L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2022 www.italoamericano.org 16 L'Italo-Americano C alabria is known for the beauty of its landscape, its f o o d a n d f o r i t s historical connec- tions with Ancient Greece. The region was one of the richest colonies of Magna Graecia,_° and Hellenic culture is still deeply entrenched in some a r e a s , w h e r e G r e e k - b a s e d dialects are still spoken today. Not many, however, know about the connection between Calabria and another neighbor of ours, Albania, a connec- tion that has in the village of Civita and its dialect one of its most vivid representatives. Civita is a small village of about 1,000, in the Cosenza province of Calabria, located in the natural reserve of the Gole del Raganello, within the National Park of Pollino. Just like in the neighboring v i l l a g e s o f E j a n i n a a n d Frascineto, the people of Civi- ta speak Arbëreshe, a dialect used exclusively by the Alban- i a n m i n o r i t i e s o f t h e B e l Paese. In the province of Cosenza, 25 villages and towns belong to the Arbëreshe community, and Civita is one of them. It w a s f o u n d e d i n 1 4 7 1 b y Albanian refugees who fled t h e i r c o u n t r y t o e s c a p e Ottoman conquest. In this quietly beautiful part of Cal- abria, they found protection in Irene Castriota Skander- b e g , w i f e o f t h e P r i n c e o f Bisignano and a relative of Gjergj Kastrioti Skanderbeg, a 15th-century Albanian hero. Here, the Albanian communi- ty flourished, keeping their language, habits and tradi- t i o n s a l i v e , i n c l u d i n g t h e Greek-Byzantine rite, which is still utilized in the local church o f S a n t a M a r i a A s s u n t a today. S o m e s a y t h a t t h e toponym Civita may come from the Arbëreshe word çifti, "couple," which would refer to the two boroughs of the village, Sant'Antonio and Magazeno; others believe its o r i g i n l i e s i n a n o t h e r Arbëreshe term, qifti, which means "eagle," while others still believe it comes from the Latin word civitas. Civita is charming, but not in a picture-perfect way: the village carries its scars proud- ly on its sleeve, yet remains full of beauty. Its center is c h a r a c t e r i z e d b y n a r r o w alleys called rughe, that join together the village's many little squares. The old town, especially the borough of Saint Anthony - Sin Andoni, in Arbëreshe - is very charac- teristic: its homes have very quirky façades, with small windows resembling eyes, large central doors that look like mouths and chimneys to mimic a person's nose. These dwellings are known as case d i K o d r a , t h e h o m e s o f Kodra, to honor Albanian- I t a l i a n p a i n t e r I b r a h i m Kodra. Indeed, chimneys are something you should check out in Civita because, in the old days, expert crafts- men used to carve embellish- ments for them, which were used to keep evil spirits away. In Civita, it's the village as a whole that charms, and not only because its old 15th-cen- tury, traditionally Albanian structure is perfectly pre- served. As it often happens in small places, life in Civita almost runs at a different pace and it's not unusual to find women gathering in the street in front of their homes to chat or to embroider in the c o m p a n y o f o n e a n o t h e r . This alternating of alleys and small squares - known as gji- tonia - is a bona fide part of Civita's social fabric because it is an extension of people's homes, much like one can see in the kasbahs of Maghreb. Local cuisine is a deli- cious mix of Arbëreshe food and Pollino dishes: home- made pasta served with kid r a g o u t s o r p o r c i n i s a u c e , hams, gnocchetti with sheep ricotta, roast lamb or goat served with delicious Pollino wines. Locals here are very proud of their traditional cos- tumes because they are so deeply connected with their Albanian heritage. They are usually richly made with col- orful silks and velvets, then embroidered with artistry by l o c a l w o m e n . I n d e e d , embroidery is one of the traditional activities of Civita. Traditions are celebrated also throughout the year in a series of events, including on t h e T u e s d a y a f t e r E a s t e r when the Vallja, an old eth- nic dance with ancient Greek and Illiric roots, is performed in the village's main squares and alleys. Not long after, on the first three days of May, Civita celebrate its founda- tion with the Danze dei Falò, a r i t e r e c a l l i n g t h e t i m e s when the village founders, guided by Giorgio Paleologo Assan, had arrived in the a r e a a n d u s e d t o g a t h e r a r o u n d l a r g e b o n f i r e s t o warm up during cold nights. Today, people gather around the fire to sing traditional p o l y p h o n i c c h a n t s c a l l e d vjershë. R o m a n s l o v e them, and their n a m e g i v e s away when they happen, but do we know what they are? Let's take a look at our capital's most loved autumnal tradi- tion, the ottobrate. In the good old days and up to the beginning of the 20th century, ottobrate were a serious affair. Dedicated to the celebration of the end of v e n d e m m i a , they found their most ancient compan- ion in the Bacchanals of the Romans (those who spoke Latin), festivities that cele- brated Bacchus, the god of wine and sensual pleasures. People of all social classes w o u l d l e a v e t h e i r h o m e s either on Thursday or Sun- day morning to travel fuori porta, that is, outside the city, to the beautiful Roman countryside. They'd spend the day having fun, enjoying good company, good food and, of course, good wine. Testaccio used to be one of old ottobrate's most quintes- sential destinations, because of its many caves, known as grotte del vino, or wine cat- acombs, which had the per- fect temperature to preserve wine. The traditional means of transport during old otto- brate was the carratella, or c a r r i a g e , b u t o n l y y o u n g women - obviously sporting their best outfits - could sit on them. The rest of the gang would follow on foot, often singing along and playing music. Once the chosen desti- nation was reached, partying w o u l d s t a r t f o r r e a l , w i t h wine and traditional Roman food like abbacchio, gnocchi a n d t r i p e s t a k i n g c e n t e r stage. Then games, like the albero della cuccagna and b o c c e , a n d a l s o d a n c i n g , especially the saltarello. But time passes for every- one and everything, and old- fashioned ottobrate are no m o r e . T h a t i s n o t t o s a y Romans stopped loving them, though. They still enjoy hav- ing a day out, often in one of Rome's many parks, especial- ly those of the city's historical ville, with friends and family, taking advantage of the last sunny days of the year. LA VITA ITALIANA TRADITIONS HISTORY CULTURE T r a d i t i o n o f t h e m o n t h : Rome's Ottobrate Italian village of the month: Civita A g o o d g l a s s o f w i n e : t h e b e s t w a y t o c e l e b r a t e a n o t t o b r a t a ( P h o t o : Radiokafka/Dreamstime) An illustration of Civita's traditional costumes (Photo: Gunold/Dreamstime)

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