Ronchi dei Legionari
Ronchi dei Legionari is a comune in the regional decentralization entity of Gorizia in Friuli-Venezia Giulia, northeast Italy, about southwest of Gorizia and northwest of Trieste. It is the location of Trieste – Friuli Venezia Giulia Airport, the major commercial airport serving the region.
The origins of the name Ronchi dei Legionari have been documented since 1229 in the Friulian form Ronches. Until 1925, it was called Ronchi di Monfalcone. Its current name is owed to the legionaries of Gabriele D'Annunzio, who set out from here on September 12, 1919, marking the beginning of the Fiume Expedition.
The comune was called Ronchi di Monfalcone up to 1925. It owes its current name to the Legionaries of Gabriele D'Annunzio, who set out with deserters of the Royal Italian Army's 2nd Grenadiers Regiment I Battalion from the town on 12 September 1919, to start the Enterprise of Fiume.
According to the Italian census of 1971, 4% of the population was of Slovene ethnicity, while according to the Austrian census of 1910 only 1% of the population was Slovenian.
The climate of the city is of the sub-continental type, with cold but not harsh winters and summers that are not excessively hot, tempered by the proximity of the sea. The average annual temperature is just below 14°C. The Ronchi dei Legionari weather station is located in the municipal area, officially recognized by the world meteorological organization.
Air Dolomiti's executive headquarters were formerly in Ronchi dei Legionari, while the airline's registered office was in Dossobuono, Villafranca di Verona.
Demographic evolution
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text:Data from ISTAT
In 2025, the population of Ronchi dei Legionari grew from 11,862 residents in 2024 to 11,994 inhabitants registered by the Municipal Registry Office as of December 31st.
Ethnic groups and foreign minorities
As of January 1, 2025, there were foreigners residing in the municipality, representing 8.6% of the total population. The following are the largest national groups:- Romania:
- Albania:
- Bangladesh:
Twin towns – sister cities
- Metlika, Slovenia
- Wagna, Austria