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including content contains a WATERMARK & Copyright and are not to be downloaded without
the express written permission from Calabrian-Heritage Italian American Organization, Inc.
Any misuse thereof will be subject to full penalties as allowed by law and offenders will be
prosecuted to the full extent of applicable jurisdictions. Additionally offenders will be
immediately reported to ICANN.
| OUR VISITORS |
LANGUAGE
The language of the Arbëresh is called Arbërisht. There is no official political, administrative or
cultural structure which represents the Arbëresh community. Arbërësh is not one of the group of
minority languages that enjoy the special protection of the State under Article 6 of the Italian the for
promote the teaching of the two languages in the places where they are spoken. Article 5 of the
autonomy statute of Basilicata lays down that the regional authorities "shall promote renewed
appreciation of the originality of the linguistic and cultural heritage of the local communities". Finally,
the autonomy statute of the Molise region stipulates that the region "shall be the guardian of the
linguistic and historical heritage and of the popular traditions of the ethnic communities existing in its
territory and, by agreement with the interested municipalities, shall promote renewed appreciation of
them". In certain communes the local authorities support cultural and linguistic activities promoted by
the ethnic Albanian communities and have agreed to the erection of bilingual road signs. There are
associations that try to protect the culture, particularly in the Province of Cosenza. The Arbëresh
language is used in some private radios and publications. The fundamental laws of the areas of
Molise, Basilicata and Calabria make reference to the Arbëresh language and culture, but the
Arbëresh people still feel that their culture is threatened. Nevertheless, the increase in training in the
The language of the Arbëresh is called Arbërisht. There is no official political, administrative or use
of the written language has given some hope for continuity of this culture. It is important to note that
the Arbëresh dialect is not a regional "dialect" of Italian, it is a dialect of Albanian (shqip) with Italian
and Greek influences.
The Arbëresh language is of particular interest to students of modern Albanian language as it
represents the sounds, grammar and vocabulary of pre-Ottoman Albania. In fact, Arbërisht was the
name of the Albanian language used in Albania prior to the Turkish invasion in the 16th century; as
was the region itself called Arbëria.
A Shqiptar (Albanian) listening to or reading Arbërisht is similar to a modern English speaker listening
to or reading Shakespearean English.
The Italian linguist Mario Pei reported in The Story of Language that while a young man in Italy he had
once boasted to a stranger that he knew and understood every Italian dialect. The stranger
challenged Pei to understand the dialect of his own Italian village; Pei accepted, and understood
absolutely nothing of what was said. The speaker proved to be a Arbëresh speaker, and
enlightened Pei on the existence of Arbëresh.
HISTORY
Prior to the Ottoman invasion of Albania, the Albanians were all called Arbëreshë. After some
300,000 people left and settled in Italy, these Italian-born Albanians continued to use the term
Arbëresh whilst those in Albania called themselves Shqiptarë (compare the Albanian word Shqip,
present in the local name for the country and the language).
The Arbëreshë originally lived in 'Morea' in the Epirus and in the Pindus mountains.[citation needed]
They are descended from the proto-Albanian population dispersed throughout the western Balkans
(see Arvanites). Between the 11th and 14th Centuries, the Arbëresh tribes moved in small groups
towards the South of Greece (Thessaly, Corinth, Peloponnesus, Attica) where they founded
colonies.[citation needed] Their military skill made them favourite mercenaries of the Serbs, Franks,
Catalans, Italians and Byzantines.
The invasion of Greece by the Ottoman Turks in the 15th Century forced many Arbëreshë to
emigrate to the south of Italy. Indeed, in 1448, King Alfonso V of Aragon, known as Magnanime
(1396-1458), King of Naples, wanting to repress a rebellion of Italian lords, called on his ally, Gjergj
Kastrioti i Krujës, known as "Skanderbeg", head of the Albanian Alliance. Several clans of
Arbëreshë and Albanians were deployed to subdue the rebellion. Alfonso of Aragon rewarded
them by giving them land in the province of Catanzaro. (see Stradioti)
In 1450, another force of Arbëresh intervened in Sicily and was established close to Palermo. Thus,
the Arbëreshë contributed to the creation of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies.
