A visit to the Arbëreshë village of Lungro

Did you know that there are three ethnolinguistic minorities in Calabria? One of these is the Italo-Albanian (arbëreshë) community, one of whose main centres is Lungro (Cosenza), a place rich in cultural, linguistic and religious traditions to be discovered.

Founded by Albanian refugees in the second half of the 15th century, Lungro, in Calabria, is today an important reference point for the entire Italian Albanian community. It is a religious capital as the seat of the Eparchy of Lungro, guardian of the Greek-Byzantine rite and other folk traditions.  

Let's discover Lungro together, where it is located and what to visit.

The town of Lungro (Cosenza) extends at the foot of Mount Petrosa and is washed by two rivers, Galatro and Tiro. Within this mountainous and naturalistic setting, rich in rock salt mines, lies an historical centre that recalls the eastern urban planning tradition, i.e. the typical circular structure of buildings called gjitonia (neighbourhoods): gathered around central squares and organised into small social centres. Everything revolves around the bust of the Albanian patriot, Giorgio Castriota Scanderberg, who is given pride of place in the centre of the main square.

The town of Lungro proudly displays its cultural and religious identity through a series of places not to be missed, starting with the Cathedral of St Nicholas of Myra (Qisha e Shën Kollit), which dates back to the 18th century and is the main church of the Eparchy of Lungro. Rich in mosaics, icons and Byzantine frescoes, it retains the beauty of the Christian-Oriental structures, of which it preserves the iconostasis, the mosaic representation of Christ Pantocrator on the dome and the mosaic of the Baptismal Font Chapel, created by Albanian painter and mosaicist Josif Droboniku. Equally interesting for deepening one's knowledge of Lungro's religious universe is the Diocesan Museum, which has a wealth of works from the cathedral and other churches in the area (sacred silverware, paintings and liturgical vestments from different periods and workshops).  

Another fascinating place for the discovery of Lungro's identity, also from a naturalistic and productive point of view, is the Historical Museum of the Salt Mine, a precious testimony of one of the oldest and most important mines in Europe, used since the time of the Greek settlers of Sybaris and Thurij and until the Norman era. The museum is divided into nine rooms, each of which is dedicated to a gallery of the ancient rock salt mine, a very important mining site, which throughout the 20th century placed the town of Lungro at the centre of a flourishing trade in rock salt transported by mule.

The soul of the Eparchy of Lungro resides in the custody of the ancient Greek-Byzantine rite and in a series of unmissable religious and folklore traditions, the most important of which are concentrated in the rites of the Arbëreshë Holy Week (Java e Madhe) and Easter (Pashkëvet), preceded by those of the famous Carnival (Karnivalli). On the occasion of these festivities, the streets of the town of Lungro come alive with young people wearing the precious traditional Arbëreshë costumes and creating a joyful atmosphere to the sound of bagpipes and accordions, reciting ancient poems and traditional songs (vjershë) accompanying the typical dances (vallije).

Since 1794, the Eparchy of Lungro has been the seat of the Italo-Albanian College of St. Adrian, a true beacon of Albanian religious heritage, which, in addition to the cathedral, includes the Church of St. Mary of Constantinople and the Shrine of the Odigitria (10th century) and dedicates a great annual festival to the patron saint, St. Nicholas of Myra. 

What can you absolutely taste in Lungro (Cosenza)? In addition to the many typical Albanian dishes, not to be missed is the ritual of Mate in Lungro (Riti i Matit), which, although it does not have Arbëreshë origins but evidently Argentinean, arrives in Lungro due to the migratory flows of its population. Let's find out what the Ritual of Mate is and what is needed to prepare it: first of all, to make the Mate of Lungro you need a kungullin, the typical container made from an empty gourd, inside which a metal straw (pumbixhin) is inserted, and the çikullatera, the water kettle. The preparation is simple: after heating the water, the kungullin is prepared, inside which a piece of embers, a dried orange peel and sugar are placed.

In addition to Mate of Lungro, we also recommend sampling the traditional Albanian dishes, in particular shtridhëlat me fasule, handmade pasta served with tomato sauce and beans, and honey-based sweets.