Griko people
Encyclopedia
The Griko people sometimes spelled Grico, Greco and Grecanici in Calabria are an ethnic Greek community of Southern Italy, they are found principally in regions of Calabria
(Province of Reggio Calabria
) and Puglia (peninsula of Salento
), (the old Magna Graecia
region). The Griko are believed to be remnants of the once large Ancient
and Medieval Greek
communities of southern Italy. Greek people have been living in Southern Italy for millennia, initially arriving in Southern Italy in numerous waves of migrations, from the ancient Greek colonisation of Southern Italy and Sicily
in the 8th century BC through to the Byzantine Greek migrations of the 15th century caused by the Ottoman conquest
. In the Middle Ages Greek regional communities were reduced to isolated enclaves. Although most Greek inhabitants of Southern Italy have become entirely Italianized
over the centuries, the Griko community has been able to preserve their original Greek identity, heritage, language and distinct culture (the 15% of the surnames in the province of Reggio di Calabria has Greek origin), although exposure to mass media has progressively eroded their culture and language.
The Griko people traditionally spoke the Griko language
which is a form of the Greek language
. In recent years the number of Griko who speak the Griko language has been greatly reduced; the younger Griko have rapidly shifted to speaking the Italian Language
. Today, they are mostly Byzantine Catholics belonging to the Catholic Church of Eastern Rite, with a Roman Catholic minority.
. They were one of the first Greek tribes to colonize Italy
. The area that came to be known as Magna Graecia
took its name after them. The Latins
used this term in reference to all Hellenic people because the first Hellenes
they came into contact with were the Graecians, hence the name Greeks.
The Greek-speaking territory of Bovesia
lies in very mountainous terrain and is not easily accessible. In recent times, many descendants of the early inhabitants of the area have left the mountains to set up home by the coast. The Griko-speakers of Calabria live in the villages of Bova Superiore, Bova Marina, Roccaforte del Greco, Condofuri, Polizzi, Gallicianò and Mélito di Porto Salvo. In 1999 the Italian Parliament extended the historical Griko territories by Act 482 to include the towns of Palisades, San Lorenzo, Staines, Samo, Montebello Jonico, Bagaladi, Motta San Giovanni, Brancaleone and parts of Reggio. In the Grecia Salentina
region of Puglia, the Griko-speakers are to be found in the villages of Calimera, Martignano, Martano, Sternatia, Zollino, Corigliano d'Otranto, Soleto, Melpignano and Castrignano dei Greci, although Grico seems to be disappearing from Martignano, Soleto and Melpignano. Towns populated by the Griko people outside of the Bovesia
and Grecia Salentina
regions have almost entirely lost knowledge of their original Griko Language, this occurred largely in the late 19th and 20th centuries. Some towns that have lost the knowledge of their Griko mother tongue include the cities of Cardeto
, Montebello
, San Pantaleone and Santa Caterina
in Calabria and Cutrofiano
, Curse, Caprarica
, Cannole, Taviano
and Alliste
in the Salento
. At a more remote period Greek was also spoken by a Greek population at Galatina
and at Catanzaro and Cosenza
.
name by which villagers refer to the town. The Griko villages are typically divided into small "islands" in the areas of southern Italy:
has recognized the Griko community of Reggio Calabria and Salento as an ethnic and linguistic
minority
, under the name of "Minoranze linguistiche Grike dell'Etnia Griko-Calabrese e Salentina" (linguistic minority of the Griko-Calabrian and Salentinian ethnicity).
south of Naples
including the coasts of Calabria
, Lucania
, Apulia
, Campania
and Sicily
were colonized by the Ancient Greeks beginning in the 8th century BCE. The Greek settlements were so densely collected there that during the Classical period the region came to be called Magna Graecia
(Greater Greece). Greeks continued to migrate to these regions in many waves from antiquity until as late as the Byzantine
migrations of 15th century.
, following the disastrous Gothic War
, new waves of Greeks
came to Magna Graecia from Greece
and Asia Minor
, as Southern Italy remained loosely governed by the Byzantine Empire
. The iconoclast emperor Leo III appropriated lands that had been granted to the Papacy in southern Italy and the Eastern Emperor loosely governed the area until the advent of the Lombards
then, in the form of the Catapanate of Italy
, superseded by the Normans. Moreover the Byzantines would have found in Southern Italy people of common cultural root, the Greek-speaking eredi ellenofoni of Magna Graecia. The Greek language never died out entirely in south Italy, though the area in which it was spoken was significantly reduced by the progression of Latin. Records of Magna Graecia being predominantly Greek-speaking, date as late as the eleventh century (the end of Byzantine domination in Southern Italy).
By the end of the Middle Ages large parts of Calabria
, Lucania
, Apulia
, and Sicily
continued to speak Greek as their mother tongue. During the 13th century a French chronicler passing through the whole of Calabria stated that “the peasants of Calabria spoke nothing but Greek”. In 1368 the Italian scholar Petrarch
recommended a stay in Calabria to a student who needed to improve his knowledge of Greek
. The Griko people were the dominant population element of some regions of Calabria
and the Salento
until the 16th century. During the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries a slow process of Catholicization and Latinization of the Greek populations of southern Italy and Sicily would reduce the Greek language and culture further. Antonio de Ferraris
, a Greek born in Galatone
in 1444, observed how the inhabitants of Kallipoli (Gallipoli
in Apulia
) as still conversing in their original Greek
mother tongue, he indicated that the Greek classical tradition had remained alive in this region of Italy and that the population is probably of Lacedaemonian (Spartan) stock. The Greek of Southern Italy, although greatly reduced, remained active in isolated enclaves in Calabria and Puglia.
Even after the Middle Ages there were sporadic migrations from mainland Greece. Thus, considerable numbers of refuges entered the region in the 16th and 17th centuries. This happened in reaction to the conquest of the Peloponnese by the Ottomans
. Especially after the fall of Coroni (1534) large numbers of Greeks and Albanians sought, and were granted, refuge in the areas of Calabria, Salento and Sicily. The Greeks from Coroni—the so called Coronians—belonged to the nobility and brought with them substantial movable property. They were granted special privileges and given tax exemptions. Another part of the Greeks that moved to Italy came from the Mani region
of the Peloponnese. The Maniots
were known for their proud military traditions and for their bloody vendettas (another portion of these Greeks moved to Corsica
-especially Cargèse
-; cf. the Corsican vendettas). These migrations strengthened the depopulated Italian south with a culturally vibrant and militarily capable element.
During the 20th century the use of the Griko language was considered, even by the Griko themselves, as a symbol of backwardness and an obstacle to their progress, parents would discourage their children from speaking the dialect and students who were caught talking Griko in class were chastised. For many years the Griko of Calabria and Puglia have been forgotten. Even in Greece
, Greeks were unaware of their existence.
The Griko national awakening began in Grecia Salentina
through the labors of Vito Domenico Palumbo (1857–1918), a Griko native of the town of Calimera
. Palumbo embarked on to re-establishing cultural contacts with mainland Greece. He studied the folklore, mythology, tales and popular songs of the Griko of Magna Graecia. The revival of attention is also due to the pioneering work of the German linguist and philologist Gerhard Rohlfs
, who contributed much to the documentation and preservation of the Griko language
. Professor Ernesto Aprile of Calimera viewed his community support for preservation and growth of Griko poetry, history, and performance as a civic responsibility until his death in 2008, and published multiple monographs on the subject for local and national dissemination, acting as recognized -- but unofficial -- ambassador to visitors and dignitaries to Calimera and the sea-side sections of Melendugno nearby.
and oral tradition. Griko songs, music
and poetry
are popular in Italy and Greece
and famous music groups from Salento include Ghetonia
and Aramirè
. Also, influential Greek artists such as George Dalaras
, Dionysis Savvopoulos
, Marinella
, Haris Alexiou
and Maria Farantouri
have performed in the Griko language. Every summer in Melpignano
, a small town of Salento, there is the famous Notte della Taranta festival, it is attended by thousands of young people dancing all night to the tune of Pizzica
and Griko Salentino dialect. An increased exposure to mass media has increasingly eroded the Griko culture and language.
