Piana degli Albanesi

Piana degli Albanesi
Hora e Arbëreshëvet (Arbëreshë Albanian)
Comune of Piana degli Albanesi
Bashkia e Horës së Arbëreshëvet
A view of Piana degli Albanesi
A view of Piana degli Albanesi
Flag of Piana degli Albanesi
Coat of arms of Piana degli Albanesi
Location of Piana degli Albanesi
Map
Piana degli Albanesi is located in Italy
Piana degli Albanesi
Piana degli Albanesi
Location of Piana degli Albanesi in Italy
Piana degli Albanesi is located in Sicily
Piana degli Albanesi
Piana degli Albanesi
Piana degli Albanesi (Sicily)
Coordinates: 37°59′42″N 13°17′00″E / 37.99500°N 13.28333°E / 37.99500; 13.28333
CountryItaly
RegionSicily
Metropolitan cityPalermo (PA)
Government
 • MayorRosario Petta
(since June 11, 2017)
Area
 • Total64.92 km2 (25.07 sq mi)
Elevation
740 m (2,430 ft)
Population
 (March 31, 2018)[2]
 • Total6,128
 • Density94/km2 (240/sq mi)
Demonympianesi/arbëreshë
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code
90037
Dialing code091 857
Patron saintM. St. Hodegetria, St. Demetrius, St. George
Saint day2 September, 26 October, 23 April
WebsiteOfficial website

Piana degli Albanesi (Arbëreshë Albanian: Hora e Arbëreshëvet or Hora, Sheshi), known as Piana dei Greci until 1941, is a town and comune in Sicily, Italy. The town is situated on a mountainous plateau and encircled by high mountains, on the eastern side of the imposing Mount Pizzuta, the city, which is mirrored on a large lake. It is located around 24 kilometres (15 mi) from Palermo and is administered as part of the Metropolitan City of Palermo. In 2018, the comune had a population of 6,128.

The town is the most important centre of the Arbëresh community of Sicily,[3] as well as the largest and most populous settlement of Arbëreshe (Italo-Albanian or Albanians of Italy)[4][5][6] and it is the episcopal see of the Eparchy of Piana degli Albanesi, constituency of the Italo-Albanian Church whose jurisdiction covers all Albanians of Sicily who practice the Byzantine rite.

The community, founded five centuries ago, has maintained many ethnic elements of Albanian culture such as language, religious rituals, traditional costumes, music and folklore. Piana degli Albanesi has contributed greatly to the advancement of Albanian culture and literature with a large group of intellectuals. It is considered the place of origin of Arbëreshe literature, the birthplace of the first work of the Albanian diaspora (1592),[7] and initiator – in the early 16th century – of the first European school in which Albanian was taught.[8][9] The founders of the Albanian Language and Literature departments of the universities of Naples and Palermo come from the town, and it is the headquarters of the Italo-Albanian Seminary, which was founded in Palermo in 1734 and moved to the town in 1945. Its traditional music and Byzantine songs are part of the Intangible Heritage Registry of Sicily recognized by UNESCO. The municipal government uses bilingual documents and road signs in Albanian and Italian under existing Italian legislation on protecting ethnic and linguistic minorities.

The Arbëreshe are the descendants of Albanian families, including nobles and relatives of Skanderbeg, that settled in Southern Italy during the Ottoman Turkish conquest of the Balkans. It had a significant role in the revolutionary uprisings for the unification of Italy,[10] for the Albanian National Awakening in the Albanian movement for secession from Ottoman rule,[11][12] and for regional movements of the Fasci Siciliani dei Lavoratori;[13] furthermore, it is also infamous for the Portella della Ginestra massacre (1947). Between late 1944 and early 1945, Piana degli Albanesi became an independent people's republic, which lasted fifty days.

The main economic activities are the primary sector, agriculture, pastoralism, crafts, and tourism. Its intangible heritage was nominated for the European Heritage Label in 2023.[14]

  1. ^ "Superficie di Comuni Province e Regioni italiane al 9 ottobre 2011". Italian National Institute of Statistics. Retrieved March 16, 2019.
  2. ^ "Popolazione Residente al 1° Gennaio 2018". Italian National Institute of Statistics. Retrieved March 16, 2019.
  3. ^ Piana degli Albanesi in Enciclopedia Treccani (online)
  4. ^ Nasho Jorgaqi, Lontano e Vicino. Viaggio tra gli Albanesi d'Italia (original title: Larg dhe afër. Shregtime arbëreshe, Casa Editrice 8 Nëretori, Tirana 1987), Cosenza 1991, Pellegrini Ed., p= 26.
  5. ^ A Tirana fotografie dell'immigrazione albanese in Italia.
  6. ^ In the 20th century, century Piana degli Albanesi had an average of 10,000 inhabitants. In the 1930s it came to have more than 12,000 inhabitants, many of whom emigrated to the Americas and later northern Europe. A large community of arbëreshë of the Hora lives in Palermo (10,000 according to the data reported by the Italo-Albanian parish of San Nicolò alla Martorana).
  7. ^ Papàs Luca Matranga / Pope Lekë Matrënga (1567 - 1619) author of the book "E Mbësuame e Krështerë" (Christian Doctrine) in the Albanian dialect, Pontifical Greek College of Saint Athanasius, Rome 1592.
  8. ^ Arbëreshi Lekë Matrënga, Mësuesi që hapi shkollën e parë shqipe më, 1587 në Itali
  9. ^ Arbëreshi Lekë Matrënga, Mësuesi që hapi shkollën e parë shqipe më, 1587
  10. ^ Giorgio Costantini, Studi Storici (PDF).
  11. ^ Gjovalin Shkurtaj, Shpirti i arbrit rron
  12. ^ Italia, Albania, Arbëreshë fra le due guerre mondiali – Italia, Shqipëria, Arbëreshë midis dy luftavet botërore, Quaderni di Biblos (PDF)
  13. ^ Mario Brunetti, La piazza della rivolta: microstoria di un paese arbëresh in età giolittiana
  14. ^ MARCHIO DEL PATRIMONIO EUROPEO European Heritage Label. PRESELEZIONE NAZIONALE AL MARCHIO DEL PATRIMONIO EUROPEO 2023: TREDICI I SITI CANDIDATI PER L'ITALIA