Arbëreshë

The Arbëreshë are an ethnic Albanian community living in Italy, especially the regions of Calabria, Apulia, Molise, Basilicata and Sicily.The Arbëreshë arrived in Southern Italy in several waves of migrations, from the 15th to 18th century AD. The Arbëreshë have their own distinct culture and have been able to preserve the original Albanian identity over the centuries. Today, they are mostly Byzantine Catholics belonging to the Italo-Albanian Catholic Church of Eastern Rite, with a Roman Catholic minority.

The Arbëresh language is of particular interest to students of the modern Albanian language as it represents the sounds, grammar, and vocabulary of pre-Ottoman Albania. However, the Arbëreshë language has been influenced more by the Italian than any other Albanian dialects.

Prior to the Ottoman invasion of Albania, the native people in the area of Albania were all called Arbëreshë. After some were forced out of their homeland to Italy, these Italian-born Albanians continued to use the term Arbëresh whilst those in Albania called themselves Shqiptarë.


Early migrations

The Arbëreshë originally lived in Albania. Between the 11th and 14th centuries, they moved in small groups towards the south of Greece (Thessaly, Corinth, Peloponnesus, Attica) where they founded colonies. Their military skill made them favourite mercenaries of the Franks, Catalans, Italians and Byzantine.

The invasion of the Balkans by the Ottoman Turks in the 15th century forced many Arbëreshë to emigrate to the south of Italy. There were several waves of migrations. Indeed, in 1448, the King of Naples Alfonso V of Aragon appealed to Skanderbeg in suppressing a revolt at Naples. Skanderbeg sent a force under the leadership of Demetrio Reres, and his two sons. Following a request of Albanian soldiers King Alfonso granting land to them and they were settled in twelfth villages in the mountainous area called Catanzaro in 1448. A year later the sons of Demetrio, Geroge and Basil along with other Albanians were settled in four villages in Sicily region.

In 1459 the son of Alfonso, king Ferdinand I of Naples requested again the help of Skanderbeg. This time, the legendary leader came himself to Italy with his troops, to end a French supported insurrection. Skanderbeg was appointed as the leader of the combined Neapolitan-Albanian army and, after victories in two decisive battles, the Albanian soldiers effectively saved Naples. This time they were rewarded with land east of Taranto in Apulia, populating other 15 villages.

After the death of Skanderbeg in 1468 the organized Albanian resistance against the Ottomans came to an end. Like much of the Mediterranean, Albania became subject to the invading Turks. Many of its people fled to the neighboring countries. From the time of Skanderberg's death till 1480 there were constant migrations of Albanians in Italian coast. Throughout the 16th century, these migrations continued and other Albanian villages were formed in Italian soil.The new immigrants often took up work as mercenaries hired by the Italian armies.

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 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, who slaughtered 6000 Christian Albanians for supporting his enemies, the Souliote albanians. These refugees settled in Hora e Arbëreshëvet (Piana degli Albanesi) and subsequently founded the village of Sëndahstina (Santa Cristina Gela). Other migrations followed one another, especially in the villages of Calabria.



Later migrations

The wave of migration from southern Italy to the Americas in 1900-1910 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 Kosovar and Shqiptarë 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").


Villages in Italy

The Arbëresh villages have two or three names, an Italian one as well as one or two native Arbëresh names by which villagers know the place. The main streets of many Arbëresh villages are named Via Giorgio Castriota after Skanderbeg. The Arbëresh villages are divided into small "islands" in the areas of the south of Italy:


Notable Arbëreshë
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
* Giorgio Basta (1544–1607), aristocrat, general and military strategist in the Holy Roman Empire.

* Lekë Matrënga (1560–1619), priest, one of the first writers in Albanian language.

* Pope Clement XI (1649–1721), born Giovanni Francesco Albani, Pope from 1700 -1721.

* Jeronim de Rada (1814–1903), poet, folklorist and Albanian nationalist.

* Anton Santori (1819–1894), writer, playwright and poet of the Albanian National Awakening.

* Francesco Crispi (1819–1901), 19th century Italian politician, Prime Minister between 1887–1891 and again between 1893-1896.

* Zef Serembe (1844–1901), lyric poet.

* Zef Skiroi (1865–1925), poet, linguist, publicist and folklorist.

* Antonio Gramsci (1891–1937), Italian philosopher, writer, politician and political theorist.

* Costantino Mortati (1891–1985), statesman and contributor to the Italian Constitution.

* Giuseppe T. Gangale (1898–1978), Italian philosopher, philologist and poet.

* Enrico Cuccia (1907–2000), banker, founder of Mediobanca and important figure in Italian post-war industrial reconstruction.

* Stefano Rodotà (1933), politician.

* Joseph J. DioGuardi (b. 1940), American politician.

* Kara DioGuardi (b. 1970), singer, songwriter and American Idol judge.

* Claudia Conserva (b. 1974), Chilean TV hostess and actress.

* Amalia Granata (b. 1981), Argentine model.

* Ernesto Sábato (b. 1911), Argentine writer.

* Regis Philbin (b. 1931), American media personality and occasional actor and singer.


Piana degli Albanesi