At the time of the War of succession of Naples, Ferdinand of Aragon again called on Arbëresh
forces against the Franco-Italian armies, and Skanderbeg disembarked in 1461 in Brindisi. After
having achieved success, the Arbëresh accepted land in Puglia, while Skanderbeg returned to
organize Albanian resistance to the Turks, who had invaded Albania between 1468 and 1492. Part
of the Arbëresh population emigrated to southern Italy, where the Kingdom of Naples granted other
villages to them (Puglia, Molise, Calabria and Sicily).
A further wave of emigration, between 1500 and 1534, relates to Arbëreshë from central Greece.
Employed as mercenaries by Venice, they had to evacuate the colonies of the Peloponnese with the
assistance of the troops of Charles V, as the Turks had invaded that region.[citation needed]
Charles V established these troops in Italy of the South to reinforce defense again the threat of
Turkish invasion. Established in insular villages (which enabled them to maintain their culture until the
20th Century), Arbëreshë were, traditionally, soldiers for the Kingdom of Naples and the Republic of
Venice, from the Wars of Religion to the Napoleonic invasion.
The final wave of Arbëreshë was in the 18th century with a group of Himariots (from the village of
Himarë near Sarandë in southern Albania. These Himariots were fleeing a massacre instigated by Ali
Pasha Tepelena, who has slaughtered 6000 Christian Albanians for refusing to convert to Islam.
These refugees settled in Hora e Arbëreshëvet (Piana degli Albanesi) and subsequently founded
the village of Sëndahstina (Santa Cristina Gelá).
The wave of migration from southern Italy to the Americas in 1900-10 depopulated approximately
half of the Arbëreshë villages, and subjected the population to the risk of cultural disappearance,
despite the beginning of a cultural and artistic revival in the 19th Century.
Since the end of communism in Albania there has been a wave of immigration into Arbëreshë
villages by Kosovars and Shqiptar Albanians. Many differences are apparent between the new
immigrants and the old diaspora in these villages, but there is still a sense of familiarity between
them, who refer to each other as Jemi të gjithë Kushërinj edhe Gjaku jin i shprishur, ma na jemi
arbëreshët e ata janë shkjiptarët. (we are all cousins and our blood is scattered, but we are the
arbëreshë and they are the shqiptarë)[citation needed]
The main streets of many Arbëresh villages are named Via Giorgio Castriota after Skanderbeg.
Arbëresh Cuisine
Strangujët
A form of Gnocchi called Strangujtë made with flour by hand, flavoured with tomato sauce (lënk)
and Basil. Traditionally this dish was consumed by families seated around a floor level table of wood
(zbrilla) on the 14th September, the 'Festa e Kryqit Shejt' (exaltation of the Cross).
Grurët
Boiled wheat dish flavored with olive oil, known as Cucciá in the Sicilian language. The tradition is to
eat it on Festa e Shën Luçiës. Variations are the use of sweetened milk or ricotta with flakes of
chocolate, orange peel and almonds.
Kanojët
Cannoli, the universally famous Pianotto sweet dish. Its culinary secret is waffle (shkorça) of flour,
wine, lard and salt and filled with sweetened ricotta, and lastly sprinkled with sieved chocolate.
Bukë
Arbëresh bread (bukë) is prepared with local hard grain flour and manufactured to a round and
mostly leavened shape with natural methods. It is cooked in antique firewood furnaces (Tandoor). It
is eaten warm flavored with olive oil (vaj i ullirit) and dusted with cheese or with fresh ricotta.
Panarët
Arbëresh Easter bread shaped either into a circle or into two large braids and sprinkled with
sesame seeds. It is adorned with red Easter eggs. The Easter eggs are dyed deep red to represent
the blood of Christ, the eggs also represent new life and springtime. It is traditionally eaten during the
Resurrection Meal. After 40 days of fasting - as per the Byzantine Catholic tradition- the Easter
feast has to begin slowly, with a light meal after the midnight liturgy on Saturday night. The fast is
generally broken with Panarët.
Loshkat and Petullat
Sweetened spherical or crushed shaped fried leavened dough. Eaten on the eve of E Mart e Madh
Carnival.
Të plotit
A sweet cake in various shaped with fig marmellade filling, ths is defintely one of the oldest
Arbëresh dishes.