is a form of the Greek language
which is spoken by the Griko people in the Magna Graecia
region in southern Italy
. The Griko language
is the distinctive Greek
dialect and ancestral mother-tongue of the Griko people. It is known as Katoitaliotika (Greek: Κατωιταλιώτικα, "Southern Italian") or Grekanika (Γραικάνικα) in Greece and is mutually intelligible to some extent with Standard Modern Greek. The Griko language survived far into the Middle Ages
, although greatly reduced it preserves features, sounds, grammar, and vocabulary of both Ancient Greek
particularly "the common dialect of Ancient Greek" known as Koine and Medieval Byzantine Greek. The Griko language is in a state of attrition
due to language shift
towards Italian
and large-scale internal migration to the cities and subsequent intermingling of the population during the 20th century. The Griko language is classified as severely endangered and the number of Griko people who speak their ancestral language has diminished in recent decades, today it is spoken by roughly 20,000 predominantly elderly people, the youngest fluent speakers tend to be over thirty years old. The Griko language has been influenced more by the Italian than any other Greek dialects. The Italian government does little to protect the progressively eroding language and culture of the Griko people despite Article 6 of the Italian Constitution which authorizes the preservation of ethnic minorities. The use of the Italian language is compulsory in public schools, the Griko language, on the other hand, is not taught to Griko youth at all. The Ndrangheta which is the name of the Calabrian Mafia is a word of Calabrian Greek origin.
the Griko people of southern Italy were adherents to the Greek Orthodox Church
, as were the majority of the Greek peoples who were part of the Byzantine Empire
, however this would soon change. In the 11th century the Normans, overran southern Italy, and soon Bari
, the last Byzantine outpost fell to them. They began a process of Latinization, changing the Greek people’s religious allegiances from Orthodoxy
and the Church of Constantinople to Catholicism
of the Church of Rome
, This was a course of action which ultimately accelerated the assimilation process of countless Greek inhabitants. The Greek clergy eventually adopted Latin for the mass, although Greek resistance to the Latin rite was prolonged in Calabria
. Latin prelates were not established at Cosenza
, Bisignano
and Squillace
until 1093-6. In 1093 the Norman King Roger
attempted to install a Latin archbishop on the overwhelmingly Greek population of Rossano
, however this was a complete failure, a revolt took place in favour of restoring the Greek Orthodox rite. At Crotona and Bova
Gerace
the clergy continued to use the Greek liturgy even though they were under Latin bishops. In Puglia, where the Normans took a less intense attitude to the Latinsation of the people, the Griko people continued to speak the Greek language and to celebrate the Orthodox rite. Some Griko in both Calabria and Apulia remained adherents to the Orthodox church until the early 17th century. Today, the Griko people are mostly Byzantine Catholics belonging to the Catholic Church of Eastern Rite, with a Roman Catholic minority.
A book about the cuisine of the Griko of Salento has been published, entitled Grecia Salentina la Cultura Gastronomica. It features many traditional recipes distinctive to the Grecia Salentina region of southern Apulia.
Kalos Irtate Sti Grecia Salentina - Part 1, Part 2,
Viaggio nella Calabria Greca - Part 1,
Part 2,
Part 3,
Part 4,
Part 5,
Part 6,
Part 7,
Part 8
Calabria
Calabria , in antiquity known as Bruttium, is a region in southern Italy, south of Naples, located at the "toe" of the Italian Peninsula. The capital city of Calabria is Catanzaro....
(Province of Reggio Calabria
Province of Reggio Calabria
The Province of Reggio Calabria is a province in the Calabria region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Reggio., it has an area of 3,183 km², and a total population of 565,866. There are 97 comuni in the province, see Comuni of the Province of Reggio Calabria.- Economy :The region is...
) and Puglia (peninsula of Salento
Salento
Salento is the south-eastern extremity of the Apulia region of Italy. It is a sub-peninsula of the main Italian Peninsula, sometimes described as the "heel" of the Italian "boot"...
), (the old Magna Graecia
Magna Graecia
Magna Græcia is the name of the coastal areas of Southern Italy on the Tarentine Gulf that were extensively colonized by Greek settlers; particularly the Achaean colonies of Tarentum, Crotone, and Sybaris, but also, more loosely, the cities of Cumae and Neapolis to the north...
region). The Griko are believed to be remnants of the once large Ancient
Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek is the stage of the Greek language in the periods spanning the times c. 9th–6th centuries BC, , c. 5th–4th centuries BC , and the c. 3rd century BC – 6th century AD of ancient Greece and the ancient world; being predated in the 2nd millennium BC by Mycenaean Greek...
and Medieval Greek
Medieval Greek
Medieval Greek, also known as Byzantine Greek, is the stage of the Greek language between the beginning of the Middle Ages around 600 and the Ottoman conquest of the city of Constantinople in 1453. The latter date marked the end of the Middle Ages in Southeast Europe...
communities of southern Italy. Greek people have been living in Southern Italy for millennia, initially arriving in Southern Italy in numerous waves of migrations, from the ancient Greek colonisation of Southern Italy and Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
in the 8th century BC through to the Byzantine Greek migrations of the 15th century caused by the Ottoman conquest
Ottoman Greece
Most of Greece gradually became part of the Ottoman Empire from the 15th century until its declaration of independence in 1821, a historical period also known as Tourkokratia ....
. In the Middle Ages Greek regional communities were reduced to isolated enclaves. Although most Greek inhabitants of Southern Italy have become entirely Italianized
Italianization
Italianization or Italianisation is a term used to describe a process of cultural assimilation in which ethnically non or partially Italian people or territory become Italian. The process can be voluntary or forced...
over the centuries, the Griko community has been able to preserve their original Greek identity, heritage, language and distinct culture (the 15% of the surnames in the province of Reggio di Calabria has Greek origin), although exposure to mass media has progressively eroded their culture and language.
The Griko people traditionally spoke the Griko language
Griko language
Griko, sometimes spelled Grico, is a form of the Greek language which is spoken by the Griko people in southern Italy. The Greeks consider it as a Modern Greek dialect and often call it Katoitaliotika or Grekanika...
which is a form of the Greek language
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
. In recent years the number of Griko who speak the Griko language has been greatly reduced; the younger Griko have rapidly shifted to speaking the Italian Language
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
. Today, they are mostly Byzantine Catholics belonging to the Catholic Church of Eastern Rite, with a Roman Catholic minority.
Name
The name Griko derives from the traditional name for Greeks on the Italian peninsula, it is believed to derive from the ancient Hellenic tribe Graecians, who according to legend took their name from GraecusGraecus
Graecus or Græcus was, according to Hesiod's "Eoiae" or Catalogue of Women on the origin of the Greeks, the son of Pandora II and Zeus...
. They were one of the first Greek tribes to colonize Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. The area that came to be known as Magna Graecia
Magna Graecia
Magna Græcia is the name of the coastal areas of Southern Italy on the Tarentine Gulf that were extensively colonized by Greek settlers; particularly the Achaean colonies of Tarentum, Crotone, and Sybaris, but also, more loosely, the cities of Cumae and Neapolis to the north...
took its name after them. The Latins
Latins
"Latins" refers to different groups of people and the meaning of the word changes for where and when it is used.The original Latins were an Italian tribe inhabiting central and south-central Italy. Through conquest by their most populous city-state, Rome, the original Latins culturally "Romanized"...
used this term in reference to all Hellenic people because the first Hellenes
Greeks
The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....
they came into contact with were the Graecians, hence the name Greeks.
