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((Multiple issues|
((overly detailed|date=March 2022))
((Expand Italian|date=March 2022|topic=geo))
))
((Use mdy dates|date=October 2019))

((Infobox Italian comune
| name                = Piana degli Albanesi 
| official_name       = Comune of Piana degli Albanesi<br />Bashkia e Horës së Arbëreshëvet
| native_name         = ((native name|aae|Hora e Arbëreshëvet))
| image_skyline       = Pamje e Horës së Arbëreshëvet.jpg
| imagesize           = 
| image_alt           = 
|image_flag=Flag of Arbëreshë people.svg| image_caption       = A view of Piana degli Albanesi
| image_shield        = Piana degli Albanesi-Emblema.svg
| shield_alt          = 
| image_map           = 
| map_alt             = 
| map_caption         = 
| pushpin_label_position = 
| pushpin_map_alt     = 
| coordinates         = ((coord|37|59|42|N|13|17|00|E|region:IT_type:city(6227)|display=inline,title))
| coordinates_footnotes = 
| region              = [[Sicily]]
| metropolitan_city   = [[Metropolitan City of Palermo|Palermo]] (PA)
| frazioni            = 
| mayor_party         = 
| mayor               = Rosario Petta<br />(since June 11, 2017)
| area_footnotes      = 
| area_total_km2      = 64.92
| population_footnotes = 
| population_total    = 6128 
| population_as_of    = March 31, 2018
| pop_density_footnotes = 
| population_demonym  = pianesi/''arbëreshë''
| elevation_footnotes = 
| elevation_m         = 740
| twin1               = 
| twin1_country       = 
|istat=| saint               = [[Hodegetria|M. St. Hodegetria]], [[Demetrius of Thessaloniki|St. Demetrius]], [[Saint George|St. George]]
| day                 = 2 September, 26 October, 23 April
| postal_code         = 90037
| area_code           = 091 857
| website             = ((Official website|http://www.pianalbanesi.it/))
| footnotes           = 
))
((Albanians))
'''Piana degli Albanesi''' (((lang-aae|Hora e Arbëreshëvet or '''Hora, Sheshi, Qana'''))) is a ((lang|it|[[comune]])) with 6,128 inhabitants in the [[Metropolitan City of Palermo]], Sicily. The official name of the town was '''Piana dei Greci''' until 1941. The municipality 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 [[Lago di Piana degli Albanesi|lake]], is 24&nbsp;km from the [[Palermo|metropolitan capital]].

The town is the most important center of the Arbëresh community of Sicily,<ref>[http://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/piana-degli-albanesi/ Piana degli Albanesi in Enciclopedia Treccani (online)]</ref> as well as the largest and most populous colony of ''[[Arbëreshë people|Arbëreshë]]'' (Italo-Albanian or Albanians of Italy)<ref>Nasho Jorgaqi, ''Lontano e Vicino. Viaggio tra gli Albanesi d'Italia'' (original title: ''Larg dhe afër. Shregtime arbëreshe'', Casa Editrice 8 Nëretori, Tirana 1987), Cosenza 1991, Pellegrini Ed., p= 26.</ref><ref>[http://www.balcanicaucaso.org/aree/Albania/A-Tirana-fotografie-dell-immigrazione-albanese-in-Italia-23080 A Tirana fotografie dell'immigrazione albanese in Italia.]</ref><ref>In the last century Piana degli Albanesi had an average of 10,000 inhabitants. In the 1930s it came to have more than 12,000 inhabitants, many of whom emigrated to the Americas and later northern Europe. A large community of '' arbëreshë '' of the '' Hora '' lives in Palermo (10.000 according to the data reported by the Italo-Albanian parish of [[Martorana|San Nicolò alla Martorana]]).</ref> and it is the episcopal see of the [[Italo-Albanese Eparchy of Piana degli Albanesi|Eparchy of Piana degli Albanesi]], constituency of the [[Italo-Albanian Catholic Church|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 [[Albanians|Albanian]] culture like language, religious ritual, traditional costumes, music and folklore. The inhabitants are the descendants of Albanian families, including nobles and relatives of [[Skanderbeg]], that settled in [[Southern Italy]] during the [[Ottoman Turkish]] conquest of the [[Balkan]]s. In the modern age it had a significant role in the revolutionary uprisings for the national [[Italian unification|unification of Italy]],<ref>[http://www.unibesa.it/images/GiorgioCostantini-Studistorici.pdf Giorgio Costantini, ''Studi Storici'' (PDF).]</ref> for the [[Albanian National Awakening]] movement<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=_pESAgAAQBAJ&dq=Rilindja+Komb%C3%ABtare+shqiptare+piana+degli+albanesi&pg=PT36 Gjovalin Shkurtaj, ''Shpirti i arbrit rron'']</ref><ref>[http://www.unibesa.it/images/QuadernidiBiblos.pdf ''Italia, Albania, Arbëreshë fra le due guerre mondiali – Italia, Shqipëria, Arbëreshë midis dy luftavet botërore'', Quaderni di Biblos (PDF)]</ref> in the Albanian movement for the independence and session from the [[Ottoman Empire]] rule and for regional movements of the [[Fasci Siciliani]] dei Lavoratori,<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=RheGI889UbsC&dq=fasci+siciliani+piana+dei+greci&pg=PA11 Mario Brunetti, ''La piazza della rivolta: microstoria di un paese arbëresh in età giolittiana'']</ref> furthermore it is also infamous for the [[Portella della Ginestra massacre]] (1947). Between 1944 and 1945, Piana degli Albanesi became an [[Socialist state|Independent People's Republic]], which lasted fifty days.

