by InTrieste
Nearly fifty years after the devastating 1976 Friuli earthquake, officials from Friuli Venezia Giulia region traveled to Canada this week to reaffirm the enduring bond between the region and its large expatriate community abroad.
Barbara Zilli, the regional councillor for finance, and Pierpaolo Roberti, the councillor for local autonomy, attended a performance of Orcolat ’76, a theatrical production by the Italian singer-songwriter and actor Simone Cristicchi, staged in Toronto for members of the local Friulian community.
The event, organized by the Regional Theater Authority of Friuli Venezia Giulia and the Accademia Musicale Naonis, drew a full house, with strong participation from the Fogolârs Federation of Canada and the Federazione Famee Furlane of Toronto, two longstanding organizations representing Friulian families in Canada.
The performance revisits the 1976 earthquake — one of the most traumatic events in the region’s modern history — and the remarkable reconstruction effort that followed. For many in attendance, the story carried both personal and collective significance, reflecting the experience of thousands of Friulians who emigrated abroad while maintaining close ties to their homeland.
Speaking after the event, Ms. Zilli emphasized the role of solidarity in the aftermath of the disaster and the support Friuli received from communities overseas, particularly in Canada and the United States.
“Even after fifty years, our thoughts go to those who supported us during that tragedy, offering us the strength to start again and confidence in the future,” she said.
She also described the reconstruction period as a defining moment for regional identity, noting that one of Friuli’s greatest lessons was its ability to remain united despite geographic distance.
“As someone who belongs to that generation of reconstruction, I believe the greatest legacy of Friuli lies in the capacity to remain a united community despite thousands of kilometers of distance, united by a shared identity,” she said.
Ms. Zilli also praised Mr. Cristicchi for what she described as his careful research and artistic work in bringing attention to what many in the region consider the “miracle” of Friuli’s rebirth.
Mr. Roberti said maintaining relationships with expatriate communities remains a longstanding institutional commitment for the regional government, which allocates funding each year to support cultural associations abroad and preserve a sense of belonging among descendants of Friulian emigrants.
While many Friulians found a new home in Canada, he said, their original home remains in Friuli Venezia Giulia.
“If Canada has become a new home for many of our fellow citizens,” Mr. Roberti said, “the mother home remains Friuli Venezia Giulia, our region.”