Milanisë
Traditionally eaten on the Festa e Shën Zefit and Good Friday, this is a traditional pasta
dish which is made with a sauce (lënk) of wild Fennel paste, Sardines and pine nuts and it
is served on Good Friday as a symbolic feasting on that dolores day.
Udhose and Gjizë
Homemade cheese and ricotta normally dried outdoors.
Likënka
Pork sausages flavored with salt, pepper and seed of Fennel (farë mbrai).
Llapsana
Forest Brussel sprout (llapsana) fried with garlic and oil.
Dorëzët
Very thin home-made semolina spaghetti, cooked in milk and eaten on Ascension Day.
Groshët
Soup made of Fava beans, chickpeas and Haricot beans.
Verdhët
During Easter a kind of pie is prepared with eggs, lamb, ricotta, sheep cheese and (previously
boiled) leaf stalks of Scolymus hispanicus; in some villages, the young aerial parts of wild fennel
(Foeniculum vulgare spp . pipentum) are used instead.
Albanese Villages
The Arbëresh villages have two names, an Italian one and a native Arbërisht name by which
villagers know the place. The Arbëresh villages are divided into small "islands" in the areas of the
south of Italy:
Abruzzo Region
Province of Pescara
Villa Badessa (frazione of Rosciano): Badhesa
Basilicata Region
Province of Potenza
Barile: Barilli or Barili
Ginestra: Zhura
Maschito: Mashqiti or Mashkjiti
San Costantino Albanese: Shën Kostandini or Shen Kostandini
San Paolo Albanese: Shën Pali or Shen Pali
Calabria Region
Province of Catanzaro
Andali: Dandalli
Caraffa di Catanzaro: Garrafa or Garafa
Marcedusa: Marçidhuza
Vena di Maida (frazione of Maida): Vina
Zangarona (frazione of Lamezia Terme): Xingarona
Province of Cosenza
Acquaformosa: Firmoza
Cariati: Kariati
Castroregio: Kastërnexhi
Farneta (frazione of Castroregio): Farneta
Cerzeto: Qana
Cavallerizzo (in the commune of Cerzeto): Kejverici or Kajverici
San Giacomo di Cerzeto (in the commune of Cerzeto): Sënd Japku or Shën Japku
Cervicati: Çervikati
Civita: Çifti
Falconara Albanese: Fullkunara
Firmo: Ferma
Frascineto: Frasnita
Eianina (frazione of Frascineto): Ejanina
Lungro: Ungra or Ungir
Mongrassano: Mungrasana
Plataci: Pllatëni or Pllatani
San Basile: Shën Vasili
San Benedetto Ullano: Shën Benedhiti
Marri (frazione of San Benedetto Ullano): Allimarri
San Cosmo Albanese: Strigari
San Demetrio Corone: Shën Mitri
Macchia Albanese (frazione of San Demetrio Corone): Maqi
San Giorgio Albanese: Mbuzati
San Martino di Finita: Shën Mërtiri or Shën Murtiri
Santa Caterina Albanese: Picilia
Santa Sofia d'Epiro: Shën Sofia
Spezzano Albanese: Spixana
Vaccarizzo Albanese: Vakarici
Province of Crotone
San Nicola dell'Alto (formerly San Nicola dell' Viola): Shën Kolli
Pallagorio: Puheriu or Puhëriu
Carfizzi: Karfici or Karfici
Campania Region
Province of Avellino
Greci: Katundi
Molise Region
Province of Campobasso
Campomarino: Këmarini or Kemarini
Montecilfone: Munxhufuni or Munçifuni
Portocannone: Porkanuni or Portkanùn
Ururi: Ruri or Rùri
Puglia Region
Province of Foggia
Casalvecchio di Puglia: Kazallveqi
Chieuti: Qefti or Kjéuti
Province of Taranto
San Marzano di San Giuseppe: San Marcani or Shen Marzani
Sicily Region
Province of Palermo
Contessa Entellina: Kundisa
Piana degli Albanesi: Hora e Arbëreshëvet or Hora Sheshi Oána
Mezzojuso (also, Mezzoiuso): Munxhifsi
Palazzo Adriano: Pallaci
Santa Cristina Gela: Sëndastina or Shendestina
"Albanese" or "Albanesi" which occurs in several of the Italian names above is the Italian language
word for "Albanian" or "Albanians", respectively. ("Albanese" is also a common surname among the
Arbëresh and their overseas descendants.)