Distribution
Bovesia
Bovesia, otherwise known as Grecìa Calabra , is one of the two remaining Griko-speaking areas in southern Italy, the other being Grecìa Salentina. It is located at the tip of Calabria, near Reggio, and consists of nine villages...
lies in very mountainous terrain and is not easily accessible. In recent times, many descendants of the early inhabitants of the area have left the mountains to set up home by the coast. The Griko-speakers of Calabria live in the villages of Bova Superiore, Bova Marina, Roccaforte del Greco, Condofuri, Polizzi, Gallicianò and Mélito di Porto Salvo. In 1999 the Italian Parliament extended the historical Griko territories by Act 482 to include the towns of Palisades, San Lorenzo, Staines, Samo, Montebello Jonico, Bagaladi, Motta San Giovanni, Brancaleone and parts of Reggio. In the Grecia Salentina
Grecìa Salentina
Grecia Salentina is an area in the peninsula of Salento in southern Italy, near the town of Lecce which is inhabited by the Griko people, an ethnic Greek minority living in southern Italy who traditionally spoke a Greek Language dialect also called Griko. It consists of eleven towns and belongs to...
region of Puglia, the Griko-speakers are to be found in the villages of Calimera, Martignano, Martano, Sternatia, Zollino, Corigliano d'Otranto, Soleto, Melpignano and Castrignano dei Greci, although Grico seems to be disappearing from Martignano, Soleto and Melpignano. Towns populated by the Griko people outside of the Bovesia
Bovesia
Bovesia, otherwise known as Grecìa Calabra , is one of the two remaining Griko-speaking areas in southern Italy, the other being Grecìa Salentina. It is located at the tip of Calabria, near Reggio, and consists of nine villages...
and Grecia Salentina
Grecìa Salentina
Grecia Salentina is an area in the peninsula of Salento in southern Italy, near the town of Lecce which is inhabited by the Griko people, an ethnic Greek minority living in southern Italy who traditionally spoke a Greek Language dialect also called Griko. It consists of eleven towns and belongs to...
regions have almost entirely lost knowledge of their original Griko Language, this occurred largely in the late 19th and 20th centuries. Some towns that have lost the knowledge of their Griko mother tongue include the cities of Cardeto
Cardeto
Cardeto is a comune in the Province of Reggio Calabria in the Italian region Calabria, located about 120 km southwest of Catanzaro and about 10 km southeast of Reggio Calabria...
, Montebello
Montebello Ionico
Montebello Ionico is a comune in the Province of Reggio Calabria in the Italian region Calabria, located about 130 km southwest of Catanzaro and about 15 km southeast of Reggio Calabria....
, San Pantaleone and Santa Caterina
Santa Caterina dello Ionio
Santa Caterina dello lonio is a town and comune in the province of Catanzaro in the Calabria region of southernItaly.-Notes and references:...
in Calabria and Cutrofiano
Cutrofiano
Cutrofiano is a town and comune in the province of Lecce in the Apulia region of south-east Italy. It is known for its shoes and ceramic production....
, Curse, Caprarica
Caprarica di Lecce
Caprarica di Lecce is a town and comune in the Italian province of Lecce. It is located in the Apulia region of south-east Italy.Antonio Verri was a poet and writer who was born in the town....
, Cannole, Taviano
Taviano
Taviano is a town and comune in the Italian province of Lecce in the Apulia region of south-east Italy....
and Alliste
Alliste
Alliste is a town and comune in the Italian province of Lecce in the Apulia region of south-east Italy....
in the Salento
Salento
Salento is the south-eastern extremity of the Apulia region of Italy. It is a sub-peninsula of the main Italian Peninsula, sometimes described as the "heel" of the Italian "boot"...
. At a more remote period Greek was also spoken by a Greek population at Galatina
Galatina
Galatina , known before the unification of Italy as San Pietro in Galatina, is a town and comune in the Italian province of Lecce in Apulia.Among the most important cities in Salento, it is situated some 21 km south of the city of Lecce....
and at Catanzaro and Cosenza
Cosenza
Cosenza is a city in southern Italy, located at the confluence of two historic rivers: the Busento and the Crathis. The municipal population is of around 70,000; the urban area, however, counts over 260,000 inhabitants...
.
Villages in Italy
The Griko villages usually have two names, an Italian one as well as a native GrikoGriko language
Griko, sometimes spelled Grico, is a form of the Greek language which is spoken by the Griko people in southern Italy. The Greeks consider it as a Modern Greek dialect and often call it Katoitaliotika or Grekanika...
name by which villagers refer to the town. The Griko villages are typically divided into small "islands" in the areas of southern Italy:
- ApuliaApuliaApulia is a region in Southern Italy bordering the Adriatic Sea in the east, the Ionian Sea to the southeast, and the Strait of Òtranto and Gulf of Taranto in the south. Its most southern portion, known as Salento peninsula, forms a high heel on the "boot" of Italy. The region comprises , and...
- Province of SalentoSalentoSalento is the south-eastern extremity of the Apulia region of Italy. It is a sub-peninsula of the main Italian Peninsula, sometimes described as the "heel" of the Italian "boot"...
(Grecia SalentinaGrecìa SalentinaGrecia Salentina is an area in the peninsula of Salento in southern Italy, near the town of Lecce which is inhabited by the Griko people, an ethnic Greek minority living in southern Italy who traditionally spoke a Greek Language dialect also called Griko. It consists of eleven towns and belongs to...
) - CalimeraCalimeraCalimera is a small town of 7,296 inhabitants in the Grecìa Salentina area of the Salento peninsula in Italy, located between Gallipoli and Otranto. It belongs to the province of Lecce....
- Cannole: è Cànnula
- CapraricaCaprarica di LecceCaprarica di Lecce is a town and comune in the Italian province of Lecce. It is located in the Apulia region of south-east Italy.Antonio Verri was a poet and writer who was born in the town....
- Carpignano Salentino: è Karpignàna
- Castrignano dei Greci: Kastrignàna and Kascignàna
- Corigliano d’Otranto: Choriàna and Koriàna
- Curse
- CutrofianoCutrofianoCutrofiano is a town and comune in the province of Lecce in the Apulia region of south-east Italy. It is known for its shoes and ceramic production....
: è Kutrufiàna - MartanoMartano-Famous people:The list of famous people whom Martano gave birth includes Giuseppe Grassi, who signed the Constitution of Italy in 1948, Salvatore Trinchese, marine biologist of the 19th century and Cosimo Moschettini, agricultural scientist of the Enlightenment....
: è Martana - MartignanoMartignanoMartignano is a small town and comune of 1,770 inhabitants in the province of Lecce in Apulia, Italy. It is part of Salento and is one of the nine towns of Grecìa Salentina, an area where an ancient Greek dialect is spoken.-Famous people:...
: è Martignana - MelpignanoMelpignanoMelpignano is a small town and comune in the province of Lecce in Apulia, Italy. It is one of the nine towns of Grecìa Salentina. Melpignano has a population of 2,209 inhabitants and an area of thus showing a population density of 202,1 inhabitants per square kilometer...
: è Lipignana - SoletoSoletoSoleto is a small Griko-speaking city located in the province of Lecce in Apulia, Italy. The town has a total population of 5,537 and is one of the nine towns of Grecìa Salentina.-History:...
: è Sulítu - SternatiaSternatiaSternatia is a small town and comune in the province of Lecce, Apulia, southern Italy. It is one of the nine towns of Grecìa Salentina....
: è Chora and Starnaìtta - ZollinoZollinoZollino is a small town and comune of 2,194 inhabitants in the province of Lecce in Apulia, Italy. It is one of the nine towns of Grecìa Salentina, which still keeps Greek language and traditions.-History:...
: Tzuddhinu - GalatinaGalatinaGalatina , known before the unification of Italy as San Pietro in Galatina, is a town and comune in the Italian province of Lecce in Apulia.Among the most important cities in Salento, it is situated some 21 km south of the city of Lecce....
- Province of Salento
- Province of SalentoSalentoSalento is the south-eastern extremity of the Apulia region of Italy. It is a sub-peninsula of the main Italian Peninsula, sometimes described as the "heel" of the Italian "boot"...
(outside Grecia Salentina)- AllisteAllisteAlliste is a town and comune in the Italian province of Lecce in the Apulia region of south-east Italy....
