The inhabitants of Castrignano dei Greci, a town in southern Italy, speak a Greek dialect that reflects the area’s settlement by ancient Greeks dating back to the 8th century BC.
Castrignano dei Greci (meaning “the castle of the Greeks”) is a municipality in Grecìa Salentina, where Griko—a unique dialect of Greek spoken only in this region—continues to be spoken today. This town in Italy, inhabited by Italiot Greeks, is situated on flat terrain and has a population of around 4,000. It lies approximately 26.3 kilometers (16.34 miles) south of the city of Lecce, the provincial capital renowned for its Baroque architecture.
The urban center in the northeastern part of the area, stands 90 meters (295 ft) above sea level and rests on magnesian limestone that overlies compact limestone—a layered sedimentary rock formation common in many Mediterranean regions. This geological formation facilitates the cultivation of typical Mediterranean trees and plants, including olive, fig, almond, and vine.
Magna Graecia
From the 8th century BC through the 6th century BC, ancient Greeks began colonizing Sicily and southern Italy. First came the Euboeans, followed by the Corinthians and the Achaeans. Then the Athenians continued colonization through the 6th century BC. By that time, the Greek colonies in Sicily and southern Italy were so numerous that the whole region was named Magna Graecia (Megale Hellas), meaning Greater Greece. The term was introduced by the ancient Greek historian Polybius around 150 BC and later adopted by historians Strabo and Pliny, who favored the use of grandiose names in their descriptions.
The famous Grecani people inhabit nine towns, where Griko is spoken. These stand as living historical monuments, stretching south of the city of Lecce in an area known as Grecìa Salentina. These are: Calimera, Castrignano dei Greci, Corigliano d’Otranto, Martano, Martignano, Soleto, Sternatia, Zollino, and Melpignano. Calimera is named after the Greek word for “good morning” (καλημέρα / kalimera). What sets these townspeople apart from their compatriots are their manners, customs, musical tastes, and above all, their language—the Greek dialect—with its archaisms, rich syntactic structure, and beautiful expressions. It is a unique dialect that reflects the culture of the ancient Greeks.
Many distinguished Italian and Greek linguists and researchers have studied this particular linguistic feature of the Italiot Greeks, arriving at a variety of perspectives. According to mythology, the first Greeks arrived in Salento after the fall of Troy, led by the legendary Cretan King Idomeneas. Some claim that the current inhabitants of the Greek-speaking towns are direct descendants of the ancient Greeks. Others argue that they descend from populations of the Byzantine Empire, meaning the Greek-speaking dialect was introduced to the region through migratory movements—mainly from the Peloponnese—that occurred between the 6th and 12th centuries AD.
The Greek town of Italy, the “Little Castle of the Greeks”
Castrignano dei Greci, which literally means “Little Castle of the Greeks” in Italian, is the official name of the town. It is located just 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) from another Griko-speaking town, Martano. According to local tradition, the settlement was founded by Cretans of the Minoan Age. Kantiotis is a commonly used surname in Castrignano dei Greci. It derives from “Kantia” or “Candia”—the name the Venetians gave to Crete when they ruled the island. Etymologically, therefore, Kantiotis means “Cretan.”
The Greek community further developed during the Byzantine Empire when the Diocese of Otranto was established and Christianity was introduced to the region. The Byzantines transformed the town into a fortified hamlet that long served to repel invasions from both the sea and the north. The town’s Church of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, also known as the Congreca, features a splendid 42-meter-tall (about 138 ft) bell tower and a renowned crypt. It is believed to date back to the 6th century AD and was built by Basilian monks. In 1543, the Ottomans devastated the town, and it was not until 1626 that the Aragonese (Kingdom of Naples) regained control.
In modern times, a prominent figure from Castrignano dei Greci was the Italian philologist Angelo Cotardo. Thanks to his efforts in spearheading a campaign to preserve this unique Greek dialect, the language remains alive and continues to be taught in the town’s schools. He also succeeded in obtaining special permission from the Italian government to teach the Greek dialect in other Griko-speaking towns in the region. The center for social studies began operating in 1977 with the purpose of providing instruction in the language to those interested in learning about Greek culture and language.
The town’s culture preserves Greek customs, music (e.g. pizzica), and other traditions dating back to Byzantine times.