Piana degli Albanesi

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Piana degli Albanesi Hora e Arbëreshëvet (Arbëreshë Albanian)
Comune
Comune of Piana degli Albanesi Bashkia e Horës së Arbëreshëvet
A view of Piana degli Albanesi
Flag Coat of arms
Location of Piana degli Albanesi
Piana degli Albanesi Location of Piana degli Albanesi in Italy Show map of Italy Piana degli Albanesi Piana degli Albanesi (Sicily) Show map of Sicily
Coordinates: 37°59′42″N 13°17′00″E / 37.99500°N 13.28333°E / 37.99500; 13.28333
Country	Italy
Region	Sicily
Metropolitan city	Palermo (PA)
Government
• Mayor	Rosario Petta (since June 11, 2017)
Area [1]
• Total	64.92 km2 (25.07 sq mi)
Elevation	740 m (2,430 ft)
Population  (March 31, 2018)[2]
• Total	6,128
• Density	94/km2 (240/sq mi)
Demonym	pianesi/arbëreshë
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	90037
Dialing code	091 857
Patron saint	M. St. Hodegetria, St. Demetrius, St. George
Saint day	2 September, 26 October, 23 April
Website	Official website

Piana degli Albanesi (Arbëreshë Albanian: Hora e Arbëreshëvet or Hora, Sheshi, Qana), known as Piana dei Greci until 1941, is a town and comune in Sicily, Italy. The town 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. It is located around 24 kilometres (15 mi) from Palermo and is administered as part of the Metropolitan City of Palermo. In 2018, the comune had a population of 6,128.^{[citation needed]}

The town is the most important centre of the Arbëresh community of Sicily,^[3] as well as the largest and most populous settlement of Abëreshe (Italo-Albanian or Albanians of Italy)^[4][5][6] 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, founded five centuries ago, has maintained many ethnic elements of Albanian culture such as language, religious rituals, traditional costumes, music and folklore. Piana degli Albanesi has contributed greatly to the advancement of Albanian culture and literature with a large group of intellectuals. It is considered the place of origin of Arbëreshe literature, the birthplace of the first work of the Albanian diaspora (1592),^[7] and initiator – in the early 16th century – of the first European school in which he^[who?] taught in Albanian.^[8][9] The founders of the Albanian Language and Litetature departments of the universities of Naples and Palermo come from the town, and it is the headquarters of the Italo-Albanian Seminary, which was founded in Palermo in 1734 and moved to the town in 1945. Its traditional music and Byzantine songs are part of the Intangible Heritage Registry of Sicily recognized by UNESCO. The municipal government uses bilingual documents and road signs in Albanian and Italian under existing Italian legislation on protecting ethnic and linguistic minorities.

The Abëreshe are the descendants of Albanian families, including nobles and relatives of Skanderbeg, that settled in Southern Italy during the Ottoman Turkish conquest of the Balkans. It had a significant role in the revolutionary uprisings for the unification of Italy,^[10] for the Albanian National Awakening in the Albanian movement for secession from Ottoman rule,^[11][12] and for regional movements of the Fasci Siciliani dei Lavoratori;^[13] furthermore, it is also infamous for the Portella della Ginestra massacre (1947). Between late 1944 and early 1945, Piana degli Albanesi became an independent people's republic, which lasted fifty days.

The main economic activities are the primary sector, agriculture, pastoralism, crafts, and tourism. Its intangible heritage was nominated for the European Heritage Label in 2023.^[14]