Italian stamps of 1944 and airmail stamps of 1932

stamp of 1942 represents the roman emperor Julius Cesar, and airmail postal stamps of 1930-32 overprinted 0.5 to 2 lires.

Stamps of the Italian Social Republic overprinted with 0.1 to 2 lires.  They cover the diverse subjects: Church Saint-Cyriaque d’Ancone, Basilica San=Lorenzo in Rome, King Victor Emmanuel III,  facist allegory, military drummer and the abbey of Mount Cassin.

Stamps of Italian Social Republic from 1944/45

Attilio (Venise 24/05/1810 - Consenza 23/07/1844) et Emilio (Venise 20/06/1819 - Consenza 23/07/1844) Bandiera were the martyrs of the conflict between the Austrians, and their execution marked the Italian revolutionary movements. They were born in Venice (24/05/1810 et 20/06/1819), children of baron Francisco Bandiera, admiral of the Austrian navy. They became officers of Austrian navy but rage converted to the cause of Italian independence by Mazzini and his organization Giovine Italia (young Italy). In 1841, while they served under the command of their father in Syria, they founded a secret society, Esperia, devoted to the cause (to) free Italy. In 1843, they started to talk to their officers and to their seamen, attempting to convince and rejoin a revolutionary group based in Malta, La Legion Italienne, their plan was to steal (overtake) a building of war and bomb the Mezzine. The scheme was spoiled by a member of Esperia, and in 1844, they endured to escape through Corfu, and put themselves under the protection of England. Having agreed that the people of the kingdom of Naples and 2 Sicilians wait no longer that a leader for revolt gather, the Bandiera brothers reunited a group of 20 persons and embarked for Calabre on June 12, 1844. Landing at Cotrone 4 days too late, they prepare themselves to march to Corsica, liberate the political prisoners and declare independance. But the support of the population that so many expected was not at the rendez-vous, and this fueled a new betrayal by a Corsican in their organization, Pietro Boccheciampe. The entire group was captured by a detachement of police officers divisioned in Cosenza. On July 23, 1844, the Bandiera brothers and 9 of their companions were executed, crying "Viva Italia" into death.

The execution of Bandiera made them martyrs for the cause of Italian independence. She had repercussions into England. Mazzini proved that her corresspondence with the Bandiera brothers was systematically open sequence of orders from Britan's Minister of Interior, Sir James Graham. He accused Britan's ministers of foreign affairs to dispatch their plans in Austria. Even if this accusation made by the sequence is washed of all suspicion, it gives Mazzini the opportunity to bring up an eloquent call for the cause in the famous "Letter to Sir James Graham".

This incident profoundly affected Garibaldi, who in 1860 accomplished dramatically what they had attempted to acheive. Garibaldi named his second son Ricciotti in honor of the young martyrs.

First series stamps of Istria burdened by the cost of 4 to 20 lires. They represent these diverse subjects: Jules Cesar, military drummer, church Saint-Cyriaqui of Ancone and the King Victor-Enmmanuel III.

Istrian Stamps of 1945 overprinted with new denominations

Stamps of the Italian Social Republic of 1944-45

Italian Social Republic surchages of 2 to 20 lires. They represent the diverse subjects: Roman Basilica San-Lorenzo, Mount Cassin Abbey, military drummer and the Palermo cathedral.

The agriculture and the peach in Istria, viticulture, peach, olive, ploughing, tuna, donkey,....

 The population of Istria is composed of a majority of farmers whose most important cultures are the wine, olives and peaches, but equally the wheat, corn, ... in the fertile plains of the west and south east coast.

farming

Viticulture (grape growing)

 Duino is a little village 20km from Trieste, along the italian coast. The house is perched on the high hill overlooking the ocean and the ruins of an ancient house on lower hill. The older house that in ruin was constructed in 10th century, and was the main residence of Duinati, feudal partriarch of Aquileia. It is presumably the last member of the family, Ugone VI, who ordained the construction of a new house, around the roman ruins constructed by the emperor Diocletian, made another subject integral of  the building. The family Torriani transformed the fortress into a princely residence. In the interior, one can find a superb staircase designed by Palladio. The house became the property of the family "Thurn and Taxi" after belonging to the prince and princess della Torre e Tasso. In order to rehabilitate the ancient property for their proper use, a portion of the house actually contains the equally "united World College of the Adriatic". The prestigous hosts lived this house, whose Dante. Rainer Maria Rilke composed le "Duino Elegies" and his name was given to the street entering the house and the Sistiana bay. The house was made equally a residence for the Anglo-American military command headquarters BETFOR (British Element Trieste Force) during 1945 to 1954.

