Travel Guide Piana Degli Albanesi

When Albania was invaded by the Turks after the fall of Constantinople, the Albanian soldiers who defended it were allowed to emigrate to various parts of southern Italy. Thus, in 1488, this village was founded, and over the centuries it has preserved the language, the religious rites and the culture of its first inhabitants, the Arbreshe. Here, the religious cult is double: Greek and Roman. Thus, religious holidays, such as Epiphany and Easter, but also weddings and all Sundays are celebrated according to the Byzantine tradition with its beautiful ancient costumes. Don't be surprised if, in the shops, people speak strangely and if the names of the streets have a strange spelling: it is old Albanian! It is also from its original homeland that this population holds its tradition of goldsmithing: jewelry, but also decorative objects, works of art finally in gold and coral. A beautiful curiosity to visit when you have time to discover the surroundings of Palermo. A walk through the city will give you the opportunity to discover its numerous fountains and, along the corso Kastriota, the Renaissance and Baroque churches which perpetuate the Byzantine rites. The sober cathedral of San Demetrius (16th century) with its simple wooden ceiling contains frescoes by Pietro Novelli, a 17th-century painter influenced by Caravaggio. The churches of St Nicholas of the Annunciation and St George are also interesting