- Cellino San MarcoCellino San MarcoCelino San Marco is a comune in the province of Brindisi in Puglia,on the south-east Italy coast. Its main economic activities are tourism and the growing of olives and grapes. It is also the hometown of the famous Italian singer, Albano Carrisi....
- Francavilla FontanaFrancavilla FontanaFrancavilla Fontana is a town and comune in the province of Brindisi . And it's also called "Imperiali Town" after the feudal lords that ruled the town from the end of 16th to 18th century.-Geography:...
' - LecceLecceLecce is a historic city of 95,200 inhabitants in southern Italy, the capital of the province of Lecce, the second province in the region by population, as well as one of the most important cities of Puglia...
(in various regions): Luppìu - ManduriaManduriaManduria is a city and comune of Apulia, Italy, in the province of Taranto. With c. 30,000 inhabitants, it is located 35 km east of Taranto, and 14 km north of the coast.-History:...
- MaruggioMaruggioMaruggio is a small town and comune in the Taranto province in the Apulia region of southeast Italy. In the town there are 5,539 inhabitants.Near Maruggio there are Torricella , Sava , Manduria and Avetrana ....
- San Cesario di LecceSan Cesario di LecceSan Cesario di Lecce is a town and comune in the Italian province of Lecce in the Apulia region of south-east Italy....
- SquinzanoSquinzanoSquinzano is a town and comune in the province of Lecce in the Apulia region of south-east Italy.Squinzano is also a specific area within the Puglia wine region. Squinzano DOC is produced in red and rosé versions, and is obtained principally from the Negro Amaro grape, with a small addition of...
- TavianoTavianoTaviano is a town and comune in the Italian province of Lecce in the Apulia region of south-east Italy....
- VernoleVernoleVernole is a town and comune in the Italian province of Lecce in the Apulia region of south-east Italy....
- Alliste
- CalabriaCalabriaCalabria , in antiquity known as Bruttium, is a region in southern Italy, south of Naples, located at the "toe" of the Italian Peninsula. The capital city of Calabria is Catanzaro....
; Calabrian GreeceBovesiaBovesia, otherwise known as Grecìa Calabra , is one of the two remaining Griko-speaking areas in southern Italy, the other being Grecìa Salentina. It is located at the tip of Calabria, near Reggio, and consists of nine villages...
region- Amendolea: Amiddalia
- ArmoArmoArmo is a comune in the Province of Imperia in the Italian region Liguria, located about 90 km southwest of Genoa and about 25 km northwest of Imperia....
- BagaladiBagaladiBagaladi is a comune in the Province of Reggio Calabria in the Italian region Calabria, located about 120 km southwest of Catanzaro and about 15 km southeast of Reggio Calabria...
: Bagalades - Bova Superiore: Jalo tu Vùa (Βοῦα), i Chora (ἡ Χώρα)
- Bova MarinaBova MarinaBova Marina is a comune in the Province of Reggio Calabria in the Italian region Calabria, located about 120 km southwest of Catanzaro and about 30 km southeast of Reggio Calabria...
: Chòra tu Vùa - Brancaleone
- CardetoCardetoCardeto is a comune in the Province of Reggio Calabria in the Italian region Calabria, located about 120 km southwest of Catanzaro and about 10 km southeast of Reggio Calabria...
: Kardia - Cataforio: Katachòrio
- CondofuriCondofuriCondofuri is a comune in the Province of Reggio Calabria in the Italian region Calabria, located about 120 km southwest of Catanzaro and about 38 km southeast of Reggio Calabria....
: Kontofyria, o Condochòri (Κοντοχώρι «near the village») - GallicianòGallicianòGallicianò is a village in Calabria, southern Italy, administratively a frazione of Condofuri. It has some 200 inhabitants, who are entirely Greek-Calabrian dialect speaking....
- LaganadiLaganadiLaganadi is a comune in the Province of Reggio Calabria in the Italian region Calabria, located about 110 km southwest of Catanzaro and about 10 km northeast of Reggio Calabria...
: Lachanàdi, Lachanàdes - Lubrichi
- Mélito di Porto SalvoMelito di Porto SalvoMelito di Porto Salvo is a comune in the Province of Reggio Calabria in the Italian region Calabria, located about 130 km southwest of Catanzaro and about 25 km southeast of Reggio Calabria; and is also the country's southernmost city...
: Mèlitos or Mèlito - MontebelloMontebello IonicoMontebello Ionico is a comune in the Province of Reggio Calabria in the Italian region Calabria, located about 130 km southwest of Catanzaro and about 15 km southeast of Reggio Calabria....
- Mosorrofa: Messòchora
- Motta San GiovanniMotta San GiovanniMotta San Giovanni is a comune in the Province of Reggio Calabria in the Italian region Calabria, located about 130 km southwest of Catanzaro and about 13 km southeast of Reggio Calabria....
- PalizziPalizziPalizzi is a comune in the Province of Reggio Calabria in the Italian region Calabria, located about 120 km southwest of Catanzaro and about 30 km southeast of Reggio Calabria...
: Spiròpoli - Paracorio merged in 1878 with the town of Pedovoli into the present town of DelianuovaDelianuovaDelianuova is a comune in the Province of Reggio Calabria in the Italian region Calabria, located about 90 km southwest of Catanzaro and about 25 km northeast of Reggio Calabria...
: Dhelia - PentedattiloPentedattiloPentedattilo is a ghost town in Calabria, southern Italy, administratively a frazione of Melito di Porto Salvo. Until 1811, before the unification of Italy, it was a separate commune...
- Podàrgoni: Podàrghoni
- PolistenaPolistenaPolistena is a comune in the Province of Reggio Calabria in the Italian region Calabria, located about 70 km southwest of Catanzaro and about 50 km northeast of Reggio Calabria...
- Roccaforte del GrecoRoccaforte del GrecoRoccaforte del Greco is a comune in the Province of Reggio Calabria in the Italian region Calabria, located about 110 km southwest of Catanzaro and about 20 km southeast of Reggio Calabria....
: Vuni (Βουνί «Mountain») - RoghudiRoghudiRoghudi is a comune in the Province of Reggio Calabria in the Italian region Calabria, located about 130 km southwest of Catanzaro and about 20 km southeast of Reggio Calabria....
: Roghudion, Choriò, Richudi (ῥηχώδης «rock») - Samo: Samu
- San Pantaleone
- San Lorenzo
- Santa CaterinaSanta Caterina dello IonioSanta Caterina dello lonio is a town and comune in the province of Catanzaro in the Calabria region of southernItaly.-Notes and references:...
- San. GiorgioSan Giorgio MorgetoSan Giorgio Morgeto is a comune in the Province of Reggio Calabria in the Italian region Calabria, located about 70 km southwest of Catanzaro and about 50 km northeast of Reggio Calabria...
- ScidoScidoScido is a comune in the Province of Reggio Calabria in the Italian region Calabria, located about 90 km southwest of Catanzaro and about 30 km northeast of Reggio Calabria...
: Skidous - SinopoliSinopoliSinopoli is a comune in the Province of Reggio Calabria in the Italian region Calabria, located about 90 km southwest of Catanzaro and about 30 km northeast of Reggio Calabria...
: Xenòpolis, Sinopolis - Sitizzano
- StaitiStaitiStaiti is a comune in the Province of Reggio Calabria in the Italian region Calabria, located about 110 km southwest of Catanzaro and about 35 km southeast of Reggio Calabria. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 335 and an area of 15.9 km².Staiti borders the following...
: Stàti
- La Piana di Monteleone region
- Calimera
- DinamiDinamiDinami is a comune in the Province of Vibo Valentia in the Italian region Calabria, located about 90 km southwest of Catanzaro and about 32 km southeast of Vibo Valentia...
: Dynamis - FilandariFilandariFilandari is a comune in the Province of Vibo Valentia in the Italian region Calabria, located about 60 km southwest of Catanzaro and about 7 km southwest of Vibo Valentia...
: Philandaris - Garopoli
- IerocarneGerocarneGerocarne is a comune in the Province of Vibo Valentia in the Italian region Calabria, located about 50 km southwest of Catanzaro and about 15 km southeast of Vibo Valentia...
