Piana degli Albanesi Hora e Arbëreshëvet |
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Comune | ||
Comune of Piana degli Albanesi Bashkia e Horës së Arbëreshëvet |
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A view of Piana degli Albanesi
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Location of Piana degli Albanesi in Italy | ||
Coordinates: 37°59′42″N 13°17′00″E / 37.99500°N 13.28333°ECoordinates: 37°59′42″N 13°17′00″E / 37.99500°N 13.28333°E | ||
Country | Italy | |
Region | Sicily | |
Province / Metropolitan city | Palermo (PA) | |
Government | ||
• Mayor | Vito Scalia (since May 7, 2012) | |
Area | ||
• Total | 64.89 km2 (25.05 sq mi) | |
Elevation | 740 m (2,430 ft) | |
Population (2015) | ||
• Total | 6,429 | |
• Density | 99/km2 (260/sq mi) | |
Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | |
• Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | |
Postal code | 90037 | |
Dialing code | 091 857 | |
Patron saint | M. St. Hodegetria, St. Demetrius, St. George | |
Saint day | September 2 October 26, April 23 | |
Website | Official website |
Arbëresh | |
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Arbërisht | |
Pronunciation | [ˌæɾbəˈɾiʃt] |
Native to | Italy |
Region | Apulia, Basilicata, Calabria, Campania, Molise, Sicily |
Ethnicity | Arbëreshë |
Native speakers
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100,000 (2007) |
Latin | |
Language codes | |
ISO 639-3 |
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Glottolog | arbe1236 |
Linguasphere | 55-AAA-aha to 55-AAA-ahe |
Piana degli Albanesi (Albanian: Hora e Arbëreshëvet) is a comune with 6.429 inhabitants in the Province of Palermo, Sicily.
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, is 24 km from the provincial capital.
The town is the most important center of the Albanians of Sicily, as well as the largest and most populous colony of Arbëreshë (Italo-Albanian or Albanians of Italy) 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, after five centuries from its foundation, has maintained many ethnic elements of Albanian culture like language, religious ritual, traditional costumes, music and folklore. The inhabitants 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.
In the modern age it had a significant role in the revolutionary uprisings for the national unification of Italy, for the Albanian National Awakening movement in the struggle for liberation from the Turkish-Ottoman rule and for regional movements of the Fasci Siciliani, furthermore it is also infamous for the Portella della Ginestra massacre (1947). Between 1944 and 1945, which lasted fifty days, Piana degli Albanesi became an Independent People's Republic.