Griko people

Griko people

Griko people in the Grecia Calabra area of Calabria, Southern Italy.
Total population
c. 80,000
Regions with significant populations
Southern Italy (especially Bovesia and Salento)
Apulia	54,278 (2005)
Calabria	22,636 (2010)
Languages
Greek (Griko and Calabrian dialects), Italian
Religion
Greek Orthodox, Byzantine Catholic, Latin-rite Catholic minority
Related ethnic groups
Greeks, Southern Italians, Sicilians
a Total population count only includes Griko people from Bovesia and Grecia Salentina regions. The number of Griko people from outside these regions remains undetermined.

The Griko people (Greek: Γκρίκο) sometimes spelled Grico, Greco in Calabria, and also known as Grecanici are an ethnic Greek community of Southern Italy, they are found principally in regions of Calabria (Province of Reggio Calabria) and Apulia (peninsula of Salento). The Griko are believed to be remnants of the once large Ancient and Medieval Greek communities of southern Italy (the old Magna Graecia region), although there is dispute among scholars as to whether the Griko community is directly descended from ancient Greeks or from more recent medieval migrations during the Byzantine domination. 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, although exposure to mass media has progressively eroded their culture and language.

The Griko people traditionally spoke Italiot Greek (the Griko or Calabrian dialects) 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 an Eastern rite of the Roman Catholic Church, with a minority belonging to the Latin Rite.