Schiavone

Schiavone (pronounced [skjaˈvoːne]; feminine Schiavona, plural Schiavoni) is an Italian ethnonym literally meaning "Slavs" in Old Venetian: originally, this term indicated origins in the lands of Dalmatia and Istria (in present-day Slovenia and Croatia), when under the rule of the Republic of Venice.

The importance of Schiavoni's role in the Venetian Republic is best shown by the name of one of the main streets in Venice, Riva degli Schiavoni, just in front of the Doge Palace and San Marco Square.

A number of artists who worked in Italy who were of Slavic descent were nicknamed Schiavone by their origin: some famous examples, among others, are painters Giulio Clovio and Federico Bencovich.

Schiavone was also a designation of the Oltremarini, a military unit of the same descent in the Venetian Navy.

In Italy, the surname Schiavone mostly occurs in the southernmost regions of the mainland, namely Campania and Apulia, but it is also common in Rome, Turin, Milan, and Syracuse.