The language of the Arbëresh is called Arbërisht. There is no official political, administrative or
cultural structure which represents the Arbëresh community. Arbërësh is not one of the group of
minority languages that enjoy the special protection of the State under Article 6 of the Italian the for
promote the teaching of the two languages in the places where they are spoken. Article 5 of the
autonomy statute of Basilicata lays down that the regional authorities "shall promote renewed
appreciation of the originality of the linguistic and cultural heritage of the local communities". Finally,
the autonomy statute of the Molise region stipulates that the region "shall be the guardian of the
linguistic and historical heritage and of the popular traditions of the ethnic communities existing in its
territory and, by agreement with the interested municipalities, shall promote renewed appreciation of
them". In certain communes the local authorities support cultural and linguistic activities promoted by
the ethnic Albanian communities and have agreed to the erection of bilingual road signs. There are
associations that try to protect the culture, particularly in the Province of Cosenza. The Arbëresh
language is used in some private radios and publications. The fundamental laws of the areas of
Molise, Basilicata and Calabria make reference to the Arbëresh language and culture, but the
Arbëresh people still feel that their culture is threatened. Nevertheless, the increase in training in the
The language of the Arbëresh is called Arbërisht. There is no official political, administrative or use
of the written language has given some hope for continuity of this culture. It is important to note that
the Arbëresh dialect is not a regional "dialect" of Italian, it is a dialect of Albanian (shqip) with Italian
and Greek influences.
The Arbëresh language is of particular interest to students of modern Albanian language as it
represents the sounds, grammar and vocabulary of pre-Ottoman Albania. In fact, Arbërisht was the
name of the Albanian language used in Albania prior to the Turkish invasion in the 16th century; as
was the region itself called Arbëria.
A Shqiptar (Albanian) listening to or reading Arbërisht is similar to a modern English speaker listening
to or reading Shakespearean English.
The Italian linguist Mario Pei reported in The Story of Language that while a young man in Italy he had
once boasted to a stranger that he knew and understood every Italian dialect. The stranger
challenged Pei to understand the dialect of his own Italian village; Pei accepted, and understood
absolutely nothing of what was said. The speaker proved to be a Arbëresh speaker, and
enlightened Pei on the existence of Arbëresh.
HISTORY
Prior to the Ottoman invasion of Albania, the Albanians were all called Arbëreshë. After some
300,000 people left and settled in Italy, these Italian-born Albanians continued to use the term
Arbëresh whilst those in Albania called themselves Shqiptarë (compare the Albanian word Shqip,
present in the local name for the country and the language).
The Arbëreshë originally lived in 'Morea' in the Epirus and in the Pindus mountains.[citation needed]
They are descended from the proto-Albanian population dispersed throughout the western Balkans
(see Arvanites). Between the 11th and 14th Centuries, the Arbëresh tribes moved in small groups
towards the South of Greece (Thessaly, Corinth, Peloponnesus, Attica) where they founded
colonies.[citation needed] Their military skill made them favourite mercenaries of the Serbs, Franks,
Catalans, Italians and Byzantines.
The invasion of Greece by the Ottoman Turks in the 15th Century forced many Arbëreshë to
emigrate to the south of Italy. Indeed, in 1448, King Alfonso V of Aragon, known as Magnanime
(1396-1458), King of Naples, wanting to repress a rebellion of Italian lords, called on his ally, Gjergj
Kastrioti i Krujës, known as "Skanderbeg", head of the Albanian Alliance. Several clans of
Arbëreshë and Albanians were deployed to subdue the rebellion. Alfonso of Aragon rewarded
them by giving them land in the province of Catanzaro. (see Stradioti)
In 1450, another force of Arbëresh intervened in Sicily and was established close to Palermo. Thus,
the Arbëreshë contributed to the creation of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies.
At the time of the War of succession of Naples, Ferdinand of Aragon again called on Arbëresh
forces against the Franco-Italian armies, and Skanderbeg disembarked in 1461 in Brindisi. After
having achieved success, the Arbëresh accepted land in Puglia, while Skanderbeg returned to
organize Albanian resistance to the Turks, who had invaded Albania between 1468 and 1492. Part
of the Arbëresh population emigrated to southern Italy, where the Kingdom of Naples granted other
villages to them (Puglia, Molise, Calabria and Sicily).
