Barcia

Kingdom of Barcia Regno di Barcia (Idrean)
Flag Coat of arms
Anthem: "Inno Nazionale di Barcia" "National Anthem of Barcia"
Capital and largest city	Tradare
Official languages	Idrean
Recognised regional languages	Ludovite
Demonym(s)	Barcian
Government	Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy
• King	Umberto VI
• Chancellor	Massimiliano Perretti
Legislature	Parliament
Population
• 2021 estimate	34,013,476
Currency	Sabarine Ducat (SDU)
Time zone	UTC0 (Western Auressian Time)
Date format	dd-mm-yyyy (CE)
Driving side	right
Calling code	+56
Internet TLD	.ba

Barcia (Idrean: /ba:rtʃiə/), officially the Kingdom of Barcia (Idrean: Regno di Barcia), is an unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy located in eastern Occidental Auressia. Barcia is located on the eastern coast of Auressia along the Galene Sea and is bordered by Fortaine, Palia and Sabaria to the west. The country has a land area of ???km² (??? sq mi) and a population of 34 million making it the 8th largest nation in Auressia by population. Barcia's capital and largest city is Tradare located within the north-east of the country along the river Russa.

Barcia's origins can be traced back to the Sabarine Empire which came to dominate the region during the 3rd century BCE. Barcia would become a strategically important region from the empire providing significant resources and manpower which would allow further conquests across Auressia. Over time the region would become thoroughly Sabarinised and considered an integral part of the imperial heartland. With the decline of the empire however, Barcia came under attack from Isaric tribes, leading to the conquest of much of Barcia's northern coast by the Ludovites in the Tenth Century CE. Over time the Ludovites would solidify their hold on the region and increasing their influence within the empire and at time threatening the power and influence of the neighbouring Grand Duchy of Orlesso which held control of much of eastern Barcia. Following the Fourth War of the Eagles in 1422, Barcia would become one of the most powerful states within the reformed empire along with Palia, gaining significant influence over Imperial elections, with the ruling House of Sabino claiming the title of Emperor on a number of occasions. During the Sixteenth century Barcia also benefitted from its expanding global trade network, which would see the import of spices and silks from Eastern territories such as Nabiya and Songha. With the onset of the Great War Barcia would side with its allies in the Coalition, dividing the empire to the benefit of the Kingdom territorially, however the Second Great War would see the Kingdom undergo a period of political instability resulting in revolution and a war of resistance against the Lanzist Empire.

As a Constitutional monarchy Barcia is one of the few states within Levilion to retain royal family, with the country having been ruled by the House of Sabino since 1378. The current ruler of Barcia is King Umberto VI who has ruled the country since 1987, the current Chancellor is Massimiliano Perretti. As per the Constitution of 1947, Barcia's political system is based on a separation of powers which greatly limits the power of the monarch to intervene in political affairs. The monarch is responsible for appointing the Chancellor who is legally the parliamentary leader best able to command a majority of sitting MPs in the Parliament of Barcia.

Today Barcia continues to play a major role in the Occidental Confederation and across the globe as a key economic and political actor with its powerful economy centred on Tradare making Barcia a global economic and political hub. As a member of the Occidental Confederation Barcia weilds significant influence in Auressian affairs and currently holds the Consulship of the organisation through Fabiana Richardi. Barcia maintains a moderate armed force with a significant navy, both of which are primarily utilised for border security purposes as well as Occidental overseas missions. The largest sectors of the Barcian economy include service industries, notably banking and insurance as well as winemaking, designer fashion and cosmetics. The country maintains a universal healthcare system and is also renowned for its prominent arts and cultural sector.

History

• Early humans
• Sabarine Empire
• Ludovite conquest
• Rising imperial power
• Great upheaval
• Great wars
• Modern day

Geography

The town of Siscia in the Bay of Persepoli

Barcia is located in north-east Occidental Auressia, bordering Lake Moino (Principean: Moyens), Fortaine, Sabaria and Palia to the west and the Galene Sea to the north and east. The Benemian mountains make up much of the country's south-western frontier including the country's border with Palia and also contain the highest point in Barcia, Monte Elisio standing at 2,948m (9,672 ft). Barcia has a total land area of ??? making it the 8th largest country in Auressia by land area.

