In today’s episode of Good Morning Kiss Kiss we had the opportunity to speak with Alessandro Toccithe mayor of Civita, an ancient village in the province of Cosenza
Civita it is a small village in Calabria that has just over 800 inhabitants. Located in the province of Cosenza, the municipality is 450 meters above sea level and is part of the Gole del Raganello and Gorge nature reserve. Pollino National Park.
The peculiarity is that in Civita there is a community of Italian Albanians who have maintained the Arbëreshe (Italian-Albanian) language, the religious rite and customs.
As regards the name of the city, according to some it derives from the modern Albanian language, or from the words “çifti” (pair) or “qifti” (eagle), while others think that the toponym comes from the Latin “civitas” (city).
The inhabited center of the Calabrian village was built around the year one thousand by the inhabitants of Cassano all’Ionio who were fleeing from the raids of the Saracens in Sicily. Instead, the arrival of the first Albanians is attested around 1460, when the first wave of refugees who fled from Albania due to the persecutions of the Ottoman Empire arrived.
In Civita they still speak today Arbëreshe language and the linguistic and ethnic minority is recognized and protected by the State. The eastern influence is still visible in some churches that belong to the Albanian Catholic Church of the Eparchy of Lungro.
Speaking of this topic, Mayor Tocci recalls how the double-faced flag of Italy and Albania. Furthermore, he is keen to specify that it has always been a very peaceful and tranquil coexistence.
The mayor then continued talking about the kodra houses, anthropomorphic houses with chimneys that stand out for the fact that they depict human faces. Alessandro Tocci closes by underlining the importance of local and food and wine tourism.
Places of Interest in Civita
- Devil’s Bridge: donkey bridge at 250 meters on the Raganello which offers a spectacular view
- Raganello Gorges: the natural area includes a 17 km canyon that is divided into high gorges and low gorges
- Church of Santa Maria Assunta: it was built in Baroque style in the mid-16th century and Greek-Byzantine functions take place there
- Arbëreshe Ethnic Museum: exhibits testimonies of the Albanian ethnic minority and the customs linked to the peasant world
Typical dishes and products of Civita
The most characteristic dish of Civita is undoubtedly the dromesat, a kind of couscous prepared with water and flour and then cooked in a sauce with meat. According to tradition, the flour should be spread on a pastry board and sifted to obtain tiny lumps of dough.
There is never a shortage of them on the country’s tables cured meat of the area, including hams and salamis, pecorino and other dairy products. Among the desserts, however, we can mention pettule, pancakes cooked in boiling oil, sesame nougat and stuffed figs.
Also unmissable is the piretto liqueur, which is a distant relative of limoncello. Its color is golden yellow and releases delicate citrus notes. In fact, piretto is a citrus fruit that is sweeter than lemon and its name comes from the fact that it has the elongated shape of a pear.