A further wave of emigration, between 1500 and 1534, relates to Arbëreshë from central Greece.
Employed as mercenaries by Venice, they had to evacuate the colonies of the Peloponnese with the
assistance of the troops of Charles V, as the Turks had invaded that region.[citation needed]
Charles V established these troops in Italy of the South to reinforce defense again the threat of
Turkish invasion. Established in insular villages (which enabled them to maintain their culture until the
20th Century), Arbëreshë were, traditionally, soldiers for the Kingdom of Naples and the Republic of
Venice, from the Wars of Religion to the Napoleonic invasion.
The final wave of Arbëreshë was in the 18th century with a group of Himariots (from the village of
Himarë near Sarandë in southern Albania. These Himariots were fleeing a massacre instigated by Ali
Pasha Tepelena, who has slaughtered 6000 Christian Albanians for refusing to convert to Islam.
These refugees settled in Hora e Arbëreshëvet (Piana degli Albanesi) and subsequently founded
the village of Sëndahstina (Santa Cristina Gelá).
The wave of migration from southern Italy to the Americas in 1900-10 depopulated approximately
half of the Arbëreshë villages, and subjected the population to the risk of cultural disappearance,
despite the beginning of a cultural and artistic revival in the 19th Century.
Since the end of communism in Albania there has been a wave of immigration into Arbëreshë
villages by Kosovars and Shqiptar Albanians. Many differences are apparent between the new
immigrants and the old diaspora in these villages, but there is still a sense of familiarity between
them, who refer to each other as Jemi të gjithë Kushërinj edhe Gjaku jin i shprishur, ma na jemi
arbëreshët e ata janë shkjiptarët. (we are all cousins and our blood is scattered, but we are the
arbëreshë and they are the shqiptarë)[citation needed]
The main streets of many Arbëresh villages are named Via Giorgio Castriota after Skanderbeg.
Arbëresh Cuisine
Strangujët
A form of Gnocchi called Strangujtë made with flour by hand, flavoured with tomato sauce (lënk)
and Basil. Traditionally this dish was consumed by families seated around a floor level table of wood
(zbrilla) on the 14th September, the 'Festa e Kryqit Shejt' (exaltation of the Cross).
Grurët
Boiled wheat dish flavored with olive oil, known as Cucciá in the Sicilian language. The tradition is to
eat it on Festa e Shën Luçiës. Variations are the use of sweetened milk or ricotta with flakes of
chocolate, orange peel and almonds.
Kanojët
Cannoli, the universally famous Pianotto sweet dish. Its culinary secret is waffle (shkorça) of flour,
wine, lard and salt and filled with sweetened ricotta, and lastly sprinkled with sieved chocolate.
Bukë
Arbëresh bread (bukë) is prepared with local hard grain flour and manufactured to a round and
mostly leavened shape with natural methods. It is cooked in antique firewood furnaces (Tandoor). It
is eaten warm flavored with olive oil (vaj i ullirit) and dusted with cheese or with fresh ricotta.
Panarët
Arbëresh Easter bread shaped either into a circle or into two large braids and sprinkled with
sesame seeds. It is adorned with red Easter eggs. The Easter eggs are dyed deep red to represent
the blood of Christ, the eggs also represent new life and springtime. It is traditionally eaten during the
Resurrection Meal. After 40 days of fasting - as per the Byzantine Catholic tradition- the Easter
feast has to begin slowly, with a light meal after the midnight liturgy on Saturday night. The fast is
generally broken with Panarët.
Loshkat and Petullat
Sweetened spherical or crushed shaped fried leavened dough. Eaten on the eve of E Mart e Madh
Carnival.
Të plotit
A sweet cake in various shaped with fig marmellade filling, ths is defintely one of the oldest
Arbëresh dishes.
Milanisë
Traditionally eaten on the Festa e Shën Zefit and Good Friday, this is a traditional pasta
dish which is made with a sauce (lënk) of wild Fennel paste, Sardines and pine nuts and it
is served on Good Friday as a symbolic feasting on that dolores day.
Udhose and Gjizë
Homemade cheese and ricotta normally dried outdoors.
Likënka
Pork sausages flavored with salt, pepper and seed of Fennel (farë mbrai).