A number of major rivers run through Barcia, the most notable being the Russa, Idro and Orl rivers, all of which run from the Galene Sea through the country's westernmost regions. This region in the north-west known as the Forlana valley is the most densely populated region in the country and contains some of Barcia's most important cities both economically and politically. Cities such as Tradare, Antosa, Vicenze, Salona and Porto are located here as well as 60% of the country's population. The prominence of this river valley in northern Barcia greatly contributes to the country's notable north-south divide, with the more southerly regions outside of the city of Persepoli being perceived as less prosperous and developed than their northern counterparts.

Barcia also controls a total of 48 islands and islets off its coast, the most notable of these being the island of Sabia located off the north-eastern coast. Sabia was the first landing point of Ludovite raiders during the Ninth century and the first part of the country to be conquered by Ludovicus and as such remains host to many sites of traditional Ludovite culture. Several other smaller islands also exist off the coast of the mainland, the vast majority of which are in the Bay of Persepoli which is home to the largest collection of inhabited islands in Barcia.

Culture

Heritage sites

Having been an important part of the Sabarine Empire, Barcia is home to a considerable amount of ancient Sabarine ruins. Many of these sites are now protected by the Regia Commissione per il Patrimonio Barciana (Royal Barcian Heritage Comission) which is responsible for the selection, management and care of heritage sites across the country. Many of these sites receive royal patronage for their upkeep with free entry for all Barcian citizens. Due to the presence of these ruins, of which Barcia has the largest number outside of Sabaria itself, the country receives a considerable amount of tourism particularly from northern Auressia as well as the rest of the Occidental Confederacy. The most notable heritage site in the country is the ruins of Arlantium near modern Civiteria. The site boasts the almost completely excavated remains of a Sabarine colony including bathhouses, palace, markets and forum.

Barcia also maintains a large number of heritage sites from the medieval and early modern periods. The reconstruction government of the late 1940s and 50s was particularly notable for its policies promoting the restoration and preservation of heritage sites across the country, though in many cases this came at the expense of many neighbouring buildings deemed not worth preserving. Notably during this period, cities such as Antosa and Levasco saw widespread construction projects to improve accessibility and general visibility of high profile buildings and heritage sites, creating large public squares or avenues in the immediate vicinity. Though lauded at the time for preserving many of the traditional old town's across the country, such projects have been criticised more recently for their careless destruction of other valuable buildings and homes.

Architecture

The Castello Forlana is one of the most enduring symbols of Tradare

Owing to its Sabarine heritage, many of Barcia's architectural styles can trace their origins back to the ancient sabarine architecture prominent in cities and colonies founded by the Sabarines such as Antosa and Salona. Whilst many of the buildings which conform to these architectural styles have since become ruins, Sabarine architecture continued to influence later styles throughout the country, providing Barcia with a largely consistent architectural image. Architectural historians tend to note the end of ancient Sabarine architecture in the Tenth Century with the beginning of the Ludovite Conquest. As the Ludovites increased their control and influence over northern Barcia, new architectural styles began to emerge, fusing Sabarine traditions with the more Isaric influences of the new rulers. Whilst this style which later became known as sabarinesque architecture was originally centred on Barcia it would soon come to influence much of the later empire and occidental Auressia as a whole. As this style was brought over by Barcia's new conquerors, it became synonymous with the castles, forts and churches which dominated the cities and towns of medieval Barcia. Perhaps the most notable Sabarinesque building in Barcia is the Castello Forlana in the capital of Tradare which was once the home of ruling Ludovite and later Sabino families.

With the onset of the Seventeenth century however, architectural styles began to shift towards styles influenced by wider Auressia such as the baroque and rococo. Yet these styles would later be eclipsed by large neoclassical structures which dominated Barcian cities during the Eighteenth century. Many of these buildings were key administrative or transport buildings such as post offices, train stations or hospitals, vital to the functioning of an increasingly urbanisng kingdom. By the Twentieth century these neoclassical styles would evolve into a number of different styles including art deco, art nouveau and the rationalist styles most prominent during the regency period. Today, modern Barcian architecture retains much of its heritage, though with much greater influence from more international and functionalist designs.

Visual and Performing Arts

The Fall of Helios, 1613, Painting by Barbolani, National Art Gallery, Tradare

Barcia has a long and distinctive history in the visual arts, tracing much of its origins again back to the Sabarine period. Frescos and mosaics were commonplace throughout many Barcian manor houses and churches. Additionally, Barcia is also notable for its medieval religious artwork, with the Ludovite dynasty being great patrons of religious artwork during their reign, much of which adorned the various castles, palaces and churches constructed in the years following the Ludovite conquest.

