In Civita, or Çifti, I found Albanian history in the streets, conversations and everyday life of a village in Calabria. The visit gave a different meaning to stories I had known from a distance.
Italy’s official tourism portal dates Albanian settlement here to around 1471. That is a useful anchor for the village’s long history; migration was a process, not a single journey shared by every family. Civita on Italia.it.
In the video, I spoke about the movement from Arbëria to Italy and the traditions people carried with them. Meeting people in the village made the connection tangible. There were conversations about language, clothing and belonging, alongside ordinary life in present-day Italy.
The mountains also caught my attention. I wondered aloud about shelter and safety when looking at the landscape. That was a reflection during the visit, not proof of why each settlement was chosen.
What I brought away was the desire for more contact: to visit, listen and know the communities whose stories remain connected to ours.
Original social post · 2026-10-12
The visit also included Kamastra restaurant. In two short updates I thanked our hosts for the welcome and described a conversation moving between Albanian, Arbëresh and Italian. It was one of the personal encounters behind my excitement about Civita. At Kamastra · My reaction after the conversation.