- IonadiJonadiJonadi is a comune in the Province of Vibo Valentia in the Italian region Calabria, located about 60 km southwest of Catanzaro and about 5 km southwest of Vibo Valentia...
: Ionades - Orsigliadi
- Papaglionti
- Paravati
- Potame
- MelicucaMelicuccàMelicuccà is a comune in the Province of Reggio Calabria in the Italian region Calabria, located about 90 km southwest of Catanzaro and about 30 km northeast of Reggio Calabria....
: Melikukià - Mesima
- Stefanoconi
- Triparni
Official status
The Italian parliamentParliament
A parliament is a legislature, especially in those countries whose system of government is based on the Westminster system modeled after that of the United Kingdom. The name is derived from the French , the action of parler : a parlement is a discussion. The term came to mean a meeting at which...
has recognized the Griko community of Reggio Calabria and Salento as an ethnic and linguistic
Linguistics
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. Linguistics can be broadly broken into three categories or subfields of study: language form, language meaning, and language in context....
minority
Minority language
A minority language is a language spoken by a minority of the population of a territory. Such people are termed linguistic minorities or language minorities.-International politics:...
, under the name of "Minoranze linguistiche Grike dell'Etnia Griko-Calabrese e Salentina" (linguistic minority of the Griko-Calabrian and Salentinian ethnicity).
History
Early migrations
The first Greek contacts with Italy are attested since prehistoric period, when Mycenaean Greeks established settlements in Central and Southern Italy and Sicily. In ancient times the Italian PeninsulaItalian Peninsula
The Italian Peninsula or Apennine Peninsula is one of the three large peninsulas of Southern Europe , spanning from the Po Valley in the north to the central Mediterranean Sea in the south. The peninsula's shape gives it the nickname Lo Stivale...
south of Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
including the coasts of Calabria
Calabria
Calabria , in antiquity known as Bruttium, is a region in southern Italy, south of Naples, located at the "toe" of the Italian Peninsula. The capital city of Calabria is Catanzaro....
, Lucania
Lucania
Lucania was an ancient district of southern Italy, extending from the Tyrrhenian Sea to the Gulf of Taranto. To the north it adjoined Campania, Samnium and Apulia, and to the south it was separated by a narrow isthmus from the district of Bruttium...
, Apulia
Apulia
Apulia is a region in Southern Italy bordering the Adriatic Sea in the east, the Ionian Sea to the southeast, and the Strait of Òtranto and Gulf of Taranto in the south. Its most southern portion, known as Salento peninsula, forms a high heel on the "boot" of Italy. The region comprises , and...
, Campania
Campania
Campania is a region in southern Italy. The region has a population of around 5.8 million people, making it the second-most-populous region of Italy; its total area of 13,590 km² makes it the most densely populated region in the country...
and Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
were colonized by the Ancient Greeks beginning in the 8th century BCE. The Greek settlements were so densely collected there that during the Classical period the region came to be called Magna Graecia
Magna Graecia
Magna Græcia is the name of the coastal areas of Southern Italy on the Tarentine Gulf that were extensively colonized by Greek settlers; particularly the Achaean colonies of Tarentum, Crotone, and Sybaris, but also, more loosely, the cities of Cumae and Neapolis to the north...
(Greater Greece). Greeks continued to migrate to these regions in many waves from antiquity until as late as the Byzantine
Byzantine
Byzantine usually refers to the Roman Empire during the Middle Ages.Byzantine may also refer to:* A citizen of the Byzantine Empire, or native Greek during the Middle Ages...
migrations of 15th century.
Later migrations
During the Early Middle AgesEarly Middle Ages
The Early Middle Ages was the period of European history lasting from the 5th century to approximately 1000. The Early Middle Ages followed the decline of the Western Roman Empire and preceded the High Middle Ages...
, following the disastrous Gothic War
Gothic War (535–552)
The Gothic War between the Eastern Roman Empire and the Ostrogothic Kingdom of Italy was fought from 535 until 554 in Italy, Dalmatia, Sardinia, Sicily and Corsica. It is commonly divided into two phases. The first phase lasted from 535 to 540 and ended with the fall of Ravenna and the apparent...
, new waves of Greeks
Greeks
The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....
came to Magna Graecia from Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
and Asia Minor
Asia Minor
Asia Minor is a geographical location at the westernmost protrusion of Asia, also called Anatolia, and corresponds to the western two thirds of the Asian part of Turkey...
, as Southern Italy remained loosely governed by the Byzantine Empire
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
. The iconoclast emperor Leo III appropriated lands that had been granted to the Papacy in southern Italy and the Eastern Emperor loosely governed the area until the advent of the Lombards
Lombards
The Lombards , also referred to as Longobards, were a Germanic tribe of Scandinavian origin, who from 568 to 774 ruled a Kingdom in Italy...
then, in the form of the Catapanate of Italy
Catapanate of Italy
The Catepanate of Italy was a province of the Byzantine Empire, comprising mainland Italy south of a line drawn from Monte Gargano to the Gulf of Salerno. Amalfi and Naples, although north of that line, maintained allegiance to Constantinople through the catepan...
, superseded by the Normans. Moreover the Byzantines would have found in Southern Italy people of common cultural root, the Greek-speaking eredi ellenofoni of Magna Graecia. The Greek language never died out entirely in south Italy, though the area in which it was spoken was significantly reduced by the progression of Latin. Records of Magna Graecia being predominantly Greek-speaking, date as late as the eleventh century (the end of Byzantine domination in Southern Italy).
By the end of the Middle Ages large parts of Calabria
Calabria
Calabria , in antiquity known as Bruttium, is a region in southern Italy, south of Naples, located at the "toe" of the Italian Peninsula. The capital city of Calabria is Catanzaro....
, Lucania
Lucania
Lucania was an ancient district of southern Italy, extending from the Tyrrhenian Sea to the Gulf of Taranto. To the north it adjoined Campania, Samnium and Apulia, and to the south it was separated by a narrow isthmus from the district of Bruttium...
, Apulia
Apulia
Apulia is a region in Southern Italy bordering the Adriatic Sea in the east, the Ionian Sea to the southeast, and the Strait of Òtranto and Gulf of Taranto in the south. Its most southern portion, known as Salento peninsula, forms a high heel on the "boot" of Italy. The region comprises , and...
, and Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
continued to speak Greek as their mother tongue. During the 13th century a French chronicler passing through the whole of Calabria stated that “the peasants of Calabria spoke nothing but Greek”. In 1368 the Italian scholar Petrarch
Petrarch
Francesco Petrarca , known in English as Petrarch, was an Italian scholar, poet and one of the earliest humanists. Petrarch is often called the "Father of Humanism"...
recommended a stay in Calabria to a student who needed to improve his knowledge of Greek
Greeks
The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....
. The Griko people were the dominant population element of some regions of Calabria
Calabria
Calabria , in antiquity known as Bruttium, is a region in southern Italy, south of Naples, located at the "toe" of the Italian Peninsula. The capital city of Calabria is Catanzaro....
and the Salento
Salento
Salento is the south-eastern extremity of the Apulia region of Italy. It is a sub-peninsula of the main Italian Peninsula, sometimes described as the "heel" of the Italian "boot"...
until the 16th century. During the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries a slow process of Catholicization and Latinization of the Greek populations of southern Italy and Sicily would reduce the Greek language and culture further. Antonio de Ferraris
Antonio de Ferraris
Antonio De Ferraris , , also called by the epithet Galateus was a Greek southern Italian scholar, academic, doctor and humanist...
