Divided Memories. Istrian Exodus in the Urban Space of Trieste.

The “Istrian exodus”, a migration of about 250 000 people from Istria, Fiume and Dalmatia to Italy (mainly to Trieste) after the Second World War, has been remembered in different ways at different times since then. Until the 1990s the memories existed mostly in the minds of the exiles and in local historiographical and popular publications but then they became national, a ubiquitous theme at the highest level. This article analyses the current state of these memories by examining some sites and cultural events in Trieste, in order to understand both the process of heritage and identity construction of the exile community and the reasons why a shared memory did not develop in this border area.