imported>Rorrolj at 01:13, 22 June 2025

2025-06-22T01:13:34Z

New page

{{Short description|Chilean citizens of Italian descent}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2021}}
{{Infobox ethnic group
| group = Italian Chileans
| native_name = {{native name|it|Italo-cileni}} {{native name|es|Ítalo-chilenos}}
| image = Familia Alessandri.JPG
| image_caption = Family Alessandri, of Italian descent, in 1920, with two future [[President of Chile|presidents of Chile]], [[Arturo Alessandri]] (1920–1925 and 1932–1938) and [[Jorge Alessandri Rodriguez|Jorge Alessandri]] (1958–1964)
| pop = {{Circa|52,000}} (by birth)<ref name="chiesacattolica">{{cite web|url=http://www.chiesacattolica.it/pls/cci_new_v3/v3_s2ew_consultazione.mostra_pagina?id_pagina=49458|title=Rapporto Italiani nel Mondo 2013|access-date=17 February 2023|language=it}}</ref> {{Circa|600,000}} (by ancestry, corresponding to about 3% of the total Chilean population)<ref name="hommesmigrations">{{Cite journal|url=https://journals.openedition.org/hommesmigrations/2720|doi=10.4000/hommesmigrations.2720|title=Le Chili et les mouvements migratoires|year=2014|last1=Parvex|first1=Ricardo|journal=Hommes & Migrations|issue=1305|pages=71–76|doi-access=free}}</ref>
| popplace = [[Valparaíso]], Santiago, [[Concepción (Chile)|Concepción]]
| langs = [[Chilean Spanish]]{{·}}[[Italian language|Italian]] and [[Languages of Italy|Italian dialects]]
| rels = [[Catholic Church|Roman Catholicism]]
| related = [[Italians]], [[Italian Americans]], [[Italian Argentines]], [[Italian Bolivians]], [[Italian Brazilians]], [[Italian Canadians]], [[Italian Colombians]], [[Italian Costa Ricans]], [[Italian Cubans]], [[Italian Dominicans]], [[Italian Ecuadorians]], [[Italian Guatemalans]], [[Italian Haitians]], [[Italian Hondurans]], [[Italian immigration to Mexico|Italian Mexicans]], [[Italian Panamanians]], [[Italian Paraguayans]], [[Italian Peruvians]], [[Italian Puerto Ricans]], [[Italian Salvadorans]], [[Italian Uruguayans]], [[Italian Venezuelans]]
}}
'''Italian Chileans''' ({{langx|it|italo-cileni}}; {{langx|es|ítalo-chilenos}}) are [[Chile]]an-born citizens who are fully or partially of [[Italy|Italian]] descent, whose ancestors were [[Italians]] who emigrated to Chile during the [[Italian diaspora]], or Italian-born people in Chile. It is estimated that about 600,000<ref name="hommesmigrations"/> [[Chileans]] are of full or partial Italian ancestry,<ref name=Thayer>{{cite book|last=Thayer Ojeda|first=Luis|title=Orígenes de Chile: Elementos Étnicos, Apellidos, Familias|year=1989|publisher=Editorial Andrés Bello|location=Santiago de Chile|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QCCLWmy_8zcC&pg=PA161|page=161}}</ref> corresponding to about 3% of the total population, while Italians by birth in Chile are about 52,000.<ref name="chiesacattolica"/> In Southern Chile, there were state-conducted Italian immigrant programs though they were not as massive as the German and Croatian immigrant programs. Families settled especially in [[Capitán Pastene]], [[Angol, Chile|Angol]], [[Lumaco]], and [[Temuco, Chile|Temuco]] but also in [[Valparaiso]], [[Concepción, Chile|Concepción]], [[Chillán, Chile|Chillán]], [[Valdivia, Chile|Valdivia]], and [[Osorno, Chile|Osorno]]. One of the notable Italian influences in Chile is, for example, the sizable number of Italian surnames of a proportion of Chilean politicians, businessmen, and intellectuals, many of whom intermarried into the [[Castilian-Basque aristocracy|Castilian-Basque elites]].