, a Greek born in Galatone
Galatone
Galatone is a town and comune located in Salento, in the province of Lecce , ancient seat of the Marquess of Galatone.-History:...
in 1444, observed how the inhabitants of Kallipoli (Gallipoli
Gallipoli
The Gallipoli peninsula is located in Turkish Thrace , the European part of Turkey, with the Aegean Sea to the west and the Dardanelles straits to the east. Gallipoli derives its name from the Greek "Καλλίπολις" , meaning "Beautiful City"...
in Apulia
Apulia
Apulia is a region in Southern Italy bordering the Adriatic Sea in the east, the Ionian Sea to the southeast, and the Strait of Òtranto and Gulf of Taranto in the south. Its most southern portion, known as Salento peninsula, forms a high heel on the "boot" of Italy. The region comprises , and...
) as still conversing in their original Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
mother tongue, he indicated that the Greek classical tradition had remained alive in this region of Italy and that the population is probably of Lacedaemonian (Spartan) stock. The Greek of Southern Italy, although greatly reduced, remained active in isolated enclaves in Calabria and Puglia.
Even after the Middle Ages there were sporadic migrations from mainland Greece. Thus, considerable numbers of refuges entered the region in the 16th and 17th centuries. This happened in reaction to the conquest of the Peloponnese by the Ottomans
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
. Especially after the fall of Coroni (1534) large numbers of Greeks and Albanians sought, and were granted, refuge in the areas of Calabria, Salento and Sicily. The Greeks from Coroni—the so called Coronians—belonged to the nobility and brought with them substantial movable property. They were granted special privileges and given tax exemptions. Another part of the Greeks that moved to Italy came from the Mani region
Mani Peninsula
The Mani Peninsula , also long known as Maina or Maïna, is a geographical and cultural region in Greece. Mani is the central peninsula of the three which extend southwards from the Peloponnese in southern Greece. To the east is the Laconian Gulf, to the west the Messenian Gulf...
of the Peloponnese. The Maniots
Maniots
The Maniots or Maniates are the Greek inhabitants of the Mani Peninsula located in the southern Peloponnese in the Greek prefecture of Laconia and prefecture of Messinia. They were also formerly known as Mainotes and the peninsula as Maina. The Maniots are the direct descendants of the Spartans...
were known for their proud military traditions and for their bloody vendettas (another portion of these Greeks moved to Corsica
Corsica
Corsica is an island in the Mediterranean Sea. It is located west of Italy, southeast of the French mainland, and north of the island of Sardinia....
-especially Cargèse
Cargèse
Cargèse is a village and commune in the Corse-du-Sud department of France on the west coast of the island of Corsica, 27 km north of Ajaccio...
-; cf. the Corsican vendettas). These migrations strengthened the depopulated Italian south with a culturally vibrant and militarily capable element.
During the 20th century the use of the Griko language was considered, even by the Griko themselves, as a symbol of backwardness and an obstacle to their progress, parents would discourage their children from speaking the dialect and students who were caught talking Griko in class were chastised. For many years the Griko of Calabria and Puglia have been forgotten. Even in Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, Greeks were unaware of their existence.
Griko National Awakening
"We are not ashamed of our race, Greeks we are, and we glory in it" |
| Antonio de Ferraris Antonio de Ferraris Antonio De Ferraris , , also called by the epithet Galateus was a Greek southern Italian scholar, academic, doctor and humanist... (c. 1444–1517), Galatone Galatone Galatone is a town and comune located in Salento, in the province of Lecce , ancient seat of the Marquess of Galatone.-History:... , Puglia Italy. |
The Griko national awakening began in Grecia Salentina
Grecìa Salentina
Grecia Salentina is an area in the peninsula of Salento in southern Italy, near the town of Lecce which is inhabited by the Griko people, an ethnic Greek minority living in southern Italy who traditionally spoke a Greek Language dialect also called Griko. It consists of eleven towns and belongs to...
through the labors of Vito Domenico Palumbo (1857–1918), a Griko native of the town of Calimera
Calimera
Calimera is a small town of 7,296 inhabitants in the Grecìa Salentina area of the Salento peninsula in Italy, located between Gallipoli and Otranto. It belongs to the province of Lecce....
. Palumbo embarked on to re-establishing cultural contacts with mainland Greece. He studied the folklore, mythology, tales and popular songs of the Griko of Magna Graecia. The revival of attention is also due to the pioneering work of the German linguist and philologist Gerhard Rohlfs
Gerhard Rohlfs
Gerhard Rohlfs was a German linguist. He taught Romance languages and literature at the universities of Tübingen and Munich in Germany. He was described as an "archeologist of words"....
, who contributed much to the documentation and preservation of the Griko language
Griko language
Griko, sometimes spelled Grico, is a form of the Greek language which is spoken by the Griko people in southern Italy. The Greeks consider it as a Modern Greek dialect and often call it Katoitaliotika or Grekanika...
. Professor Ernesto Aprile of Calimera viewed his community support for preservation and growth of Griko poetry, history, and performance as a civic responsibility until his death in 2008, and published multiple monographs on the subject for local and national dissemination, acting as recognized -- but unofficial -- ambassador to visitors and dignitaries to Calimera and the sea-side sections of Melendugno nearby.
Culture
The Griko people have a rich folkloreFolklore
Folklore consists of legends, music, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs, fairy tales and customs that are the traditions of a culture, subculture, or group. It is also the set of practices through which those expressive genres are shared. The study of folklore is sometimes called...
and oral tradition. Griko songs, music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
and poetry
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
are popular in Italy and Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
and famous music groups from Salento include Ghetonia
Ghetonia
Ghetonia is a cultural group based in Calimera, Grecìa Salentina in southern Italy dedicated to preserving the music, poetry, language and folklore of the Griko-speaking people of Salento....
and Aramirè
Aramirè
Aramirè is music group from Salento, Italy, specializing in various forms of local traditional music:* The pizzica version of the Tarantella,* songs of the Grecìa Salentina region,* traditional love songs,* and polyphonic songs of love and labour....
. Also, influential Greek artists such as George Dalaras
George Dalaras
George Dalaras , also possibly spelled as Yorgos or Giorgos Dalaras, is a Greek singer. He is of international fame and has recently been selected as a Goodwill Ambassador for the UN Refugee Agency. He was born in Nea Kokinia, Piraeus. His father was Loukas Daralas, a singer of rebetiko.-Early...
, Dionysis Savvopoulos
Dionysis Savvopoulos
Dionysis Savvopoulos is a Greek music composer, lyricist and singer.He was born in Thessaloniki. In 1963 he moved to Athens, terminating his law studies in favour of his career in music...
, Marinella
Marinella
Marinella is one of the most popular Greek singers whose career has spanned several decades. She has sung professionally since 1957. Since the beginning of her career, she has released 66 personal albums and has been featured in albums of other musicians.-Early life:She was born Kyriaki...
, Haris Alexiou
Haris Alexiou
Haris Alexiou is a Greek singer. She is considered one of the most popular singers in Greece and has been commercially successful since the 1970s. She has worked with important Greek songwriters and composers, has performed at top musical theatres all over the world and has received several awards...
and Maria Farantouri
Maria Farantouri
Maria Farantouri was born in Athens on 28 November 1947. She is a Greek singer and also a political and cultural activist. She has collaborated with prominent Greek composers such as Mikis Theodorakis, who wrote the score for Pablo Neruda's Canto General, which Farantouri performed...
have performed in the Griko language. Every summer in Melpignano
Melpignano
Melpignano is a small town and comune in the province of Lecce in Apulia, Italy. It is one of the nine towns of Grecìa Salentina. Melpignano has a population of 2,209 inhabitants and an area of thus showing a population density of 202,1 inhabitants per square kilometer...
, a small town of Salento, there is the famous Notte della Taranta festival, it is attended by thousands of young people dancing all night to the tune of Pizzica
Pizzica
Pizzica is a popular Italian folk dance, originally from the Salento peninsula and later spreading throughout all the Puglia region, the Corsica region and eastern Basilicata. It is part of the larger family of tarantella dances.-Dancing the pizzica:The traditional pizzica is danced while...
and Griko Salentino dialect. An increased exposure to mass media has increasingly eroded the Griko culture and language.