The house of Vladimir Gortan, in Béram:

Beram is a small village of 200 habitants (1972) situated in the centre of Istria, north west of Pazin. Beram is protected by a wall and a square tower of average age. The site most interesting in Beram is situated in the cemetery: It surrounds the church Saint Marie, that contains a number of frescos (1474) by the artist Vincenzo de Casua and his sons. The most most famous frescos were "la Danse Macabre", "l'Adoration des Mages" and "la roue dela fortune" ("the ghastly dance", "the adoration of wise men", and "the route of fortune").

The house in which Vladimir Gortan (anti-facist fighter, executed by the Italian Facists in 1929) was born, contains a little memorial. In a field, beside the route Pazin-Porec, there is a mausoleum for Vladimir Gortan, erected in 1951. As from 1921, the political italianisation provoked a resistence by the Slovenians and Croatians, all abord in a social goal and international inspiration (South Istria, Prostimo, the miners of Labin), except to Marezige where sshe had equally a nationalistic goal. The resistence became gained a magnitudeof importance after the interdiction of societies and associations in 1027, when in Trieste the slovenian youth created a secrete society "Combat" (Tajna organizacija Borba). In the are of Gorica, a similar organization was founded, organisation who established the bases of another, a lot more noted, who became the name of TIGR (Trieste, Istra, Gorica and Rijeka). The first victim of this organised resistence in the slavic population of Venetie-Julienne was Istrian Vladimir Gortan. Member of the Borba organisation, he was condemned to death for having taking part in the facists elections in Pazin. During this assault, a comrade of Gortan was accidentally killed.

The bridge of Solkan, on the Soca:

Solkan is a little village very known in Slovenija and in the region, at the frontier entering Italy and Slovenija, in the Goriska plains, crossing by the Soca river which empties into the Adriatic after having to clearing a canyon path among Sabotin and Skalnica. This viaduct path of iron is a symbol of the village.

In 1901, the law concerning the design and construction of path of iron among Vienna and the adriatic coast was put to vote. It was considered like the product of the century. It  traversed the Alpes,a;pmg the valley of Baska and of Soca around Triste.  The most difficult element of the bridge was a pier of 220 m above the river Soca at Solkan.  The principal arch was 85m and the hight of the viaduct was  made 41m.  It was considered one of the longest pier bridge ever built.  The bridge was utililzes unitl about 1916. The Austrian army were defeated at Soska and in retreat destroyed all the bridges behind them. In 1918, the Austrians started the restoration of bridges and they were used for limited traffic. Much later, the italian government decided to finish the bridge restoration. The work lasted through 1925 to 1927. In May 1945, the bridge was damaged due to bombing by the airforce. Investigations for restoring the bridge were delayed until 1954. The bridge was again in big trouble of self collapse until, conservation permits were granted, just like today. Since restoration began, it is always illuminated and it can be admired at night.

Pula Harbour, the amphitheatre and Church of the Virgin of the Ocean:

According to legend of the 'Fleece of Gold', the people of Colchide pursued the Argonauts in order to recapture the Fleece. But after the demise of the King's son, they abandoned their pursuit. Expecting that he had to be punished for the death of the prince and for not having been able to recover the Fleece of Gold, he decided to exile himself at the same place where his son died. According to the most respected geography of ancient times, Straboo, aswell as Pula has existed for more than 3000 years. At the Illyrian Epoch, Pula was not a suburb of Nesactium, powerful capital of Istra. After the Roman Conquest (177), the intensive colonization et the strategic position of Pula fuelled a prosperous commercial city. Because of its isolated position, Pula avoided the migrations and the invasions of barbarians until the 5th century when it was conquered by the Ostrogoths, then the Wisigoths. During the Eastern Roman Empire, the city prospered and acquired an important military role in the conflicts with the Byzantines and the Goths. At the end of 5th century, the Slaves invaded the Istrian peninsula, and the population and the commerce was in danger. The French instated a new feudal system that was to become (as a whole) the peasant slaves and croats, who became an annoyance to the istrian cities. But with the development of feudalism and the creation of city-states, Istra had to face the arrival of Venice. In 1150, Pula made allegence to the Rpubliqui of Venise and accepted the obligations. In the 13th century, Venise invaded Istra, little by little, and in 1331,, can to take Pula just at the end 18th century. Pula was now a typical medieval city, with its renaissance palaces. The decline of Venise, with it epidemics and its wars trapped it into its downfall, Pula did not have more than 600 people in population. After the defeat of the Italians with Frech armies, the treaty of Campo-formio gave Istra to the Austrians. But 8 years later Austria opposed Napoleon and Istra was invaded and encompassed into the Illyrian Provinces. Napoleon started to develop the province, but it was not the time to go for these project in the 1815 province of Austria. After the 1848 revolution, Austria included the strategic position of Pula and in 1859 decided to establish it as a more important naval base. Pula grew rapidly, growing from 1660 to 40000 population.. but after the defeat in 1918 it returned to the Facist Italians, Pula once again became a small isolated village, alive through its maritimes and ferroviaires (iron trade?) with Trieste and Rijeka.