Italian Chileans, along with [[French Chilean]]s, contributed to the development, cultivation and ownership of the world-famous [[Chilean wines]] from [[haciendas]] in the [[Central Valley of Chile|Central Valley]], since the first wave of Italians arrived in colonial Chile in the early 19th century.

Italians in [[immigration to Chile]] have been present since the arrival of the first Spaniards into the country, such as Captain [[Juan Bautista Pastene|Giovanni Battista Pastene]] who helped [[Pedro de Valdivia]]'s expedition. Thence, with akin [[Latin America|Latin culture]], Italians have helped forge the nation, with architects ([[Joaquín Toesca|Gioacchino Toesca]]), painters ([[Camilo Mori]]), businessmen ([[Anacleto Angelini]]), economists ([[Vittorio Corbo]]) and statesmen ([[Arturo Alessandri]]).

Since Italian immigration was never massive or organized, the only case of concerted immigration appeared in the town of [[Capitán Pastene]], in the [[Araucanía Region]] of southern Chile, where in 1904, 23 families from [[Emilia-Romagna]] were left at their own device after being wrongfully enticed to the "riches" of Chile. Today, this small town celebrates a renaissance of their Italic heritage.

==History==
[[File:Baquedano east.jpg|thumb|right|La Plaza Baquedano of [[Santiago, Chile|Santiago]] is commonly called "Plaza Italia."]]
[[File:Scuola Italiana Arturo Dell' Oro, Valparaíso.JPG|right|thumb|[[Scuola Italiana Arturo Dell' Oro]], [[Valparaíso]] campus]]

[[Italian diaspora|Italian emigration]] in [[Chile]] was limited to a few tens of [[Italians]] during the centuries of the [[Spanish Empire|Spanish colony]].

After independence, the Chilean government encouraged European emigration but with less success than in neighboring [[Argentina]], given the markedly lower number of foreigners present in Chile (in 1907 the presence of foreigners in Chile was 4.5% of the population, while in Argentina it was 78%).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://emigrazionetrentina.museostorico.it/paese/cile/|title=Cile|access-date=17 February 2023|language=it}}</ref>

However, there was a substantial flow of migration from [[Liguria]] to the area of [[Valparaíso]], which came to control 70% of the city. These immigrants founded the "Body of Fire" (called "Cristobal Colon") of the city and its "Italian School," whose building the government of Chile has declared a National Historic Monument (Spanish: "Monumento Histórico Nacional").<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ciudaddevalparaiso.cl/inicio/patrimonio_historia_sxxi.php?id_hito=13|title=Italian immigration|language=es|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090307012114/http://www.ciudaddevalparaiso.cl/inicio/patrimonio_historia_sxxi.php?id_hito=13|archivedate=7 March 2009}}</ref>

At the end of the 19th century, many Italian merchants were rooted in the northern part of [[Arica]], where they began exploiting the rich mines of [[Sodium nitrate|saltpetre]]. Meanwhile, many Italian families settled in the capital [[Santiago, Chile|Santiago]], [[Concepción, Chile|Concepción]] and [[Punta Arenas]].

In 1904, immigrants from [[Emilia-Romagna|Emilia]] brought by [[Giorgio Ricci]] founded "Nueva Italia" in [[Araucanía (historic region)|Araucanía]] which was in 1907 renamed [[Capitán Pastene]].<ref name=Cayuqueo>{{Cite book|title=Historia secreta mapuche 2|author-link=Pedro Cayuqueo|last=Cayuqueo|first=Pedro|publisher=[[Catalonia (publisher)|Catalonia]]|year=2020|isbn=978-956-324-783-1|location=Santiago de Chile|pages=251–254|language=es}}</ref>

Throughout the central-southern zone of Chile, 78,740 Italians were transplanted to the early 20th century.<ref>{{Cite web | url= http://www.dcbliga.cl/cap4a.html | title= Statistics on European migration in Chile of 1901 | language= es | url-status= dead | archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20090414120354/http://www.dcbliga.cl/cap4a.html | archivedate= 14 April 2009 }}</ref>

Some Italian-Chileans voluntarily returned to Italy, like the aviator Arturo Dell'Oro, who died in the skies of [[Belluno]] in 1917, which was head to [[Scuola Italiana Arturo Dell' Oro|Valparaíso one of the main Italian schools in Chile]]. Giulio Ravazzano (medal of honor) went back to Italy to defend his country during the Great War, to return later on where he married.