Driven mainly by the romantic principles, Piana degli Albanesi contributed greatly to the advancement of culture and [[Albanian literature]] with a large group of intellectuals, decisive process of literary history of [[Albania]]. It is considered the place of origin of ''Arbëreshe'' literature, the birthplace of the first work of the [[Albanian diaspora]] (1592),<ref>Papàs [[Luca Matranga]] / Pope Lekë Matrënga (1567 - 1619) author of the book "''E Mbësuame e Krështerë''" (Christian Doctrine) in the Albanian dialect, [[Pontifical Greek College of Saint Athanasius]], Rome 1592.</ref> and initiator – in the early 16th century – of the first European school in which he taught in Albanian.<ref>[https://shqiptarja.com/lajm/arbereshi-leke-matrenga-mesuesi-qe-hapi-shkollen-e-pare-shqipe-me-1587-ne-itali?fbclid=IwAR3O-fMFI0Tj_ItDy8U6DMqBdhUrCx-wD9O-chfK70mhfYOEc-JQrVnOKEs Arbëreshi Lekë Matrënga, Mësuesi që hapi shkollën e parë shqipe më, 1587 në Itali]</ref><ref>[https://diasporashqiptare.al/2023/03/06/arbereshi-leke-matrenga-mesuesi-qe-hapi-shkollen-e-pare-shqipe-me-1587/?fbclid=IwAR23Se7wu0xg72KZD9WTU5HG6JLqJz_32zoSvgezw8_dT7Xcfo1hxuybLbg Arbëreshi Lekë Matrënga, Mësuesi që hapi shkollën e parë shqipe më, 1587]</ref> From the town come the university founders of "Albanian Language and Literature" in [[Naples]] and [[Palermo]] and is headquartered, since 1945, the "Italo-Albanian Seminary", already in Palermo (1734). Its ancient tradition musics and songs Byzantine is part of the ""Registro Eredità Immateriali della Sicilia" (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 [[Minority group|ethnic]] and [[linguistic minorities]]. The main economic activities are the primary sector, agriculture, pastoralism, crafts and tourism. Its intangible heritage is formally nominated in 2023 for the [[European Heritage Label]].<ref>[https://marchiopatrimonio.cultura.gov.it MARCHIO DEL PATRIMONIO EUROPEO European Heritage Label. PRESELEZIONE NAZIONALE AL MARCHIO DEL PATRIMONIO EUROPEO 2023: TREDICI I SITI CANDIDATI PER L'ITALIA]</ref>

==Toponymy==
((Cleanup|section|reason=Bad grammar and poor structure|date=October 2021))

===Origin of the name and various appellations===
Piana degli Albanesi has been variously called in history.<ref>We must distinguish the denominations used by its citizens, different from those given by the neighboring countries.</ref> In the ''licentia populandi'' granted on January 13, 1487, to the Albanian exiles, Piana degli Albanesi is called ''Casale Planicili Archiepiscopatus Montisregalis'' or ''Piana dell'Arcivescovo'',<ref>Referring to the territory granted to the Albanians, after the stipulated agreements and the fees decided, by the Archbishop of Monreale, name reported by Tommaso Fazello in '' De Rebus Siculis Decades Duae''.</ref><ref>Francesco Giunta in ''Albanians in Sicily'', by Matteo Mandalà, Palermo 2003.</ref> but since its construction the town was officially known in [[Latin]] ''Nobilis Planae Albanensium Civitas''.<ref>The acronym S.P.Q.A. (''Senatus Populus Que Albanensis''), or N.P.A.C. (''Nobilis Planæ Albanensium Civitas''), is found in the oldest fountains (Fusha e Pontit and Kroi me një gojë) and in the ancient Church-Matrix (side entrance to the parish of St. George) and in the municipal banner.</ref> This Latin denomination changed into ''Nobilis Planae Graecorum Albanensium Civitas'', with the insertion of ''Graecorum'' which indicated the [[Byzantine Rite]] practice of the Albanian population (as opposed to the [[Latin liturgical rites]] of [[Latin Church|Latin Christianity]]). In the centuries, in the cadastral and habitual use of the neighboring Sicilian populations, the Italian name of ''Piana dei Greci'' remained from 1810, because the [[Eastern Catholic Church|Byzantine Rite Catholics]] and the ancient Greek language used in the liturgical functions.<ref>Vito Amico, ''Dizionario topografico della Sicilia'', Volume II, Tipografia Pietro Morvillo, Palermo 1856, p. 346.</ref><ref>Pietro Scaglione (Saravulli), ''Historia e Shqipetarevet t’Italise'', New York 1921, pp=62–63.</ref><ref>"Colonia Shqipëtare e Siçilsë Fusha e Arbreshëvet, pa drejtesi e thirrë edhè e përnjohur nën emërin i pa drejtë Piana dei Greci. Gjografikët e shkrimtarët të shekulit XVIII, thirrën e shkruan, fjalën Greçi, prej shkakut e Fesë Ortodoxe, e përdorër prej Shqipëtarëvet. [...] Kur në të parat kohë Shqipëtarët emigruan n’Itali ishën të njohur vet prej populli Fea Greko-Latine, Me besuar Shqipëtarët në Ritin të Fesë Ortodoxe qenë prej popullit Siçilian shkëmbjer për Grekë, gabimi i emërit vjen nga ana e Fese, e jo nga kombesia. ("The Albanian colony of Piana degli Albanesi is mistakenly called Piana dei Greci. Eighteenth-century geographers and writers use Greeks because of the Orthodox Faith practiced by the Albanians ". [...] When in the early times the Albanians emigrated to Italy, the [difference rite between the] Greek-Latin faith was known only to the people. In truth the Albanians according to the rite of Orthodox Faith, are exchanged by the Sicilian people for Greeks, the error of the name comes from the faith and not from the nationality.")</ref>

