagues, and sometimes even for a single student, paving the way for us”.

Safeguarding tradition and identity

You are a teacher of Italian Language and Literature, Philosophy, Logic and Ethics at the Italian High School in Rijeka. What is the current situation of Italian education in the capital of Kvarner?