death_date death_place birth_place name birth_date alt known_for image article_title birth_name occupation
8 december 2009 biella , piemonte , italy stezzano , lombardy , italy tavo burat 22 may 1932 200px la slòira , centro studi fra dolcino tavo burat.jpg tavo burat
 gustavo buratti zanchi journalist , writer , ecologist
tavo burat

tavo burat -lrb- born gustavo buratti zanchi , 22 may 1932 -- 8 december 2009 -rrb- was an italian waldensian writer and journalist .
burat spent much of his life defending the piedmontese language island .
beginning in 1964 , burat was the secretary of an international association that defends languages and cultures threatened with extinction .
he specifically focused on defending piedmontese and franco-provençal .
