From Friuli to Felixstow, this community club is keeping a unique culture alive

Before the Kingdom of Italy was established in 1861, the Italian Peninsula was home to half a dozen separate nations.

So it's no surprise that modern-day visitors still encounter a mosaic of traditions and cultures across the country.

That's especially true in northeast Italy, where the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region borders Austria and Slovenia and blends traditional Italian culture with Alpine, Germanic and Slavic influences.

“The region was heavily impacted by the Second World War and many migrants came to Australia, and particularly to Adelaide, in the late 40s and 50s,” says Giovanni Freschi.

In need of a place to socialise and relax, they banded together to create a community space called Fogolar Furlan (the name means “Friulian hearth”) at 69 Briar Road, Felixstow.

“The club was established in 1958, and it was built and managed entirely by volunteers as a place to celebrate, practice their culture and come together,” says Giovanni, who is now the club manager.

With a welcoming ground-floor osteria, bocce courts that have hosted national competitions and spacious outdoor areas, Fogolar Furlan is a hub for Friulian food, sport, dancing and culture.

“But the club has always been very open and inclusive,” says Giovanni.

“We're not just here for the Italian community; we also welcome the wider multicultural community and the general public.”

Fogolar Furlan is one of the largest multicultural clubs in South Australia and boasts two independent function spaces equipped with commercial kitchens, bars, audiovisual systems and bathrooms.

The downstairs area can host up to 200 people and the upstairs venue has a stage and room for 550, meaning it can host everything from christenings and weddings to conferences and cultural festivals.

Other multicultural groups that don't have a large enough venue also regularly hire out the hall and bring their own caterers for community events.

As the founding generation has gradually stepped back, Fogolar Furlan has continued to evolve while maintaining its strong cultural roots.

The club's New Bridge Project promotes tourism and food producers in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region, encouraging South Australians to explore this mountainous corner of Italy.

The scheme is also an important resource for newly arrived Italian migrants and has helped more than 50 young Italians settle into their new lives in Adelaide.

For Giovanni, it's just one more chapter in the intergenerational connection between Adelaide and Friuli.

“My grandfather came here in 1949 and was one of the founding members of the club.

But the whole family moved back to Italy in the late 70s so I was born in Friuli and lived there most of my life.

I only came here five years ago, but I've always known that I have a connection with the club, and with Adelaide, through my family.”

Nearly 70 years after it was founded, Fogolar Furlan continues to foster new connections as a place where traditions, language and friendships are handed from one generation to the next.