It was also known and called by the populations of the nearby villages ''Casale di lu Mercu territorii Montisregalis'', ''Graecorum Oppidum'', ''Badia'' (transl. [[Abbey]], which indicates the strong religious and monastic communities and in a figurative sense it symbolizes abundance and well-being, because the local church had always been the reference point for the Albanians), ''La Chiana'' or ''Piana delli Greci''. Its inhabitants and the Albanians of the other colonies of Sicily, instead, identified it as ''Sheshi'' (square, center in Albanian), ''Kazallot'' (for a kind of synecdoche: ''Kazallot'', local toponym, equivalent to Hora).<ref>Giuseppe Schirò, ''Canti Tradizionali ed altri saggi delle colonie albanesi di Sicilia'', Comune di Piana degli Albanesi, Palermo 1986, p. LXVIII.</ref> After decades of discussion by local Italo-Albanian religious-intellectuals,<ref>P. Francesco Fazio S. J., La Madonna Odigitria, Palermo, Tipografia "Italo-Albanese", 1921, pp.50-60, by Papàs Zefi Petta, chaplain of the Church of the Odigitria: «But that painting that came from Albania to Piana dei Greci, or rather degli Albanesi [...] Piana dei Greci due to the Greek rite. It used to be called: Piana dell'Arcivescovo, because that territory belonged to the Archbishop of Monreale. But in Latin until 1810 it was called: Piana degli Albanesi (Nobilis Planae Albanensium Civitas). And that's what it should be called."</ref> due to the fact that the Albanian origin was not highlighted in it, following a royal decree and the desire to change the more exact denomination, on 30 August 1941 the Italian name 'Piana dei Greci' was changed to the more historically and ethnographically correct Piana degli Albanesi. A few months later, by decree of the Sacred [[Dicastery for the Eastern Churches]] of October 25, 1941, even the name of ''Planen Graecorum'' was changed ecclesiastically to ''Planen Albanensium''.

The inhabitants call the town in [[Arbëreshë language|their Albanian dialect]] ''Hora e Arbëreshëvet'', literally translatable into the "City of the Albanians". For this reason it is usually said simply from the Arbëreshë people ''Hora'', an [[Albanian language|Albanian]] word meaning '[[homeland]]' or 'capital', deriving probably from the [[Greek language|Greek]] homophone Chòra, χώρα, a typical word of [[Tosk Albanians|Tosk]] and [[Arvanites|Arvanite]] Albanians of Greece.,<ref>Antonino Guzzetta, ''Osservazioni sulla parlata siculo-albanese di Piana degli Albanesi'', in "Boll, del centro di studi linguistici e filologici siciliani", 9 (1965), pp. 237–48.</ref> and that has the meaning [[city]] in Albanian<ref>((cite journal| first=Joseph |last=Fracchia |title="Hora": Social Conflicts and Collective Memories in Piana Degli Albanesi |journal=Past & Present |year=2010 |volume=209 |issue=209 |pages=181–222 |doi=10.1093/pastj/gtq030 | jstor=40960937 ))</ref> and stands for the literal Albanian ''qytet'', indicating that it is the main one among the Albanian of Sicily communities. 
Some elders also say ''Hora e t'Arbëreshëvet'', the difference being the addition of ''të'', a plural clitic marker, with the elision of ''-ë'' with ''A-'' in ''Arbëreshëvet''. Some inhabitants also figuratively say they are ''Bar i Sheshit'' (''Sheshi'' grass; born in ''Sheshi'', the center) and call themselves singular ''arbëresh-i/e'', plural ''arbëreshët''.

==Administration==
[[File:Bashkia.jpg|thumb|left|Municipality of Piana degli Albanesi (''Bashkia'')]]

=== Twinning ===
The municipality of Piana degli Albanesi is committed to establishing, in accordance with international protocols, relations of cultural exchange with the institutions of the Republic of Albania and Kosovo in the former Yugoslavia and the other Albanian communities present in Europe and internationally.<ref>[http://www.comuniecitta.it/risorse/statuti/piana_degli_albanesi.pdf Statuto del Comune di Piana degli Albanesi (PDF)]</ref>

Piana degli Albanesi is twinned with: [[Tirana]] (Albania), since 1954.<ref>There are political-cultural relations with the Albanian capital, which have not been continuous. It is important to remember the flag donated by the government of Albania in 1954 to the people of Piana degli Albanesi, and kept at the Casa del Popolo, or the gift of the bust of Giorgio Castriota Scanderbeg in 1968. Then the closure of the Albanian communist state closed the contacts official until around 1988. We must mention the historical religious relations with Himara, the cultural ones with the city of Argirocastro and the twinning with the other Albanian municipalities of Italy.</ref>

=== Other administrative information ===
The Municipality, in collaboration with the Italian-Albanian communities, proposes initiatives to the State, the Region and the Province for the protection of ethnic-linguistic minorities sanctioned by the Constitution, by national and regional laws in force.

The municipality of Piana degli Albanesi is part of the following supra-municipal organizations:
* Unione dei Comuni Albanesi di Sicilia BESA – Lidhja and Bashkivet Arbëreshe të Siçilisë BESA, municipality leader;
* Alto Belice Corleonese Territorial Pact, municipality leader;
* Albanian Ethno-Linguistic Minority Area (''Arbëreshë'');
* Authentic Italian Villages;
* Unione Comuni Le 4 Terre;
* Agricultural Region n. 6 – Inland hills.

==History==
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]].<ref name="WidmerLandrieu2006">((cite book|last1=Widmer|first1=Mary Lou|last2=Landrieu|first2=Moon|title=New Orleans 1900 to 1920|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9R9KwRsMB-0C&pg=PA104|access-date=October 20, 2010|date=September 1, 2006|publisher=Pelican Publishing|isbn=978-1-58980-401-2|page=104))</ref><ref name="Hobsbawm1971">((cite book|last=Hobsbawm|first=Eric J.|title=Primitive rebels; studies in archaic forms of social movement in the 19th and 20th centuries|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sCK8AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA101|access-date=October 20, 2010|year=1971|publisher=Manchester University Press ND|isbn=978-0-7190-0493-3|page=101))</ref> The exodus began after the death of [[Skanderbeg]], who successfully fought Ottoman armies for more than two decades.