Language
The Griko languageGriko language
Griko, sometimes spelled Grico, is a form of the Greek language which is spoken by the Griko people in southern Italy. The Greeks consider it as a Modern Greek dialect and often call it Katoitaliotika or Grekanika...
is a form of the Greek language
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
which is spoken by the Griko people in the Magna Graecia
Magna Graecia
Magna Græcia is the name of the coastal areas of Southern Italy on the Tarentine Gulf that were extensively colonized by Greek settlers; particularly the Achaean colonies of Tarentum, Crotone, and Sybaris, but also, more loosely, the cities of Cumae and Neapolis to the north...
region in southern Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. The Griko language
Griko language
Griko, sometimes spelled Grico, is a form of the Greek language which is spoken by the Griko people in southern Italy. The Greeks consider it as a Modern Greek dialect and often call it Katoitaliotika or Grekanika...
is the distinctive Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
dialect and ancestral mother-tongue of the Griko people. It is known as Katoitaliotika (Greek: Κατωιταλιώτικα, "Southern Italian") or Grekanika (Γραικάνικα) in Greece and is mutually intelligible to some extent with Standard Modern Greek. The Griko language survived far into the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
, although greatly reduced it preserves features, sounds, grammar, and vocabulary of both Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek is the stage of the Greek language in the periods spanning the times c. 9th–6th centuries BC, , c. 5th–4th centuries BC , and the c. 3rd century BC – 6th century AD of ancient Greece and the ancient world; being predated in the 2nd millennium BC by Mycenaean Greek...
particularly "the common dialect of Ancient Greek" known as Koine and Medieval Byzantine Greek. The Griko language is in a state of attrition
Language attrition
Language attrition is the loss of a first or second language or a portion of that language by individuals. Speakers who routinely use more than one language may not use either of their languages in ways which are exactly like that of a monolingual speaker...
due to language shift
Language shift
Language shift, sometimes referred to as language transfer or language replacement or assimilation, is the progressive process whereby a speech community of a language shifts to speaking another language. The rate of assimilation is the percentage of individuals with a given mother tongue who speak...
towards Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
and large-scale internal migration to the cities and subsequent intermingling of the population during the 20th century. The Griko language is classified as severely endangered and the number of Griko people who speak their ancestral language has diminished in recent decades, today it is spoken by roughly 20,000 predominantly elderly people, the youngest fluent speakers tend to be over thirty years old. The Griko language has been influenced more by the Italian than any other Greek dialects. The Italian government does little to protect the progressively eroding language and culture of the Griko people despite Article 6 of the Italian Constitution which authorizes the preservation of ethnic minorities. The use of the Italian language is compulsory in public schools, the Griko language, on the other hand, is not taught to Griko youth at all. The Ndrangheta which is the name of the Calabrian Mafia is a word of Calabrian Greek origin.
Religion
During the Middle AgesMiddle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
the Griko people of southern Italy were adherents to the Greek Orthodox Church
Greek Orthodox Church
The Greek Orthodox Church is the body of several churches within the larger communion of Eastern Orthodox Christianity sharing a common cultural tradition whose liturgy is also traditionally conducted in Koine Greek, the original language of the New Testament...
, as were the majority of the Greek peoples who were part of the Byzantine Empire
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
, however this would soon change. In the 11th century the Normans, overran southern Italy, and soon Bari
Bari
Bari is the capital city of the province of Bari and of the Apulia region, on the Adriatic Sea, in Italy. It is the second most important economic centre of mainland Southern Italy after Naples, and is well known as a port and university city, as well as the city of Saint Nicholas...
, the last Byzantine outpost fell to them. They began a process of Latinization, changing the Greek people’s religious allegiances from Orthodoxy
Orthodoxy
The word orthodox, from Greek orthos + doxa , is generally used to mean the adherence to accepted norms, more specifically to creeds, especially in religion...
and the Church of Constantinople to Catholicism
Catholicism
Catholicism is a broad term for the body of the Catholic faith, its theologies and doctrines, its liturgical, ethical, spiritual, and behavioral characteristics, as well as a religious people as a whole....
of the Church of Rome
Church of Rome
Holy Roman Church, Roman Church, or Church of Rome may, in modern contexts, mean:* the Diocese of Rome or the Holy See; or* the Latin Church; or* the Catholic Church.In historical contexts Roman Church may also refer to...
, This was a course of action which ultimately accelerated the assimilation process of countless Greek inhabitants. The Greek clergy eventually adopted Latin for the mass, although Greek resistance to the Latin rite was prolonged in Calabria
Calabria
Calabria , in antiquity known as Bruttium, is a region in southern Italy, south of Naples, located at the "toe" of the Italian Peninsula. The capital city of Calabria is Catanzaro....
. Latin prelates were not established at Cosenza
Cosenza
Cosenza is a city in southern Italy, located at the confluence of two historic rivers: the Busento and the Crathis. The municipal population is of around 70,000; the urban area, however, counts over 260,000 inhabitants...
, Bisignano
Bisignano
Bisignano is a town and comune in the province of Cosenza, part of in the Calabria region of southern Italy. It is situated on hills in the Crati valley, between the Pollino and Sila National Parks .-History:...
and Squillace
Squillace
Squillace is an ancient seaside town and comune, in the Province of Catanzaro, part of Calabria, southern Italy, facing the Gulf of Squillace....
until 1093-6. In 1093 the Norman King Roger
Roger I of Sicily
Roger I , called Bosso and the Great Count, was the Norman Count of Sicily from 1071 to 1101. He was the last great leader of the Norman conquest of southern Italy.-Conquest of Calabria and Sicily:...
attempted to install a Latin archbishop on the overwhelmingly Greek population of Rossano
Rossano
Rossano is a town and comune in Southern Italy, in the province of Cosenza . The city is situated on an eminence c. 3. km from the Gulf of Taranto. The town is known for its marble and alabaster quarries....
, however this was a complete failure, a revolt took place in favour of restoring the Greek Orthodox rite. At Crotona and Bova
Bova
VDL Bova, better known as Bova, is a luxury coachbuilder based in Eindhoven, Netherlands which began building coaches in 1931. In particular, it is well known for the Bova Futura, a streamlined coach, often with a DAF engine, which was first introduced in the 1980s and continues in a similar form...
Gerace
Gerace
Gerace is a town and comune in the province of Reggio Calabria, Calabria, Italy.Gerace is located some 10 km inland from Locri, yet the latter town and the Sea can be seen from Gerace's perch atop a 500 m vertical rock...
the clergy continued to use the Greek liturgy even though they were under Latin bishops. In Puglia, where the Normans took a less intense attitude to the Latinsation of the people, the Griko people continued to speak the Greek language and to celebrate the Orthodox rite. Some Griko in both Calabria and Apulia remained adherents to the Orthodox church until the early 17th century. Today, the Griko people are mostly Byzantine Catholics belonging to the Catholic Church of Eastern Rite, with a Roman Catholic minority.
Literature
"Our roots are Greek but we are in Italy. Our blood is Greek but we are Grecanici" |
| Mimo Nicura, Calabria, 2001. |
Cuisine
During many centuries of cohabitation there was an exchange of knowledge between Griko and Southern Italians in the art of cooking. The Griko are traditionally producers of cereals, vegetables, olives and legumes. Local Griko cuisine does not differ greatly from the local Italian population, however there local regional variations. Many typical Griko dishes are still in use among them. Some of them are mentioned below.- Pitta and Lestopitta - a traditional Greek-Calabrian bread from the BovesiaBovesiaBovesia, otherwise known as Grecìa Calabra , is one of the two remaining Griko-speaking areas in southern Italy, the other being Grecìa Salentina. It is located at the tip of Calabria, near Reggio, and consists of nine villages...
region
- Ciceri e ttrìa - A form of TagliatelleTagliatelleTagliatelle and tagliolini are a traditional type of pasta from Emilia-Romagna and Marches, regions of Italy. Individual pieces of tagliatelle are long, flat ribbons that are similar in shape to fettuccine and are typically about 0.65 cm to 1 cm wide...
served with Chickpeas. Traditionally this dish was consumed on the feast of Saint JosephSaint JosephSaint Joseph is a figure in the Gospels, the husband of the Virgin Mary and the earthly father of Jesus Christ ....
on 19 March in Grecia Salentina.