On the stamp back, back of the ship, Roman Amphitheatre at left and the church of the Virgin of the Sea at right.

The church of the Vigin of the Sea was constructed at the end of the Austrian period and was consacrated in 1898. It is a neo-bizatin building, with a number of different styles.

The amphitheatre is a most important monument in Pula. It was constructed in the 1st century during the reign of empereur Vespasien, at the same time as the Colleseum in Rome. According to popular legend, Vespasien had mistress named, Anonia Cenida, that was born in Pula. One doesn't have to imagine how the size of the Amphitheatre's size (132m in length and 105m wide and 32m high) lead the importance of the city in acient times: Its the 6th largest amphiteathre in the world. It was utilised for gladiator combats and circus games, while 23000 spectators could sit on the bleachers. In middle ages, it was utilized for tournaments and fairs. At the Venetian Epoque, it was utilised like a quarry, but in 1583, the venetian senator Emo stopped this practice by decree. It is now used for artistic debuts (concerts, operas, film festivals...) and can hold 5000 spectators. The subterrain passages once reserved for gladiators serve as exposition rooms for viticulture and oil production during Roman times) The amphitheatre is situated at the exterior wall of the city because of its size. The route through the city to the amphitheatre was constructed by Vespasien and today is always one of the most important arteries of the city.

Sur une colline dominant la ville, fut construit au 6ème siècle un lieu de prière, sur les ruines de propylées romaines, dont subsiste encore sur le sol de l'église actuelle les marques des murs. Peu après sa construction, l'édifice fut détruit par l'invasion des Lombards.

Entre le 9ème  et le 11ème siècle, furent bâties2 basiliques sur les ruines de l'ancienne, l'une dédiée à la Vierge de l'Assomption, et l'autre à Saint Just, le Saint Patron de Trieste. La superficie de l'ancien édifice fut considérablement agrandi. Au 14ème siècle, les 2 basiliques furent assemblées, en détruisant une nef de chaque basilique, et en construisant une façade asymétrique, dominée par une délicate rosace gothique, aussi ornementé que le nouveau clocher, utilisant les pierres romanes trouvées sur le site.

Parmi les multiples oeuvres historiques que l'on peut trouver dans la cathédrale, figurent dans les absides 2 superbes mosaïques représentant Saint Just et la Vierge de l'Assomption, réalisées par un maître de Venise au 12ème siècle.

Sur la place devant l'église, se trouve un autel commémorant la consécration et le reddition de la 3ème armée, représenté par une colonne avec une hallebarde.

Le palais du gouverneur était la résidence du trône de St Stéphane. En 1869, un texte fut ajouté au pacte hongro-croate appelé "Krpica", par lequel Rijeka devint le siège du gouvernement provisoire hongrois, qui dura jusqu'en 1918.

En 1893, Lodovico Batthyany, gouverneur de Rijeka, donna le projet de construction du futur palais à un architecte en vue de Budapest et professeur universitaire, Alajos Hauszmann. Le palais est construit sur une colline face au port, et présente une vue superbe sur la Méditerranée. Il contient un très grand hall au premier étage et des salons très élégants, dont un salon de marbre décoré "fin de siècle". Toute la décoration est conçue pour convenir aux effets de l'autorité puissante du protocole hongrois.

Le palais est le témoin de tous les évènements de la riche histoire de Rijeka, jusqu'au 3 mai 1955, où il devint le siège du musée maritime et historique. 

card with stamps of the first series with  postmark of 30/11/1946

Tuna, raisins and donkey on a harbour overprinted at .5 lira to 20 lires

"2" droit

There exists a variety in overprint for the 2 Lira stamp representing the Salkan bridge: at left, the normal digit "2", straight foot, and at the right, the fake digit "2", with a rounded foot.

"2" rounded

The Solkan bridge front….

...back.

The bridge of Solkan overprinted at 10 to 30 lires.

There exists two different varieties of overprint on the stamps valued at 1 to 4 lires representing a village in ruin: the point following the digit is square (at left), round (at right-very rare). The forme (location) of the digits is equally different.

The raisin and the tuna overprinted on 1 to 30 lires.

 Stamp of 1945 of Yugoslavia represents a Partisan during an assault. Overprinted at 1 to 35 lires.

Official Stamp in 1946 in Yugoslavia represents the emblem of the Republic. Overprinted 1 to 50 lires.

Postage due in 1946-1947 in Yugoslavia represent the armour of the Republic. Overprinted 1 to 30 lires.