October 2005 Fact of the Month

October 2005	Fact of the Month - Greeks in Southern Italy	Mark Merlino - Home page




In contemporary Italy there are two communities that speak Greek, once the predominant language in Southern Italy. Their language, known as Griko, Grico, or Katoitaliotika (southern Italian). There are about 40,000 native Greek speakers in the Italian regions of Calabria and Puglia. Southern Italy was first colonized by Greeks in the 8th century BC, and there has been a Greek speaking community there ever since. In Ancient times, southern Italy was known as Magna Grecia. Notable originally Greek cities in Southern Italy include Naples (Italian - Napoli, Greek Nea Polis=New City) and Syracuse (Italian - Siracusa, Greek Syracusa). The Greek speaking community remained very influential well into Byzantine and medieval times. There are many subtle linguistic differences between Griko and modern Greek though they are mutually intelligible. Many musicians, poets and artists have performed in Griko. WIKIPEDIA

This map shows the two indigenous Greek speaking communities in Southern Italy.