Alto Adige or Südtirol is a special place located in the north of Italy, not far away from Austria and Germany. Many tourists come here for summer vacations and you can easily switch between Italian, English and German here. But tourism is not the only reason why in this region most names are not only in Italian but also in German.
Officially this part of Italy is called Provincia Autonoma di Bolzano – Alto Adige / Autonome Provinz Bozen – Südtirol. It belonged over time to different countries and fell under different reigns. It was part of Italy, Austria and Germany. 62 % of the population speak German, 23 % Italian and 4 % Ladin – a Rheto-Romance language.
Alto Adige was annexated by Italy during World War II based on the treaty of London in 1915. The status of Alto Adige after World War II remained a big conflict between Italy and Austria and it was also discussed in 1960 by the United Nations. In 1972 the region reached a wide autonomy and in 1992 the conflict was officially ended.
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