Italian Empire

Italy was a latecomer to colonialism, having only been unified in 1871. Nevertheless, Italy developed a small colonial empire starting in with Assab Bay in modern-day Eritrea in 1882, and ending with the independence of Somalia in 1960.

Understand

After the fall of the Roman Empire, the Italian peninsula was divided into numerous independent city-states. This began to change in the 19th century, as the Kingdom of Sardinia began its conquest of the entire peninsula in 1815. In 1861, the Kingdom of Sardinia changed its name to the Kingdom of Italy, with Vittorio Emanuele II being proclaimed King of Italy. The unification of Italy is generally regarded to have been completed in 1871, when Rome fell to the Kingdom of Italy, and the Pope lost most of his temporal holdings, with the Papal holdings being reduced to what is today the Vatican City.

After unification, Italy had aspirations to grow into a great colonial empire like the French, Germans, British and Russians, but was only able to obtain a limited number of colonies due to being late to the game. Italy's first overseas colony was Eritrea in the Horn of Africa, which it obtained in 1882, followed by neighbouring Somalia in 1889. At the 1884-85 Berlin Conference, at which the major European powers divided Africa among themselves, Italy was granted the right to colonise Ethiopia, but a defeat to Ethiopian forces under the command of Emperor Menelik II at the Battle of Adwa in 1896 meant that Ethiopia was able to maintain its independence, making it one of only two African countries that survived the Scramble for Africa. It would not be until 1936 that the Italians would be able to successfully occupy Ethiopia, but this would be short-lived as they were driven out by an alliance of British and Ethiopian forces by 1941. Following Italy's defeat in World War II, the victorious Allies forced Italy to give up all its colonies, though Somalia would be returned to Italy in 1950 under trusteeship status, until it became independent in 1960, thus bringing an end to the Italian colonial empire.

Destinations

Greece

Most of the Dodecanese, a group of Greek islands just off the coast of Turkey, were an Italian colony from 1912-1945, conquered from the already failing Ottoman Empire. Following Italy's defeat in World War II, the islands were ceded to Greece.

🌍 Kolymbia (San Benedetto). The settlement was built from scratch as a model fascist village with modern services by the Italian government in 1938.
🌍 Kos. The infrastructure on the islands was largely built by the Italian government after most of the old infrastructure was destroyed in a devastating earthquake in 1933. Some notable Italian buildings that survive today include the Casa del Fascio (House of Fascism) and the Palazzo del Governo (Government Palace)
🌍 Lakki (Portolago). The town is known for a particularly high concentration of Italian Fascist architecture built under the direction of fascist dictator Benito Mussolini. Some of the more prominent ones include the Casa del Fascio (House of Fascism), the former headquarters of Mussolini's Fascist Party in the town, and the Casa del Balilla, the former home of the youth wing of the Fascist Party in the town.

🌍 Rhodes (Rodi). The capital of the Dodecanese, numerous Italian-style buildings survive as a reminder of its time under Italian rule. Some prominent examples include the Palazzo Governale, today the seat of the prefecture government, the Casa del Fascio, today the City Hall of Rhodes, and the Teatro Puccini, today known as the National Theatre.

Eritrea

🌍 Asmara. The capital of Eritrea is known for being home to a treasure trove of Italian colonial architecture. Some prominent examples include the Art Deco Fiat Tagliero Building, built by Italian car manufacturer Fiat, as well as the old opera house, built in a blend of Neoclassical and Romanesque Revival architectural styles.
🌍 Assab. The main port city in southern Eritrea, this was where the Italian colonial empire began, when the area was purchased from the local sultan by the Rubattino Shipping Company in 1869. The administration of the colony was taken over by the Italian government in 1882.
🌍 Massawa. A port city in northern Eritrea, it was the capital of Italian Eritrea before the capital got shifted to Asmara in 1897. It served as the port for Asmara for much of the colonial period, and several colonial buildings survive in the old town, such as the Hotel Torino and the former Banca d'Italia building.

Libya

Italy conquered the area that is now Libya from the Ottoman Empire in 1911. It was governed as the two separate colonies of Italian Tripolitania in the west and Italian Cyrenaica in the east; the two territories were merged to form Italian Libya in 1934.

🌍 Benghazi (Bengasi). Libya's second largest city, and capital of Italian Cyrenaica during colonial rule. Much of the city was destroyed during World War II, though there are still some surviving colonial buildings in the old Italian Quarter, including the Benghazi Municipal Hall and the Benghazi Lighthouse.
🌍 Sabha. Known for Fort Elena, an Italian-style fortress built under colonial rule, and originally named Fortezza Margherita.
🌍 Tripoli. The capital of Libya today, and capital of Italian Tripolitania during the years of colonial rule. Numerous colonial buildings survive in the old Italian Quarter.

Somalia

🌍 Mogadishu (Mogadiscio). The capital of Somalia, much of its colonial and pre-colonial heritage had unfortunately been destroyed by decades of civil war. However, visitors can still see the ruins of the former Mogadishu Cathedral, and numerous other colonial buildings still dot the old city centre. The Villa Somalia, today the official residence of the President of Somalia, is an Italian Art Deco building that was originally built as the palace for the colonial governor in 1936.

China

🌍 Tianjin (Tientsin). The main port city serving the Chinese capital Beijing today, it was home to numerous foreign concessions in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Italy was part of the Eight-Nation Alliance that suppressed the Boxer Rebellion, and thus obtained a concession in Tianjin from 1901-1943. Today, the former Italian concession has been preserved as a tourist attraction, with numerous extant colonial buildings, and is a popular shopping and dining destination.