Piana degli Albanesi - Albanian heritage in Sicily and great cannoli!

#sicily #sicilianfood #albany

Hello everyone,
this time we are glad to show you Piana degli Albanesi, another village in the province of Palermo.

The official name of the town was Piana dei Greci until 1941. This village is situated on a mountainous plateau and encircled by high mountains, on the eastern side of the imposing Mount Pizzuta, the city, which is mirrored on a large lake. Piana degli Albanesi is 24 km far from Palermo, the capital of Sicily.

Piana degli Albanesi was founded in the late 15th century by a large group of Albanian refugees coming from the Balkans during the conquest of the latter by the Ottoman Empire. The exodus began after the death of Skanderbeg, who successfully fought Ottoman armies for more than two decades.

The town is the most important center of the Albanians of Sicily, as well as the largest and most populous colony of Arbëreshë (Italo-Albanian or Albanians of Italy) and it is the episcopal see of the Eparchy of Piana degli Albanesi, constituency of the Italo-Albanian Church whose jurisdiction covers all Albanians of Sicily who practice the Byzantine rite.

The community, after five centuries from its foundation, has maintained many ethnic elements of Albanian culture like language, religious ritual, traditional costumes, music and folklore.

Piana degli Albanesi boasts a great local gastronomy. It offers dishes and desserts typical of the Sicilian-Albanian tradition, in which one can note the presence of elements deriving from the Balkans and the Mediterranean. The delicious bread and cannoli from Piana degli Albanesi are very popular in the entire Sicily!

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