Arbëreshë people


The Arbëreshë, also known as Albanians of Italy or Italo-Albanians, are an Albanian ethnolinguistic group minority historically settled in Southern and Insular Italy.
They are the descendants of Albanian refugees settled in the Kingdom of Naples and Sicily who fled from Albania, Epirus, and later some from the numerous Albanian communities of Attica and Morea, between the 14th and the 18th centuries following the death of Gjergj Kastrioti Skanderbeg and the gradual conquest of the Balkans by the Ottoman Turks. Their culture is determined by the main features that are found in language, religious rite, traditional costume, art and gastronomy, still zealously preserved, with the awareness of belonging to a specific ethnic group.
Over the centuries, the Arbëreshë have managed to maintain and develop their identities, thanks to their cultural value exercised mainly by the religious communities of the Byzantine Rite.
Nowadays, most of the fifty Arbëreshë communities are adherents to the Italo-Albanian Church, an Eastern Catholic Church. They belong to two eparchies, the Lungro, for the Arbëreshë of Continental Italy, the Piana degli Albanesi, for the Arbëreshë of Sicily, and the Monastery of Grottaferrata of Lazio, whose Basilian monks come largely from the Albanian settlements of Italy. The church is the most important organization for maintaining the characteristic religious, ethnic, linguistic and traditional identity of the Arbëreshë community.
The Arbëreshë speak Arbërisht, an old variant of the Albanian language which derives from the Tosk Albanian spoken in central-southern Albania and Epirus. In Italy the Albanian Arbëresh language is protected by law number 482/99, concerning the protection of the historic linguistic minorities.
The Arbëreshë are scattered also in other parts of Italy. They are in great numbers in North and South America, especially in the US, Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Mexico, Venezuela, Uruguay, and in the various parts of central-northern Europe. It is estimated that there are about 100,000 Italo-Albanians ; they constitute one of the oldest and largest minorities in Italy. When speaking about their "nation", Arbëresh use the term Arbëria, a loose geographical term for the scattered villages in southern Italy which use Arbëresh language.
In the light of historical events, the secular continuity of the Albanian presence in Italy is exceptional. In 2017, an official application for inclusion of the Arbëresh people has been submitted to the UNESCO as a living human and social intangible cultural heritage of humanity by the Government of Albania.