- Cranu stompatu - a wheat dish, prepared in a simple way, by soaking and pounding the wheat
- ricchiteddhe - type of macaroniMacaroniMacaroni is a variety of moderately extended, machine-made, dry pasta made with durum wheat. Macaroni noodles do not contain eggs, and are normally cut in short, hollow shapes; however, the term refers not to the shape of the pasta, but to the kind of dough from which the noodle is made...
- minchiarieddhi - a type of long macaroniMacaroniMacaroni is a variety of moderately extended, machine-made, dry pasta made with durum wheat. Macaroni noodles do not contain eggs, and are normally cut in short, hollow shapes; however, the term refers not to the shape of the pasta, but to the kind of dough from which the noodle is made...
- sagne ncannulate - a wide tagliatelleTagliatelleTagliatelle and tagliolini are a traditional type of pasta from Emilia-Romagna and Marches, regions of Italy. Individual pieces of tagliatelle are long, flat ribbons that are similar in shape to fettuccine and are typically about 0.65 cm to 1 cm wide...
up to inch and a half
- triddhi - irregular shaped pasta, specifically used for making BrothBrothBroth is a liquid food preparation, typically consisting of either water or an already flavored stock, in which bones, meat, fish, cereal grains, or vegetables have been simmered. Broth is used as a basis for other edible liquids such as soup, gravy, or sauce. It can be eaten alone or with garnish...
- Ricchiteddhe cu lle rape - OrecchietteOrecchietteOrecchiette is a kind of home-made pasta typical of Puglia or Apulia, a region of Southern Italy. Its name comes from its shape, which reminds one of a small ear. In Italian orecchio means ear, and the suffix 'etto' means 'small'. In the vernacular of Taranto it is called recchietedd, or...
with turnip, a popular dish in Grecia Salentina
- Turcinieddhi - a type of tripeTripeTripe is a type of edible offal from the stomachs of various farm animals.-Beef tripe:...
which includes grilled sheep innards
- Mendulata te cranu - a dessert similar to PastieraPastieraPastiera is a type of Italian cake made with ricotta cheese. It originates from the area of Naples. It is a typical cake during Easter time.-Mythical origins:...
, filled with cream cheese, honey, sugar and vanilla
- Le Cuddhure - a traditional Griko cake made during Easter, from the Greek Koulouri
- Tiaulicchiu - Hot Chili pepperChili pepperChili pepper is the fruit of plants from the genus Capsicum, members of the nightshade family, Solanaceae. The term in British English and in Australia, New Zealand, India, Malaysia and other Asian countries is just chilli without pepper.Chili peppers originated in the Americas...
s, extensively eaten throughout Grecia Salentina, they are usually stored dry, or preserved in jars of oil, with the addition of slivers of garlicGarlicAllium sativum, commonly known as garlic, is a species in the onion genus, Allium. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chive, and rakkyo. Dating back over 6,000 years, garlic is native to central Asia, and has long been a staple in the Mediterranean region, as well as a frequent...
, mint, and capers
- Sceblasti - a traditional type of hand made bread from the Grecia Salentina region.
- Aggute - a traditional Greek-Calabrian Easter bread from the BovesiaBovesiaBovesia, otherwise known as Grecìa Calabra , is one of the two remaining Griko-speaking areas in southern Italy, the other being Grecìa Salentina. It is located at the tip of Calabria, near Reggio, and consists of nine villages...
region, it is prepared with a mixture of flour, eggs and butter and the surface is decrated with painted hard boiled eggs, similar to the Greek TsourekiTsourekiTsoureki , çörek , panarët , choreg , or çörək is a sweet bread in the cuisines of the Balkans, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia. It is formed of braided strands of dough...
- Scardateddhi - traditional Greek-Calabrian wedding sweets, made from flour, honey and anise seeds which are shaped like small doughnuts. They are then cooked in boiling water, and sprinkled with brown sugar before being served.
A book about the cuisine of the Griko of Salento has been published, entitled Grecia Salentina la Cultura Gastronomica. It features many traditional recipes distinctive to the Grecia Salentina region of southern Apulia.
Notable Griko
- Pope John VIIPope John VIIPope John VII was pope from 705 to 707. The successor of John VI, he was of Greek ancestry. He is one of the popes of the Byzantine captivity.-Biography:...
(c. 650 – 707) - Nilus the Younger (c. 910 - 1005), a saintSaintA saint is a holy person. In various religions, saints are people who are believed to have exceptional holiness.In Christian usage, "saint" refers to any believer who is "in Christ", and in whom Christ dwells, whether in heaven or in earth...
born to a Greek family in RossanoRossanoRossano is a town and comune in Southern Italy, in the province of Cosenza . The city is situated on an eminence c. 3. km from the Gulf of Taranto. The town is known for its marble and alabaster quarries....
. - Antipope John XVIAntipope John XVIJohn XVI , born , , was an antipope from 997 to 998.-Life:He was born of Greek descent and was a native of Rossano in Calabria, southern Italy. At the time the region was a territory of the Byzantine Empire and John was the chaplain of Theophanu, the Empress consort of Emperor Otto II , who had...
(ca. 945 – 1001), of Greek origin from RossanoRossanoRossano is a town and comune in Southern Italy, in the province of Cosenza . The city is situated on an eminence c. 3. km from the Gulf of Taranto. The town is known for its marble and alabaster quarries....
, CalabriaCalabriaCalabria , in antiquity known as Bruttium, is a region in southern Italy, south of Naples, located at the "toe" of the Italian Peninsula. The capital city of Calabria is Catanzaro....
. - Barlaam of Seminara (c. 1290 - 1348), AristotelianAristotleAristotle was a Greek philosopher and polymath, a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great. His writings cover many subjects, including physics, metaphysics, poetry, theater, music, logic, rhetoric, linguistics, politics, government, ethics, biology, and zoology...
scholastic scholar and clergyman of the 14th century. - Leontius Pilatus (died 1366), Greek Calabrian scholar, was one of the earliest promoters of Greek studies in Western Europe.
- Antonio de FerrarisAntonio de FerrarisAntonio De Ferraris , , also called by the epithet Galateus was a Greek southern Italian scholar, academic, doctor and humanist...
(c. 1444 – 1517), Greek scholar, academic, doctor and humanist from GalatoneGalatoneGalatone is a town and comune located in Salento, in the province of Lecce , ancient seat of the Marquess of Galatone.-History:...
, ApuliaApuliaApulia is a region in Southern Italy bordering the Adriatic Sea in the east, the Ionian Sea to the southeast, and the Strait of Òtranto and Gulf of Taranto in the south. Its most southern portion, known as Salento peninsula, forms a high heel on the "boot" of Italy. The region comprises , and...
. - Vito Domenico Palumbo (c. 1854 - 1918), writer and poet.
- Domenicano Tondi (1885 - 1965), writer and poet.
Videos
- Documentary on the Griko community of SalentoSalentoSalento is the south-eastern extremity of the Apulia region of Italy. It is a sub-peninsula of the main Italian Peninsula, sometimes described as the "heel" of the Italian "boot"...
(in Greek and Italian ):
Kalos Irtate Sti Grecia Salentina - Part 1, Part 2,
- Documentary on the Griko Community of CalabriaCalabriaCalabria , in antiquity known as Bruttium, is a region in southern Italy, south of Naples, located at the "toe" of the Italian Peninsula. The capital city of Calabria is Catanzaro....
(Subtitles in Greek and Italian. 60mns):
Viaggio nella Calabria Greca - Part 1,
Part 2,
Part 3,
Part 4,
Part 5,
Part 6,
Part 7,
Part 8
External links
- Grika milume! An online Griko community
- Enosi Griko, Coordination of Grecìa Salentina Associations
- Mi mu cuddise pedimmo ("Don't reproach me, my son"), a song in the Griko language performed by a local
- Paleariza 2009 Bova Grico di Calabria