Yet, Barcian art would not be seen as distinctive from its wider Sabarine counterparts until the Seventeenth century with the emergence of baroque painting. These new paintings substituted religious artwork for that inspired by ancient Sabarine mythology, Ludovite legends, or paintings of the Kingdom's great monarchs. Artwork was particularly patronised by Cosimo IV in an attempt to garner prestige and support from overseas for his rule in the years prior to the great upheaval. Paintings would depict the ruler as a powerful figure, depicting his victories on the battlefield or great acts of state or diplomacy.

Barcia also has a considerable performing arts scene with opera and ballet being amongst the most popular performative acts in the country by audience size. The Royal Opera Theatre in Tradare is one of the largest in the world, having been in operation since 1864. Cinema is also very popular in Barcia with the country having a sizeable domestic filmmaking industry. The city of Persepoli is also host to the International Film Festival. The festival takes place yearly in April and is a celebration of international filmmaking and acting. The festival previews upcoming films and also hands out awards for cinematography and acting and is regularly attended by some of the most high profile celebrities from across the world. Barcia is also notable for its domestic TV production industry, which is largely dominated by the broadcaster TeleBarcia. The country is particularly notable for its production of dramas, soaps and documentaries which are popular across the Idrean speaking world.

Cuisine

Barcian Ossobuco served on a bed of pasta and vegetables

Barcia's cuisine is renowned for its distinctive pasta and meat dishes which are predominant throughout the country. Generally, however cuisine tends to differ between more inland and coastal regions, with seafood being much more prominent in coastal areas, particularly in the south. Barcian meals generally consist of 4 courses as is standard across Idrean cultures. An antipasto is usually served first which can consist of a soup, cured meats, cheese or olives. This is then followed by a first course which can consist of pasta or risotto, whilst second course traditionally includes various meat and fish dishes. Finally, notable Barcian desserts include tiramisu and affogato.

Barcia does not have a national dish, though the closest two meals that are usually associated with the country are gnocchi or ossobuco. Barcia is also notable for the widespread use of horse meat within its cuisine which is traditionally served stewed with a red wine sauce and polenta. Compared with other Idrean countries, Barcian cuisine tends to use butter as opposed to olive oil particularly in dishes which originate from the more northerly regions such as Ludovicia. This substitution is a result of the much larger Barcian dairy industry and ensures that Barcian cuisine has a more distinctive taste relative to other Idrean countries. In addition, Barcia's dairy culture has led to a much wider variety of cheeses to originate from the region such as calosan and mascarpone.

Barcia is also known for its considerable wine culture, with red or white wine common drank with most evening meals. Barcian wines from the Trefumia and Ludovicia regions are particularly well reguarded within the international community. The most famous Barcian wine is lambrusco which originates from Ludovicia region as is made with red grapes with the most popular varieties being sparkling wines. In addition to wine, Barcia is also known for its coffee culture. Coffee or espresso is traditionally drank as part of breakfast and Barcia has a wide range of both chain and independent coffee shops. The most famous Barcian coffee brands are Morganelli which is a high-profile coffee maker and Leuzzi which is a brand of coffee shops common across Auressia and the wider world.

Sport

Cyclists during the 2018 Giro di Barcia

The most popular sport in Barcia by far is association football, with the country renowned for its strong national team which has won a number of international honours and includes world renowned players such as Celso Rulli and Laurentino Rigo. Additionally, Barcian football is well known globally for its domestic footballing competition, the Barcian Superlega. The most successful football teams in Barcia are FC Imperiale and Reale Belvidere who between them hold 26 league titles.

Tennis is the second most popular sport in Barcia, with the sport popular in schools and gymnasiums across the country. Within the international tennis scene, Barcia is known for the Tradare Open lawn tennis tournament which takes place every year in spring. Perhaps the most popular tennis player in the world, Giuda Del Toro, is from Barcia. Del Toro won a total of 17 grand slam titles during his career which spanned both the 1980s and 1990s.

Other notable sports in Barcia include cycling, boxing and squash. Road cycling is particularly popular in Barcia, owing to the annual Giro di Barcia which takes place on public roads across the country. The Giro sees cyclists compete on daily stages over a three week period with stages covering much of the country as well as some neighbouring states such as Sabaria. Stages on the tour regularly rotate every year with the final stage each year ending in the capital of Tradare.