Ladins

The Ladins are an ethnic group^[1][2] in northern Italy. They are distributed in several valleys, collectively known as Ladinia. These include the valleys of Badia and Gherdëina in South Tyrol, of Fassa in the Trentino, and Livinallongo (also known as Buchenstein or Fodom) and Ampezzo in the Province of Belluno.^[3] Their native language is Ladin, a Rhaeto-Romance language related to the Swiss Romansh and Friulian languages.^[4] They are part of Tyrol, with which they share culture, history, traditions, environment, and architecture.

Ladins developed a national ethnic identity in the 19th century.^[3][5] Micurà de Rü undertook the first attempt to develop a written form of the Ladin language. Nowadays, Ladin culture is promoted by the government-sponsored cultural institute Istitut Ladin Micurà de Rü in the South Tyrolean municipality of San Martin de Tor. There is also a Ladin museum in the same municipality. The Ladins of Trentino and Belluno have their own cultural institutes, Majon de Fascegn in Vigo di Fassa, Cesa de Jan in Colle Santa Lucia, and Istituto Ladin de la Dolomites in Borca di Cadore.

The Ladin people constitute only 4.53% of the population of South Tyrol.^[6] Many of the South Tyrolean Sagas come from the Ladin territory, including the national epic of the Ladin people, the saga of the Kingdom of Fanes. Another figure from Ladin mythology is the demon Anguana.