Distribution

The Arbëresh villages maintain two or three names, an Italian one as well as one or two native Arbëresh names by which villagers know the place. The Arbëreshë communities are divided into numerous ethnic islands corresponding to different areas of southern Italy. However, some places have already lost their original characteristics and the language, and others have totally disappeared. Today, Italy has 50 communities of Arbëreshë origin and culture, 41 municipalities and 9 villages, spread across seven regions of southern Italy, forming a population of about 100,000. Some cultural islands survive in the metropolitan areas of Milan, Chieri, Turin, Rome, Naples, Bari, Cosenza, Crotone and Palermo. In the rest of the world, following the migrations of the twentieth century to countries such as Canada, Chile, Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and the United States, there are strong communities that keep Arbëreshë traditions alive.
The full list of the Arbëresh Communities in Italy is:
  • Abruzzo
  • * Province of Pescara
  • ** Villa Badessa : Badhesa
  • Molise
  • * Province of Campobasso
  • ** Campomarino: Këmarini
  • ** Montecilfone: Munxhufuni
  • ** Portocannone: Portkanuni
  • ** Ururi: Rùri
  • Campania
  • * Province of Avellino
  • ** Greci: Katundi
  • Apulia
  • * Province of Foggia
  • ** Casalvecchio di Puglia: Kazallveqi
  • ** Chieuti: Qefti
  • * Provincia di Taranto
  • ** San Marzano di San Giuseppe: Shën Marcani
  • Basilicata
  • * Province of Potenza
  • ** Barile: Barilli
  • ** Ginestra: Zhura
  • ** Maschito: Mashqiti
  • ** Rionero in Vulture: A-Rionero
  • ** San Costantino Albanese: Shën Kostandini Arbëresh
  • ** San Paolo Albanese: Shën Pali Arbëresh
  • Calabria
  • * Province of Catanzaro
  • ** Andali: Andalli
  • ** Caraffa di Catanzaro: Garafa
  • ** Marcedusa: Marçëdhuza
  • ** Vena di Maida : Vina
  • ** Zagarise : Zagari
  • * Province of Cosenza
  • ** Acquaformosa: Firmoza
  • ** Cantinella : Kantinela
  • ** Cerzeto : Qana
  • ** Castroregio: Kastërnexhi
  • ** Cavallerizzo : Kajverici
  • ** Civita: Çifti
  • ** Eianina : Purçìll
  • ** Falconara Albanese: Fullkunara
  • ** Farneta : Farneta
  • ** Firmo: Ferma
  • ** Frascineto: Frasnita
  • ** Lungro: Ungra
  • ** Macchia Albanese : Maqi
  • ** Malito
  • ** Marri : Allimarri
  • **Mongrassano: Mungrasana
  • ** Plataci: Pllatëni
  • ** San Basile: Shën Vasili
  • ** San Benedetto Ullano: Shën Benedhiti
  • ** Santa Caterina Albanese: Picilia
  • ** San Cosmo Albanese Strihàri
  • ** San Demetrio Corone: Shën Mitri
  • ** San Giorgio Albanese: Mbuzati
  • ** San Giacomo di Cerzeto : Shën Japku
  • ** San Martino di Finita: Shën Mërtiri
  • ** Santa Sofia d'Epiro: Shën Sofia
  • ** Spezzano Albanese: Spixana
  • ** Vaccarizzo Albanese: Vakarici
  • * Province of Crotone
  • ** Carfizzi: Karfici
  • ** Pallagorio: Puhëriu
  • ** San Nicola dell'Alto Shën Kolli
  • Sicily
  • * Province of Catania
  • ** Biancavilla: Callìcari
  • * Province of Palermo
  • ** Contessa Entellina: Kuntisa
  • ** Piana degli Albanesi: Hora e Arbëreshëvet
  • ** Santa Cristina Gela: ''Sëndahstina''

    Community of Albanian origin

More than thirty ancient Albanian centers have lost, in different historical periods and for various reasons, the use of the Albanian language and are thus characterized by a lack of historical and cultural heritage of the Arbëresh: for Emilia-Romagna they are Pievetta and Bosco Tosca, hamlets of Castel San Giovanni ; for Lazio it is Pianiano, a hamlet of Cellere; for Molise it is Santa Croce di Magliano ; for Campania in the province of Caserta it is Alife; for Apulia they are Casalnuovo Monterotaro, Castelluccio dei Sauri, San Paolo di Civitate, Monteparano, San Giorgio Ionico, San Crispieri, Faggiano, Roccaforzata, Monteiasi, Carosino, Montemesola ; for Basilicata they are Brindisi Montagna, Rionero in Vulture ; for Calabria are Cervicati, Mongrassano, Rota Greca, San Lorenzo del Vallo, Sartano, Serra d'Aiello, Amato, Arietta, fraction of Petronà, Gizzeria and the hamlets Mortilla and Gizzeria Lido, Zagarise, Zangarona, fraction of Lamezia Terme, ; for Sicily they are Mezzojuso, Palazzo Adriano, Sant'Angelo Muxaro, Biancavilla, Bronte, San Michele di Ganzaria.
The communities of Mezzojuso and Palazzo Adriano, in the province of Palermo, are to be considered a particular case, since, despite having lost the Albanian language and the customs of origin, they have kept the Greek-Byzantine rite, a peculiar pillar - together with language and customs - of the Albanian identity of the diaspora. In this case the identity is preserved in the religious aspect and in the historical memory. The communities of Cervicati, Mongrassano and Rota Greca, in the province of Cosenza, preserve the memory of the original cultural heritage.
The Albanian migrations, since the beginning of the long diaspora, led to the formation of medium-small arbëreshe communities well integrated in numerous existing cities of central-northern Italy and in the Crown of Aragon, in most cases reality - again for different reasons - assimilated by the surrounding culture.