The village foundation was officially sanctioned on August 30, 1488, based on an official request sent in 1486–1487 to Cardinal [[Juan de Borja Lanzol de Romaní, el mayor|Juan de Borja]], archbishop of the [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Monreale|Archdiocese of Monreale]], demanding the right to remain in the lands of Mercu and Aydingli, located in the mountains in the province of [[Palermo]].<ref name="Scaglione">((citation| year=1921| location=New York| editor=Lumo Skendo| author= Petro Scaglione| oclc= 40821704|title=Historia e Shqipetarevet t'Italise|trans-title=History of the Albanians of Italy| pages=38–62))</ref>

In 1482–85, after several attacks from the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottomans]], the Christian Albanians were forced to the [[Adriatic Sea|Adriatic]] coast where they hired ships from Republic of Venice, escaped by sailing and managed to reach the island of Sicily.((clarify|date=May 2011)) They apparently were housed in temporary camps somewhere near Palermo until about 1486 or 1487, when they were granted land known initially as the "Plain of the Archbishop", inland areas of Sicily in the mountains above the city of Palermo. Signed the "capitulation" in Albanian and Italian, which were also recognized with followed by the Brief of [[Pope Sixtus IV]],<ref name="Historia">((cite book|title=Storia e cultura > Cenni storici della Comunità|url=http://bwww.eparchiapiana.it/SelfSiteinfo.asp?idPag=26&idSez51|access-date=April 21, 2006|publisher=eparchiapiana.it))</ref> the official concession of land was granted to the settlers in 1488, followed by the construction of what became the largest Albanian center of the island and primarily, religious buildings.((citation needed|date=May 2011))
[[File:Piana degli Albanesi 1911 « Pro Albania » demonstration.jpg|thumb|10 September 1911 - "Pro Albania" demonstration (In the center, the Poet [[Giuseppe Schirò]]; behind him Papàs [[Gaetano Petrotta]]]]
King John II of Spain and Sicily allowed the original refugees to occupy the present place and to preserve their Orthodox Christian rite.<ref name=Mezzojuso/> These Albanian refugees were at the time referred to by the surrounding population as "Greeks" on account of their Orthodox faith and the settlement became known as Piana dei Greci.<ref>Lanaia, Alfio (2008). "[http://www.torrossa.it/resources/an/2206594 Lo schipetaro, il truffatore e il balbuziente: alcuni prestiti albanesi nel siciliano?] [The shqiptar, the crook and the stutterer: some Albanian loans in Sicilian?]". ''Quaderni di semantica''. '''2'''. (1): 141. Come sappiamo, gli abitanti dei paesi vicini chiamavano i coloni arbéreshè con l'etnonimo di "greci" o "grecioti" e "Casale dei Greci" era il nome del nucleo urbano da essi abitato, prima che si affermasse l'attuale toponiimo di Biancavilla. Allo stesso modo anche il paese attuale di Piana degli Albanesi, nel palermitano, era chiamato fino al 1941 Piana dei Greci, (a motive del rito religioso) [As we know, the inhabitants of the neighboring areas called the Arbereshe settlers with the ethnonym of "Greek" or "Greeks" and "House of the Greeks" was the name of the urban centre inhabited by them, before they claimed the current toponym Biancavilla. Likewise the present village of Piana degli Albanesi, in Palermo, was called up to 1941 Piana dei Greci, <due to the religious rite>]</ref><ref name=Fracchia/> For example, in 1673, the local priest Domenico Mamola in a note written in Greek refers to the settlement as Piana dei Greci.<ref name=Mezzojuso>[http://www.dimarcomezzojuso.it/download.php?file=pubs/37/libro.pdf&as=37.pdf V Centernario della Stipula dei Capitoli. Patrimonio Librario ed Iconografico, catalogo della mostra. Mezzojuso, 2002.] Catalog No. 4, p. 27.</ref> In 1941 during Mussolini's invasion of Greece, the name was changed to Piana degli Albanesi so as to gain the locals support for the fascist regime's imperialist intentions toward Albania.<ref name=Fracchia/><ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=OdK9icaL8S4C&q=Piana+dei+Greci&pg=PA12 Di Marco P.,  Musco A. ''Aspetti della cultura bizantina ed albanese in Sicilia'', Officina di Studi Medievali, 2005 p. 85]</ref> The name Piana degli Albanesi or ''Plain of the Albanians'' is a literal translation of the local Arbëreshë name: Hora e Arbëreshëvet.<ref name=Fracchia>Fracchia, Joseph (2004). [http://booksandjournals.brillonline.com/content/journals/10.1163/1568531041705112 Subaltern Studies and Collective Memories in Piana degli Albanesi: Methodological Reflections on a Historiographical Encounter]. ''Asian Journal of Social Science''. '''32'''. (2). 247–248: Piana degli Albanesi or Plain of the Albanians is a literal translation of the village's Albanian name, Hora e Arbëreshëve. The name provides a quick insight into its history and geography. Piana was founded in 1488 by Albanian refugees fleeing the Turkish conquest of the Balkans and has been inhabited ever since by descendants of the original settlers. The village is situated 24 kilometers south of Palermo on an elevated plain about 740 meters above sea level, and is encircled by rather steep mountains which separate its inhabitants from their Italian neighbours. Not least because of this enclosed geographical site, the Albanians, or Arbëreshë, of Piana degli Albanesi, still retain their language, and religious and cultural traditions. Though most of the several hundred fifteenth-century Albanian settlements in Italy have long since been assimilated, Piana remains "the most self- consciously Italo-Albanian" village and is considered "the spiritual center of the Albanians of Sicily (Hobsbawm, 1965:102; Serra, 1987:12). The other striking historical fact is the long tradition of Pianese revolutionary commitment which led the British historian Trevalyn to call Piana "the hearth of freedom in Western Sicily" (1909:158), and which attracted Hobsbawm's attention. The early struggles were of the Pianese against outsiders: feudal overlords, followed by monarchs. Since the 1890s, however, bitter social conflicts within the village that pit Pianese peasants against the local landholding elite gave rise to a remarkable degree of revolutionary activity, with some two-thirds of the adult population enrolled first in the socialist and then, after 1919, in the communist party."; p. 269. "Rossi, and Hobsbawm and Guha following him, refer to the town as Piana dei Greci — a name it received from the Italians because of the Albanians’ Greek Orthodox Christianity. Mussolini, presumably in an attempt to gather support for his imperialist intentions toward Albania, changed the name to Piana degli Albanesi."</ref>