Llapsana
Forest Brussel sprout (llapsana) fried with garlic and oil.
Dorëzët
Very thin home-made semolina spaghetti, cooked in milk and eaten on Ascension Day.
Groshët
Soup made of Fava beans, chickpeas and Haricot beans.
Verdhët
During Easter a kind of pie is prepared with eggs, lamb, ricotta, sheep cheese and (previously
boiled) leaf stalks of Scolymus hispanicus; in some villages, the young aerial parts of wild fennel
(Foeniculum vulgare spp . pipentum) are used instead.
Albanese Villages
The Arbëresh villages have two names, an Italian one and a native Arbërisht name by which
villagers know the place. The Arbëresh villages are divided into small "islands" in the areas of the
south of Italy:
Abruzzo Region
Province of Pescara
Villa Badessa (frazione of Rosciano): Badhesa
Basilicata Region
Province of Potenza
Barile: Barilli or Barili
Ginestra: Zhura
Maschito: Mashqiti or Mashkjiti
San Costantino Albanese: Shën Kostandini or Shen Kostandini
San Paolo Albanese: Shën Pali or Shen Pali
Calabria Region
Province of Catanzaro
Andali: Dandalli
Caraffa di Catanzaro: Garrafa or Garafa
Marcedusa: Marçidhuza
Vena di Maida (frazione of Maida): Vina
Zangarona (frazione of Lamezia Terme): Xingarona
Province of Cosenza
Acquaformosa: Firmoza
Cariati: Kariati
Castroregio: Kastërnexhi
Farneta (frazione of Castroregio): Farneta
Cerzeto: Qana
Cavallerizzo (in the commune of Cerzeto): Kejverici or Kajverici
San Giacomo di Cerzeto (in the commune of Cerzeto): Sënd Japku or Shën Japku
Cervicati: Çervikati
Civita: Çifti
Falconara Albanese: Fullkunara
Firmo: Ferma
Frascineto: Frasnita
Eianina (frazione of Frascineto): Ejanina
Lungro: Ungra or Ungir
Mongrassano: Mungrasana
Plataci: Pllatëni or Pllatani
San Basile: Shën Vasili
San Benedetto Ullano: Shën Benedhiti
Marri (frazione of San Benedetto Ullano): Allimarri
San Cosmo Albanese: Strigari
San Demetrio Corone: Shën Mitri
Macchia Albanese (frazione of San Demetrio Corone): Maqi
San Giorgio Albanese: Mbuzati
San Martino di Finita: Shën Mërtiri or Shën Murtiri
Santa Caterina Albanese: Picilia
Santa Sofia d'Epiro: Shën Sofia
Spezzano Albanese: Spixana
Vaccarizzo Albanese: Vakarici
Province of Crotone
San Nicola dell'Alto (formerly San Nicola dell' Viola): Shën Kolli
Pallagorio: Puheriu or Puhëriu
Carfizzi: Karfici or Karfici
Campania Region
Province of Avellino
Greci: Katundi
Molise Region
Province of Campobasso
Campomarino: Këmarini or Kemarini
Montecilfone: Munxhufuni or Munçifuni
Portocannone: Porkanuni or Portkanùn
Ururi: Ruri or Rùri
Puglia Region
Province of Foggia
Casalvecchio di Puglia: Kazallveqi
Chieuti: Qefti or Kjéuti
Province of Taranto
San Marzano di San Giuseppe: San Marcani or Shen Marzani
Sicily Region
Province of Palermo
Contessa Entellina: Kundisa
Piana degli Albanesi: Hora e Arbëreshëvet or Hora Sheshi Oána
Mezzojuso (also, Mezzoiuso): Munxhifsi
Palazzo Adriano: Pallaci
Santa Cristina Gela: Sëndastina or Shendestina
"Albanese" or "Albanesi" which occurs in several of the Italian names above is the Italian language
word for "Albanian" or "Albanians", respectively. ("Albanese" is also a common surname among the
Arbëresh and their overseas descendants.)
| Click Link To Learn About: LANGUAGE HISTORY ARBëRESH CUISINE ALBANESE VILLAGES |
| click on photos for larger viewing |
| Strangujët |
| Grurët |
| Kanojët |
| Panarët |
| Të plotit |
| Milanisë |
| Udhose and Gjizë |
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