Resia, Friuli

Resia (Resian: Rèsije, Slovene: Rezija) is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Udine, in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region of northern Italy.

It is located in the alpine valley of the same name in the Julian Alps, about 90 kilometres (56 mi) northwest of Trieste and about 35 kilometres (22 mi) north of Udine, on the border with Slovenia and around 20 kilometres (12 mi) from the border with Austria. As of 1 January 2015, it had a population of 1,048 and an area of 119.0 square kilometres (45.9 sq mi). It is home to an indigenous South Slav people who speak an archaic dialect of the Slovene language, known as Resian, and are officially considered part of the Slovene minority in Italy.

Resia borders the municipalities of Kobarid (Slovenia), Chiusaforte, Lusevera, Bovec (Slovenia), Resiutta, and Venzone.

Geographical location

The municipality comprises the Resia Valley, a typical Alpine glacial valley, surrounded by high mountains of the Julian Alps, with a narrow opening towards the west. The valley is located on the western edge of a high mountain range of the Julian Alps. To the east, it is closed by the Kanin mountain group also of the Julian Alps, which separates it from the Soča valley in the Slovenian Littoral. To the west, the valley opens towards the Fella valley, which leads to the upper Friulian plain. This is the most usual way to access this isolated valley.