During the 19th century, the Arbëreshë of Piana degli Albanesi played a significant role for the Italian national unity, and participated in the stronger phases of the movement of [[Fasci Siciliani]].<ref name="Hobsbawm1971"/> The inhabitants of Piana degli Albanesi were known to have a reputation for rebelliousness, but were not organized politically until the arrival of the [[Fascio]] in April 1893.((clarify|date=May 2011))<ref name="Hobsbawm1971"/>

In 1947, the regional Mafia hired the bandit [[Salvatore Giuliano]] to shoot down the annual May Day demonstration of the Pianesi, which took place in a remote mountain pass. The bandit and his gang indeed attacked them there, killing fourteen people in what came to be known as the [[Portella della Ginestra massacre]].

===Symbols===
[[File:Piana degli Albanesi-Stemma.svg|thumb|130x130px|Sticker with municipal emblem]]
[[File:Piana degli Albanesi-Stemma.png|thumb|130px|Variant of the emblem in the former Town Hall]]
[[File:Museo Civico Nicola Barbato - Piana degli Albanesi 01.jpg|left|thumb|upright=0.6|Gonfalone]]
The coat of arms of the municipality of Piana degli Albanesi is thus described by the municipal statute: ((blockquote|[...] Ricamato con fili di seta di colore giallo in varie tonalità, raffigura un'aquila bicipite ad ali spiegate con le teste coronate e sormontate da una stella a sei punte e con tre spighe di grano in entrambi gli artigli. (Embroidered with yellow silk threads in various shades, it depicts a two-headed eagle with spread wings with crowned heads and surmounted by a six-pointed star and with three ears of wheat in both claws.)))

The [[gonfalon]] of the municipality of Piana degli Albanesi is a rectangular drape with a blue background or red with a round in the center adorned with gold embroidery reproducing the Latin inscription ''Nobilis Planæ Albanensium Civitas'' and bearing the emblem. The banner is governed by the statutory provisions of the municipality.

Originally the coat of arms consisted of two ears joined by a knot ribbon with an eight-pointed star in the upper part and with the acronym S.P.Q.A. (''Senatus Populus Que Albanensis''), or N.P.A.C. (''Nobilis Planæ Albanensium Civitas''). This coat of arms, which symbolizes the agricultural work of the Albanians, can be seen in local stone in the oldest fountains, such as that of the "Fusha and Pontit" (1765), and on the side door of the Church of St. George, the ancient Matrix. Later the Albanian double eagle was always used, with the ears between the claws and the inscription N.P.A.C. In the former Town Hall in Piazza Vitt. Emanuele, now the seat of the Municipal Library "G. Schirò", has a stone coat of arms with the figure of Gjergj Kastrioti [[Scanderbeg|Skënderbeu]] in the center. According to the Statute of the municipality of Piana degli Albanesi, the municipality has its own anthem in Albanian.

==Geography==
===Location===
[[File:PianaDegliAlbanesiMitLago.jpg|thumb|Landscape of Piana degli Albanesi]]
Piana degli Albanesi is ((convert|740|m|ft)) above sea level in a mountainous valley, located in the hinterland of Palermo. The municipal territory, bordered mostly by natural borders and extended in a south-east direction, has an extension of approximately 64.92&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup> and is inserted in the "Serre della Pizzuta oriented natural reserve" and in the "Piana degli Albanesi lake" .

It is a mountain resort, whose natural environment and typical mild mediterranean climate create a peaceful and serene oasis. Its natural frame consists of a lake, the mountains and the typical rural quarters.

It is surrounded by four mountains (Pizzuta, Kumeta, Maganoce, Xeravulli), natural sites (Neviere, Cave Garrone, Honi), and the nature reserve ''Serre della Pizzuta''. There are a number of recreational activities available in the area, such as hiking, cycling, horse riding, canoeing, and paragliding.

The territory is crossed by several [[streams]]. To the south-east, immersed in the greenness, there is the artificial lake formed in 1923 by damming the Belice Destro river (''Lumi Honi''), barred in the 1920s to allow for the construction of the [[Lago di Piana degli Albanesi|Lake of Piana degli Albanesi]], since 1999 a natural oasis protected and safeguarded by the [[World Wildlife Foundation]].

===Topography===
The original inhabited area initially developed on the rocky Mount Pizzuta (''mali Picuta''), although, a cause of the rigid temperature, the Albanian exiles moved a little further downstream, in the area of the plain below, on the slopes of the Sheshi mound.

Due to its ethnic, cultural, religious, historical and environmental peculiarities it is part of the varied Sicilian landscape as a unique unrepeatable.

