Civita

Nestled in a landscape of great beauty, the ‘’Raganello Gorges‘’ Nature Reserve, the village of Civita is one of the oldest Arbëreshë communities in Italy. The historic centre is in fact a traditional gjitonia, a ball of houses arranged in a semicircle around a ‘’mother house‘’ and a small square. On closer inspection, the houses of Civita have anthropomorphic features: eyes, nose and mouth composed of openings and long chimneys, which is why they are called ‘’Talking Houses‘’ (or ‘’Kodra Houses‘’, in honour of the Albanian artist Ibrahim Kodra). Worth visiting are the Chapel of Sant'Antonio, the 16th-century Chapel of Santa Maria della Consolazione and the Church of Santa Maria Assunta, a splendid example of Calabrian Baroque with a Greek-Byzantine layout.

The presence of the Devil's Bridge evokes ancient legends and allows one to cross the Raganello river. The latter gives its name to the Nature Reserve where rafting and hiking in the Pollino gorges can be enjoyed for adrenaline-fuelled trekking. Along the course of the river there is also the Spinning Mill Museum, while the Raganello Valley Landscape Ecomuseum is housed in the ancient Palazzo Castellano.

Those who prefer to immerse themselves in Arbëreshë traditions and folklore can visit Civita on the occasion of the Greek Orthodox Easter (40 days after the Catholic Easter) and watch the extraordinary vallje, the typical Albanian dances embellished by handmade costumes, the same ones that can also be admired at the Arbëreshë Ethnic Museum.