Antonio Smareglia

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Antonio Smareglia (5 May 1854 – 15 April 1929) was an Italian opera composer. He was born in Pola on the Istrian peninsula, then part of the Austrian Empire. His father Francesco was Italian and his mother Giulia Stiglich from Lovran was Croatian. His birthplace on Via Nettuno now houses a small museum about his life and work.

Smareglia’s best-known opera is Nozze istriane (The Istrian Wedding), set in his grandfather’s village, Dignano d'Istria. He married Maria Jetti Polla and they had five children. He became blind at 46 and then dictated his music to his sons Ariberto and Mario, as well as to students and friends such as Primo dalla Zonca, Gastone Zuccoli, and Vito Levi. He died in Grado in 1929.