===Climate===
Piana degli Albanesi is located in a plateau surrounded by high mountains and is subject to a particular microclimate. Summers are on average warm and sunny, but more windy than in the rest of the island thanks to the mountain breezes. Winters are generally cold but quite variable depending on the year, with rigid snow periods. Unlike the surrounding areas, humidity is high and rainfall is more abundant.

==Demography==
((Historical populations
|footnote= Source: [[National Institute of Statistics (Italy)|ISTAT]], 2017
|1488 | 2,699<ref>[http://www.unibesa.it/images/N3marzo2004.pdf Biblos, N3 March 2004.]</ref><ref>Movimento della popolazione secondo i riveli del '600, cfr. "M. Mandalà, Sviluppi demografici a Piana degli Albanesi. Secoli XVI-XVIII, Piana degli Albanesi 1995".</ref>
|1589 | 3,699
|1652 | 3,864
|1714 | 4,605
|1861 | 7,334
|1881 | 9,033
|1921 | 10,162
|1951 | 7,239
|2001 | 6,227
|2011 | 6,010
|2017 | 6,429
))
Historiographical research has not yet succeeded in specifying the number of Albanian refugees reaching the end of the fifteenth century.<ref>Matteo Mandalà, ''Sviluppi demografici a Piana degli Albanesi. Secoli XVI-XVIII'', Biblos, Piana degli Albanesi 1995.</ref> The building of the farmhouse was therefore relatively rapid, so much so that this first group was joined, between 1532 and 1534, by other Albanian refugees from Corone and Modone.<ref>Giuseppe Schirò, ''Canti Tradizionali ed altri saggi delle colonie albanesi di Sicilia'', Comune di Piana degli Albanesi, Palermo, 1986, p. cit., LXXXIV.</ref> The demographic and economic growth was constant, due also to the constant arrival of new nuclei of Albanian exiles who settled in the town.

The 1624 epidemic that struck Sicily and the continuing famines raged over demographic development. One of the most critical moments came towards the end of the seventeenth century, when a large group of arbëreshë decided to move with their families to the nearby fiefdom of Santa Cristina, owned by the Archbishopric of Palermo, to build a new farmhouse.<ref>Giuseppe Chiaramonte Musacchia, ''Notizie sulle origini e sulla storia della colonia albanese di S. Cristina Gela'', 1967, in "Annuario accademico del Centro Internazionale di Studi Albanesi", p. 98 e segg.</ref> The displacement involved more than a hundred Albanians, whose names are indicated in the chapters approved in 1691.

From the eighteenth century to the unification of Italy, a positive demographic increase is evident, up to the peak of the population in the first half of the 20th century, although affected by the emigration phenomenon towards the Americas (United States, Canada, Brazil, Cile, Uruguay and Argentina), European states (Germany) or north Italy. Since the second half of the 20th century the population has remained fairly stable.

===Ethnic groups===
[[File:Bar Shqjpëria.jpg|thumb|upright=0.8|left|A historic "Bar Shqjpëria"]]
[[File:Cattedrale San Demetrio - Coro.jpeg|thumb|upright=0.8|Albanian flag in the cathedral during Holy Week]]
The ethnic composition of Piana degli Albanesi, whose population is and still feels Albanian,<ref>Mario Gandolfo Giacomarra, ''Condizioni di minoranza oggi: gli albanesi di Sicilia fra etnicismi e globalizzazione'', in Albanica, Palermo, A.C.Mirror, 2003, pp. 84–120</ref><ref>Rosalba Catalano, ''Piana degli Albanesi e il suo territorio: Fonti documenti e progetti di sviluppo'', Palermo, A.C.Mirror, 2003, pp. 104–105.</ref> is significantly different from that of the surrounding Sicilian environment. The community is configured as a historically consolidated system with an independent profile in the territory. The different origins, with the strong historical, cultural and value connotations, constitute specific points of the community, on the other hand perfectly integrated.

The ''Arbëreshe'' identity, tempered in a foreign land (''te dheu i huaj''), seals its strong indigenous character. The cornerstones of the community are: the Albanian language, the Byzantine rite, traditional customs and customs, history. The social component was the endogenous force of Piana degli Albanesi: the ''intelligentsia Arbëreshe'', the priests in the first place and exponents of political and cultural life, through institutions and the work of many illustrious men, worked with zeal to defend the peculiarities identity. The maintenance of the Albanian status, as in every identity reality, is confronted daily with the socio-cultural transformism and if once ignoring each other between Albanians and Sicilians was the way to preserve each one's own specificities, the current territorial dynamics not they allow it to the extent that the world-system is expressed through relations from the local to the supra-local.

Identity aspects, such as ritual, language and customs, are still kept alive by the whole community, thanks to a strong and deep-rooted popular tradition in which this people is linked and is recognized, and religious and cultural institutions also contribute validly to the safeguard and to the enhancement of ancestral heritage.

A flourishing Albanian community of Albania of very recent immigration, post-fall of the communist regime of 1990, coexists and is well integrated in the social of Piana degli Albanesi, with the creation of a community of ''arbëreshë'' which gathers within it a rooted core of ''shqiptarë''.<ref>[https://www.researchgate.net/publication/263065951_New_Albanian_immigrants_in_the_old_Albanian_diaspora_Piana_degli_Albanesi ''New Albanian immigrants in the old Albanian diaspora: Piana degli Albanesi'' in researchgate.net]</ref> There is no lack of marriages between Italo-Albanians and Albanians from the Balkans.

Between 1997 and 2002 the municipality and the Eparchy of Piana degli Albanesi welcomed and helped the Albanians from [[Kosovo]] affected by the war.

==Cityscape==
[[File:Paesaggio Sheshi.jpg|thumb|Overview from the hill ''Sheshi'']]
The historic center of the town has a late-medieval style, reflecting the social status and economic conditions of the time when the settlement was built. The city streets are narrow and consist of steps (''shkallët'') and neighbourhoods (''gjitonia''), the roads are generally narrow and provide a meeting place in front of the houses, with the exception of the main road (''dhromi i madhë'') which is wide and straight and divides the town into different sections. There is also a Piazza Grande (''Qaca e Madhe'') which is the centre of community relationships.

