Belacostă

Belacostă

Established: April 20th, 1982/III

Cunstaval: Glüc da Dhi

Governadeir: Mic'haglh Autófil

Senator: Iason Taiwos

Demonym: Belacostan

Area: 342.42 ac. (138.57 ha)

Motto: Sürvixhilind Delmás l'Espuendă (eng. "Standing Watch Along the Water's Edge")

Location of Belacostă.

The Free and Sovereign Province of Belacostă (pronounced [bɛlaˈkɔstɐ]), in Talossan la Provinçù Liveradă es Soveran da Belacostă (IPA: [lɐ pɾɔvinˈsu livɛˈɾaðɐ ɛs sɔvɛˈɾan dɐ bɛlaˈkɔstɐ]), is a province of Talossa. Originally known as Mussolini, the province name was first changed to Benito following a referendum of its citizens, during which the actions of the Italian dictator were denounced. The renaming was affirmed at the national level through 38PD1, which became law on April 26, 2008. To completely divest itself of any associations with fascism, the province was renamed for a second time on July 1, 2024/XLV. This second renaming introduced the current moniker of Belacostă, taken from the Talossan for "beautiful riverbank", in reference to the province's scenic position along the Manaweg. The province was granted the right to self-govern during the 39th Cosa with the proclamation of a Constitution by then-Viceré Owen Edwards; the province adopted a new Constitution in 2025.

Belacostans who reside in the U.S. State of Ohio have established the Cjovani subculture. Notable activities of this subculture include viewing Spaghetti Western films and playing bocce ball.

Geography

Map of Belacostă and its territorial subdivisions

Belacostă lies south of Atatürk (E Kenwood), west of Vuode (N Maryland and a portion of N Prospect) and north of Florencia (E North), which was initially a canton of Belacostă. It is bordered by Milwaukee River on the west.

The province is divided into two cantons: Mazzini to the north and Garibaldi to the south.

Each of the cantons is further divided into three sextieirs. The largest by population and second-largest by area (36.9 ha) is the sextieir of Riverside, the provincial capital, which contains famous landmarks such as Riverside High School (attended by many Old Growth Talossans, and the present Belacostan capitol) and King John Woolley on the Riverside Park, the largest riverside parkland area in Talossa.

Politics

Head of State

The Head of State is the Viceroy (known in other provinces as the Cunstaval or Constable). The Viceroy is appointed to a renewable term of up to three years by the King, in accordance with Organic Law, to serve as the Crown's representative to the Province. Under the Belacostan Constitution, the authority of the Viceroy is limited to powers which mimic those of the Crown at the national level. The current Viceroy is Glüc da Dhi, who was appointed by King Txec on 23 February 2025/XLVI.

Head of Government

The collective head of government in Belacostă is the known as the Provincial Council (el Cußeglh Provincial), a three-member panel elected at each general election. The three members of the Council, known as Provincial Consuls, choose from among themselves a presiding officer, the Governor (Governadeir), who fills the role of a "singular" head of government in situations that would call for it. Under the Belacostan Constitution, the Governor can issue legislative proclamations, which are similar to Prime Dictates at the national level.

To assist in their governance, the Council can appoint an indefinite number of ministers, who may be dismissed either by the Council or by the Provincial Assembly. The term of ministers ends when the Provincial Assembly is closed for business upon the dissolution of the Cosă.

The current Governor is Mic'haglh Autófil, who is the first elected Governor of the province following the adoption of the new Belacostan Constitution and the first Provincial Council election, held as part of the April 2025 general election. Autófil was named Governor on April 21, 2025, with the support of himself and fellow Consul Lüc da Schir. Autófil and da Schir are joined on the Provincial Council by Belacostă's Senator, Iason Taiwos.

Legislature

The legislative authority of the province is vested in the Provincial Assembly (l'Aßemblatx Provincial), a unicameral legislature in which citizens are able claim a seat for the legislative term by request. The Governadeir serves as the Assembly's presiding officer.

Culture

Symbols

The Belacostan flag features a hoist of Savoy blue and a field of red in the fly; respectively, these colors represent "the Manaweg and the connection to both the Italian heritage of the Province's territory and the many contributions by Italian-born Belcostans to the Province's history" and "the Belacostan people and their tenacity". The two are separated by a wavy-edged white stripe, further symbolizing the riverbank from which the province takes its current name. The three stars in the red field are alternately claimed to represent either the three-member Provincial Council model of government, the three names by which the province has been known throughout its history, or the three cantons (Mazzini, Garibaldi, and Florencia) over which the province has held jurisdiction at one time or another. They are arranged so that no star is above the others (referencing the Governadeir's status as first-among-equals on the Provincial Council), and appear to point to the right as a commitment to progress and development.

Cjovani

The Cjovani are a subculture of Talossan citizens from Belacostă who live in the United States state of Ohio. They are unusual among contemporary Talossans for the strength of their offline bonds, often engaging in activities like playing bocce ball or watching "spaghetti" western movies.

In December of 2022/XLIII, the Ziu passed a resolution honouring the Cjovani for their "distinctness and contributions of Cjovanis to both Benito and Talossa at large."

Iason Taiwos and Vitxalmour Conductor are some of the foremost promoters of Cjovani culture.

Provincial Honours

As per the Belacostan Unified Statute, the Governadeir is entitled to enroll worthy Belacostans into the Order of Belacostă, the province's only honor established by law. Previously known as the Order of Benito, the Order was created by 39LC30 and citizens were enrolled by the Maestro during that office's existence.

The BUS specifies that the Order is awarded in two grades or classes; the higher First Class (Commander of the Order of Belacostă) and the lower Second Class (Officer of the Order of Belacostă), which entitle recipients to the post-nominals C.O.Be and O.Be, respectively. Recipients, regardless of grade, are also entitled to use the title of Don (men) / Donna (women).

The current recipients of the Order of Belacostă are:

Name	Ribbon	Date	Admitted by
HM King John, C.O.Be (now Sieu Garp Duke John of Lupul)
Don Istefan Éovart Perþonest, O.Be.		April 21st, 2013	Maestro Timoþi M. Asmourescu
Don Flip Molinar, O.Be.		April 21st, 2013	Maestro Timoþi M. Asmourescu
Don Timoþi M. Asmorescu, O.Be.		February 28th, 2014	Maestro Lüc da Schir
Don Lüc da Schir, O.Be.		April 28th, 2015	Maestro Vitxalmour Conductour
Don Mic'haglh Autófil, O.Be.		January 25th, 2025	Maestro Lüc da Schir

Holidays

Under Title B of the Belacostan Unified Statute, the province observes several holidays throughout the year:

Holiday	Date	Purpose
Lombardi Day	Super Bowl Sunday	"Commemorating the longtime coach of the Florencia Packers, for whom the Super Bowl Trophy is named after."
Constitution Day	22 February	"Celebrate the promulgation of our provincial Constitution by King Txec."
Mazzini Day	22 March	"Commemorating the birthday of the Italian patriot and politician for whom our northern Canton is named. This is Canton Mazzini's Cantonal Holiday." (Note: Mazzini's birthday is 22 June.)
Cjovani Heritage Week	1 - 7 April	"Commemorating the Cjovani Belacostans of Ohio and their unique contributions to our provincial culture and history."
Founders Day	First Sunday after 19 April	"Commemorating the establishment of Belacostă as a province of Talossa on April 20, 1982."
Garibaldi Day	4 July	"Commemorating the birthday of the Italian patriot and politician for whom our southern Canton is named. This is Canton Garibaldi's Cantonal Holiday."
Province Day	28 December	"Encouraging the Belacostan citizenry to be involved in provincial life."