President’s press office announced some of the main events and meetings during his Calabria visit.

In addition to Calabria’s local Arberesh community, many Albanian citizens living and working in neighbouring Italy travelled to the area to welcome the Albanian head of state on his most recent visit to the southern Italian province.

After meeting with them,  President Begaj visited the museum in Spezzano Albanese, where history and traditions of the Arberesh community are preserved.

At meetings with local authorities in Spezzano Albanese, the Mayor of this municipality announced the initiative to introduce Arberesh (Albanian) language to local schools. Similar initiative was announced at meeting with President Begaj by the representative of Calabria region.

The Albanian head of state praised local officials and pledged support to press ahead with this initiative.

The Arbëreshë, also known as Albanians of Italy or Italo-Albanians, are an Albanian ethno-linguistic group in Southern Italy, mostly concentrated in scattered villages in the region of Calabria and, to a lesser extent, in the regions of Abruzzo, Apulia, Basilicata, Campania, Molise and Sicily.

Arberesh are the descendants of Albanian refugees who fled Albania, and later some from Morea between the 14th and the 18th centuries following the Ottoman conquest of the Balkans.

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