The churches of the town are among the most important architectural structures, the testimony of these two styles, the baroque linked to the [[Byzantine Empire]] and Italian. Of particular interest are the works of the architect and painter [[Pietro Novelli]], very active in the Albanian community.

===Religious architecture===
[[File:ShënMitri.jpg|thumb|right|[[Piana degli Albanesi Cathedral]]]] 
[[File:Sklica.jpg|thumb|right|Monastery of Basilian monks (''Sklica'')]]
[[File:Eterno Padre.jpg|thumb|left|130px|[[Pietro Novelli]], 17th century, Cathedral, fresco depicting God the Father participating in the resurrection of Christ.]]
The most notable churches in Piana degli Albanesi are:
* [[Piana degli Albanesi Cathedral|The Cathedral of ''Shën Mitri Dëshmor i Math'']] ([[Saint Demetrius of Thessaloniki|St. Demetrius Megalomartyr]]), which serves as the principal church of the [[Eparchy of Piana degli Albanesi]], the church dates to 1498/1590. The cathedral is a building dating from the late fifteenth-century, that preserves some significant frescoes by [[Pietro Novelli]]. The most ancient work is the icon of the God Mother with the Christ (1500). The presence of two cultures (Byzantine-baroque) is so evident in the place.
*Church of ''Shën Mëria e Dhitrjës'' ([[Hodegetria|St. Mary Odigitria]]), located in the village main square, was built in 1644 in the style of [[Pietro Novelli]]. The church, the only architectural work by Novelli, has the nave divided from the two aisles by four pillars to support the octagonal dome with a small lantern. It preserves a [[Hodegetria|Virgin Odigitria]] [[icon]] that is said to have been brought here by the refugees during their voyage from [[Albania]].
* Church of ''Shën Gjergji Dëshmor i Math''' ([[St. George]]), built in 1492, is the most ancient in the town. It preserves some remarkable frescoes.
*Church of ''Shën Kolli'' ([[Saint Nicholas|St. Nicholas]]), an important church which houses precious icons from the seventeenth century.
*Church of ''Shën Viti'' ([[Saint Vitus|Saint Vito]]), dating back to 1514, with an imposing portal, which is of [[Latin Church|Latin rite]].
*Church of ''Shën Gjoni i Math'' ([[Saint John the Evangelist|Saint John]]), from the 16th century, has preserved the altar to the east, typical of Byzantine architecture.

The Monastery of the Basilian Fathers (Sclizza or in Albanian ''Sklica'') of the Byzantine Rite is it in a panoramic spot over the town, you can admire some mosaic works by Spiridione Marino (Dhoni), a local Italo-Albanian artist. From here, it is also worth having a look at the valley below.

===Archaeology===
Within the confines of Piana degli Albanesi, in Contrada Sant'Agata (''Shënt Arhta'' in [[Albanian language|Albanian]]), the remains of an early Christian necropolis of late Roman age, called [[Pirama (Sicily)|Pirama]], were brought to light in 1988. Evidence of ancient and modern cultural richness of the area, currently subject to archaeological research center.

==Religion==
[[File:Papàdes.jpg|thumb|100px|Italo-Albanian priests of the Byzantine rite]]
The Comune is the [[Episcopal see]] of the [[Italo-Albanian Catholic Church]] [[Eparchy of Piana degli Albanesi]] for the [[Arbëreshë people|Arbëreshë]] of Sicily.<ref>((cite web |title=Diocese of Piana degli Abanesi |url=http://www.gcatholic.org/dioceses/diocese/pian0.htm |work=GCatholic.org |access-date=December 27, 2011))</ref>

=== Easter ===
The town preserves unique Easter traditions, held every year according to a typical itinerary: first of all is the [[Divine Liturgy]], where the Gospel is read in seven languages, including Arabic. After the religious ceremony, there is a procession through the main street, all the women and several men dress in traditional Arbëresh costume, the procession leads to the square after the blessing the red eggs are distributed as a sign of Christ's resurrection.

== Culture ==
=== Traditional costume ===
[[File:Cost trad pianadeglialbanesi.jpg|thumb|left|300px|(''Ncilona'') Traditional Arbëresh costume worn during the Catholic-Byzantine wedding]]
[[File:Traditional dress of Arbëreshë women in Piana degli Albanesi.jpg|thumb|150px|Women in typical Albanian costume of Piana degli Albanesi, historical photo dates to the end of the 19th century]]
The traditional female costume of Piana degli Albanesi, along with language and the Byzantine rite, is one of the most obvious signs of Arbëreshe cultural identity, and is a unique expression of local self-consciousness, which manifests itself in the desire to retain identity and traditions. From the historical point of view Piana degli Albanesi is one of the most notable Arbëresh communities in Arbëria and Sicily.  There are several artistic works on the clothes of Albanians of Piana degli Albanesi, including very valuable Vuillier prints of the eighteenth century, and paintings by Ettore De Maria Bergler, partly preserved at the Art Gallery of the monumental complex of Sant'Anna in Palermo and other private prints, postcards and watercolors by unknown authors. Both the former, together with numerous additional representations portray and demonstrate the incomparability of the costume of Piana degli Albanesi.