Cultural islands, migrations and the modern Albanian diaspora

Relevant cultural islands survive in the large metropolitan areas of Milan, Turin, Rome, Naples, Bari, Cosenza, Crotone and Palermo. In the rest of the world, following the migrations of the twentieth century in countries such as Canada, the United States, Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Uruguay there are strong communities that they keep the Arbëreshë language and traditions alive.
Since 1990, with the fall of the post-Bolshevik communist regime in Albania, significant communities of shqiptarë have entered and integrated into the social fabric of the Italian-Albanian towns. With the struggle for the independence of Kosovo a very recent group of Albanians, victims of the ethnic cleansing of the Yugoslav regime, has also integrated itself into the various Albanian communities of Italy.

History

Ethnonym

In the Middle Ages, the native Albanians in the area of Albania called their country Arbëri or Arbëni and referred to themselves as Arbëreshë or Arbëneshë. In the sixteenth century, the toponym Shqipëria and the demonym Shqiptarë gradually replaced Arbëria and Arbëresh respectively. Nowadays, only the Albanians in Italy, whose ancestors immigrated from the Middle Ages, are called Arbëresh and the language Arbërisht. The term Arbëreshë and its variants are also used as endonyms by the Arbanasi in Croatia, Arvanites in Greece, and Arnavut in Turkey.

Early modern migrations

The invasion of the Balkans by the Ottoman Turks in the 15th century forced many Arbëreshë to emigrate from Albania and Epirus, Attica, Thebes, Peloponnese then called Morea and other Islands to southern Italy. There were several waves of migrations. In 1448, the King of Naples Alfonso V of Aragon appealed to Skanderbeg to help suppress a revolt at Naples. Skanderbeg sent a force under the leadership of Demetrio Reres, and his two sons. Following a request by the Albanian soldiers, King Alfonso granted them land and they were settled in twelve villages in the mountainous area called Catanzaro in 1448. A year later the sons of Demetrio, George and Basil along with other Albanians were settled in four villages in Sicily.
In 1461, the son of Alfonso, king Ferdinand I of Naples again requested the help of Skanderbeg. This time, the legendary leader himself came to Italy with his troops led by one of his generals, Luca Baffa, to end a French-supported insurrection. Skanderbeg was appointed as the leader of the combined Neapolitan-Albanian army and, after winning two decisive battles, the Albanian soldiers effectively defended Naples. This time they were rewarded with land east of Taranto in Apulia, populating 15 other villages.
After the death of Skanderbeg in 1468, the organized Albanian resistance against the Ottomans came to an end. Like much of the Balkans, Albania became subject to the invading Turks. Many of its people under the rule of Luca Baffa and Marco Becci fled to the neighboring countries and settled in a few villages in Calabria. From the time of Skanderbeg's death until 1480 there were constant migrations of Albanians to the Italian coast. Throughout the 16th century, these migrations continued and other Albanian villages were formed on Italian soil. The new immigrants often took up work as mercenaries hired by Italian armies.
According to some albanologists, this historiographic tradition was created ad hoc, as they believe that the resistance of Skanderbeg against the Turks was not the major factor that produced the Albanian migration to Italy. Indeed, scholars argue that Albanians have migrated from the western Balkans to Italy through several waves since the Middle Ages, even before Skanderbeg's period.
Another 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. Charles V established these troops in southern Italy to reinforce defenses against the threat of Turkish invasion. Established in isolated villages, Arbëreshë were, traditionally, soldiers for the Kingdom of Naples and the Republic of Venice, from the Wars of Religion to the Napoleonic invasion.