Articles

Graziadio Isaia Ascoli was born in Gorizia in a Jewish family in 1829. A student of well-known rabbi Isacco Reggio, who was the promoter of Jewish teaching modernization, Ascoli was entrusted the task of teacher in the Science and Literature Academy of Milan in 1861. Beside teaching, he also wrote books and articles on linguistics, which were published in several magazines in Italy and Europe. He was the founder of the magazine “Archivio glottologico italiano” in 1873, which is still issued today. Inspired by Irredentist ideals, he was the one to coin the definition of Venezia Giulia to identify the territories of the Northern Adriatic Coast. In 1889 Ascoli was appointed as a Senator of the Kingdom of Italy. He died in Milan in 1907, where he was buried in the monumental cemetery.

In this street bearing the name of GRAZIADIO ISAIA ASCOLI since 1880 (though renamed via Tunisi during the Fascist era), the Jewish linguist was born in a house now owned by the Municipality.