CALABRIA in ALBANIAN STYLE
The holistic Oniriko Festival (1-3 August 2025) in Civita, a historic town in the heart of the Pollino National Park, Calabria,
offers a perfect opportunity to explore some of the unique and intriging features of one of Italy's least known regions.
Apart from a handful of famous coastel resorts, Calabria is little known to foreign visitors. The rugged mountains of the Sila that occupy
much of the interior, the ancient villages, the works of art, churches and monuments are not on the well-trodden tourist tracks.
The Oniriko Festival will highlight Civita's centuries-long tradition as an ancient Albanian colony, dating back to the 16th - 18th century
when Albanian refugees arrived from Greece, seeking refuge during the Ottoman invasion of the Balkans. The Colony has survived and thrived since then,
conserving its own language, known as “Arberisht”, and its own traditions. The “Arbereshe” have been officially recognized by the Italian state as a l
inguistic and cultural minority.
Civita is listed as one of the “Most Beautiful Borghi (historic small towns) in Italy”. Among its unique features are the “Bridge of the Devil”
spanning the Raganello ravine, the ornamental chimneys that adorn the roofs of several of the old buildings, as well as the Kodra “Talking Houses,”
named after the Albanian post-cubist artist Ibrahim Kodra, who was fascinated by the curious facades where the position of the doors and windows
recalled stylized human faces.
Info: Tel. +39.338.10.48800/333.2904534 jblasa@jblasa.com https://calabrianellanima.com