After [[World War I]], it had exhausted major migration from Italy, and Chile currently are 339,650 Italian citizens (including those with dual passports).<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://infoaire.interno.it/statistiche2007/stat_americam_circ.html |title=Italian official statistics|date=25 November 2016|language=it}}</ref>

Many Italian Chileans have reached positions of leadership in the society of Chile, like President [[Jorge Alessandri Rodriguez|Jorge Alessandri]].

==Italian community==
[[File:FamigliaCastagnaColoniCapitanPastene1910.jpg|right|thumb|Family Castagna in 1910, who emigrated from [[Pavullo nel Frignano|Pavullo]], Italy to [[Capitán Pastene]]]]
[[File:Claudia Conserva 2013 (cropped).jpg|thumb|The Italian Chilean [[Claudia Conserva]], actress and TV presenter]]

The Italian community has been present since the times of ''Giovanni Battista Pastene'', who participated in the [[discovery of Chile]] to the Spanish crown in the shipment of [[Pedro de Valdivia]].

Since then, many Italians have occupied positions of importance and married with Chileans of Spanish origin who ruled Chile; for example, the wife of [[Salvador Allende]], the Italian Chilean [[Hortensia Bussi]].

Former President Salvador Allende told the journalist [[Régis Debray]] that a Genovese shoemaker, [[Juan De Marchi|Giovanni De Marchi]], had a strong influence on its policy of training adolescents:

{{quote|''Just finished classes went to speak to this anarchist who had a great deal of influence on my life as a boy. He was sixty, or perhaps sixty years, and would chat with me. I was taught to play chess, I spoke of things of political life, and I lent books.''<ref>{{cite book |last=Debray |first=Régis |authorlink=Régis Debray |year=1971 |title=La via cilena: intervista con Salvador Allende, presidente del Cile, con una prefazione, e un documento inedito del MIR. |edition=2nd |publisher=Feltrinelli |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AMjkGAAACAAJ|language=it}}</ref>}}

In 1821, the patriarch of the Alessandri family, Giuseppe Pietro Alessandri Tarzo, an Italian patriot involved in the [[Revolutions during the 1820s|riots of the 1820s]], decided to leave [[Tuscany]] and worked as Consul of the [[Kingdom of Sardinia]] in [[Santiago]], Chile.<ref name="giornidistoria">{{cite web|url=http://www.giornidistoria.net/don-pedro-alessandri-tarzi-lemigrante-pisano-che-divenne-console-in-cile/|title=Don Pedro Alessandri Tarzi: l'emigrante pisano che divenne console in Cile|access-date=18 February 2023|language=it}}</ref> Among his descendants are two [[presidents of Chile]], [[Arturo Alessandri]] (1920–1925 and 1932–1938) and [[Jorge Alessandri Rodriguez|Jorge Alessandri]] (1958–1964).<ref name="giornidistoria"/>

Among the Italian-Chileans are architects (as Gioacchino Toeschi), painters (as Camilo Mori), industrial (as Anacleto Angelini), actresses (like [[Claudia Conserva]]), economists (as Vittorio Corbo) and statesmen (as the President [[Arturo Alessandri]] and his son).

Italian Chileans are not one nationality, rather purely linguistic and cultural, as Italian ancestors came from various regions of the Italian-speaking area of Europe. Therefore, the descendants of [[italians of Croatia|Italian Croatian]] and [[Italian Swiss]] people (read [[Swiss Chilean]]), among others, are also counted. Included in the Italian minority are German Italians (Italian citizens of German descent and speak German language) and [[Arbëreshë people]], the Italian-born descendants of Albanian settlers; among them are TV host and actress [[Cecilia Bolocco]].

The Italian language is promoted by the Chilean section of ''Dante Alighieri'', while the Italian press has with:
*''La Gazzetta Italiana nel Cile'', bimonthly (Santiago), director Nadir Moroso.
*''Presenza'', fortnightly (Providencia, 1969), publisher and editorial director Giuseppe Tommasi (Scalabrini Fathers).

There are some Italian schools in Chile (including in Santiago, the "Vittorio Montiglio" <ref>{{in lang|es}} [http://www.scuola.cl/sivm/ Scuola Italiana Vittorio Montiglio]</ref> and Valparaíso, the "Arturo Dell'Oro"<ref>{{in lang|es}} [http://www.scuolaitalianavalpo.cl/scuolavalpo/ Scuola Italiana Arturo Dell'Oro] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090624041443/http://www.scuolaitalianavalpo.cl/scuolavalpo/ |date=24 June 2009 }}</ref>) and some organizations protect and serve the Italian community.<ref>{{in lang|es}} [http://www.italiansonline.net/sezioni_indirizzi.php?sezione=55 "Italian associations in Chile"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100612041100/http://www.italiansonline.net/sezioni_indirizzi.php?sezione=55 |date=12 June 2010 }}, italiansonline.net.</ref>

===Capitán Pastene===
In the southern Chilean town named [[Capitán Pastene]], there is currently a small concentration of 2,200 Italo-Chilean, who constitute almost all of the local population and maintain a few words of Italian dialect of their ancestors emigrated.

In 1904 about 100 families from the province of [[Modena]] moved there, as organized by the Chilean Government, to populate an area newly conquered by Chilean troops in their [[occupation of Araucanía|war against Mapuche tribes]].<ref>{{in lang|it}} [http://www.scuolaparadisi.org/component/option,com_docman/task,%20doc_view/gid,32/ Story with detailed information on the "Nuova Italia" colony] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110728005845/http://www.scuolaparadisi.org/component/option,com_docman/task,%20doc_view/gid,32/ |date=28 July 2011 }}</ref>

== Italian Chileans ==
* [[Arturo Alessandri]], President of Chile (1920–1925 e 1932–1938).
* [[Jorge Alessandri]], President of Chile (1958–1964).
* Alejandro Serani, attorney and Minister of Justice in 1937.
* Anacleto Angelini, businessman.
* Maria Ignacia Omegna, actress
* Andrés Bianchi, economist, PhD [[Yale University]], former President of the Central Bank of Chile.
* [[:es:Felipe Bianchi|Felipe Bianchi]], sports journalist.
* [[Cecilia Bolocco]], TV host and [[Miss Universe]] 1987.
* [[Diana Bolocco]], TV host.
* [[Hortensia Bussi]], wife of President [[Salvador Allende Gossens|Salvador Allende]].
* Pedro Carcuro, sport journalist.
* [[Coca Guazzini|Silvia "Coca" Guazzini]], television, theatre and film actress.
* [[Claudia Conserva]], actress and TV host.
* [[Christiane Endler]], professional football athlete
* [[Fernando González]], tennis player and Olympic medalist.
* Soledad Onetto, journalist and TV host.
* [[Manuel Pellegrini]], football manager and former footballer.
* [[:es:Aldo Schiappacasse|Aldo Schiappacasse]], sports journalist.
* [[Cristopher Toselli]], football player.
* Humberto Trucco, President of the Supreme Court of Chile (1934–1937 e 1944–1950).
* [[Manuel Trucco]], politician and Vicepresident of Chile (1931).
* [[Fabio Vio]], Ambassador of Chile to Peru (2008–2014).

==See also==
{{Portal|Chile|Italy}}
*[[Chile-Italy relations]]
*[[Audax Italiano]]
*[[Barrio Italia]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Italian diaspora}}
{{Ethnic groups in Chile}}

[[Category:European diaspora in Chile]]
[[Category:Italian diaspora by country|Chile]]
[[Category:Italian diaspora in Chile| ]]
[[Category:Chilean people of Italian descent| ]]

Italian Chileans - Revision history

imported>Rorrolj at 01:13, 22 June 2025