The clothes, linked to the various moments of women's lives, from everyday life to marriage, punctuated the rhythms of social tradition of the past. Handed down from mother to daughter, and zealously preserved, they are no longer clothes, but costumes. The progressive loss of this link began in the 1940s, when after the war in Europe there was a need for more practical clothing.
[[File:Pasqua Piana degli Albanesi.jpg|thumb|Albanian Easter, national costumes]] 
The opulent and elegant clothes have preserved intact their special character, and are worn on special occasions such as [[baptisms]], [[Epiphany (holiday)|Epiphany]], Easter and especially marriage, continuing to be carefully preserved by the women of Piana degli Albanesi. It costs thousands of [[euros]] to make and repair these costumes, and the majority of women use them on these occasions. An epitome of beauty is the bridal costume, which makes it particularly valuable and the religious event of the [[Byzantine rite]]. The quality of production is due to the great craftsmanship of the Arbëresh embroiderers in gold and silk wheelwork, velvet and gold (in leads, and lenticciole canatiglie).  Embroidery is done using a pillow, a frame or a needle alone.

The traditional female costume of Piana degli Albanesi has been admired through time and consensus. In the competition held in Venice in 1928, in which costume groups from every region of Italy took part, the group from Piana degli Albanesi was awarded first prize, a recognition of their traditional dress as the most sumptuous, rich in design, fabrics and colors out of all the regional competitors.<ref name="Historia"/>

===Language===
((Main article|Arbëresh language))
[[File:Piana degli Albanesi (PA) - segnali stradali bilingui - 02.jpg|250px|thumb|right|Bilingual signs in Piana degli Albanesi]]
The most obvious traces of the strong ethnic identity of Piana degli Albanesi is the Albanian language ([[Arbëresh language|Arbërisht]]). It is spoken by all, and can be seen in street names, road signs, and shop signs in the village. The Arbëreshë community has preserved its identity as much as possible. The language shares the widespread language variations seen in southern [[Albania]], mixed at times with Greek phonetics. The language is recognized by the local government and primary schools as a minority ethno-linguistic language. [[Arbëresh language|Arbërisht]] remains the dominant language in the region. Piana degli Albanesi is officially bilingual; the official town documents are written in both Albanian and Italian. The citizens are bilingual, able to use both the [[Albanian language|Albanian]] and Italian languages.<ref>New Albanian Immigrants in the Old Albanian Diaspora: Piana Degli Albanesi. Eda Derhemi</ref>

Albanian is used in radio stations (ex. ''Radio Hora'' or ''Radio Jona''), and especially in books and periodicals (ex. ''Mondo Albanese'', ''Kartularet e Biblos'', ''Albanica'', ''Fluturimi i aikullës'', ''Lajmtari Arbëreshvet'' or ''Mirë ditë'').

===Music===
[[File:Canti della melurgia bizantina italo-albanese.png|thumb|130px|Byzantine melurgic songs of the Italo-Albanian Catholic Church]]
[[File:O e bukura Moré - Trascrizione.jpg|thumb|130px|Transcription of the popular Albanian song "O e bukura Moré", on the motif preserved in Piana degli Albanesi, Tirana (1941)]]
[[File:Donne in costume tradizionale albanese - Chiesa della Martorana.jpg|thumb|Women in traditional Albanian costume singing liturgical songs, [[Church of Santa Maria dell'Ammiraglio|Italo-Albanian parish of Palermo]]]]
The music and chants of Piana degli Albanesi are deeply tied to religious tradition. The repertoire of sacred songs in Ancient Greek (or [[Koine Greek|Koinè]], [[lingua franca]] of the [[Eastern churches]]) and Albanian (common language of the community), used throughout the liturgical year of complex and detailed, is very wide. The weekly liturgies, festivals and other officiating are always adorned with a ceaseless flow of melody. The poetic and musical forms are dell'innografia Byzantine liturgical repertory of the museum system is modal theory and follows the Byzantine dell'oktòichos. In addition to these compositions, the prevailing source of educated, there are other evidences of a profane nature, strongly influenced, moreover, of the musical traditions of indigenous origin, it has a large number of popular songs, heritage still very much alive and thriving.

The transmission of the songs is, even today, almost entirely through oral tradition. For their documentary value are significant, however, also mentioned the many testimonies pentagram on the manuscript, written, since the beginning of up to 900 times closer to us, priests and monks with the aim of safeguarding the integrity of sacred tradition. The hymns of the Byzantine tradition are performed in celebrations and concerts in the "Corale di San Demetrio" and "Coro dei Papàs di Piana degli Albanesi", while the popular songs from the folk group "Dhëndurët e Arbërit". Among the many heritage, the songs are the most known are:<ref>((cite web|url=https://www.arbitalia.it/arte/gruppi/dhenduret.htm|title=Gruppo folkoristico > "''Dhëndurët e Arbërit''"|publisher=www.arbitalia.it|access-date=25 September 2021|language=Italian))</ref>

*Kostantini i vogëlith (Little Costantine)
*Christos Anesti
*Lazëri (Lazarus)
*Epi si chieri
*Simeon Krema
*Vajtimet (Lamentations)
*U të dua mirë (I wish for you to be good)
*O zonjë e Parrajsit (O lady of Heaven)
*Te parkales
*Një lule u deja t'isha (I wished i could be a flower)
*Kopile moj kopile (Girl you girl)
*Muaji i mait (Month of May)
*Ju lule të këtij sheshi (You flowers of this field)
*Trëndafili i shkëmbit (Rose of the rock)
*Malli çë kam për tij (The longing i have for you)
*Përçë ti rron
*Perëndesh e bukuris (Goddess of beauty)
*Kur të pash të parën herë (When i saw you for the first time)
*Për mëmëdhenë (For the motherland)
*Shkova ka dera jote (I went at your doorstep)

Although the most emblematic songs and perhaps the oldest remain:

*O mburonjë e Shqipëris (The shield of Albania)
*O e bukura More (Beautiful [[Peloponnese|Morea]]) The most famous song dating circa 700 years ago.

===Cuisine===
[[File:Bukë.jpg|thumb|right|Traditional bread of Piana degli Albanesi]]
The local gastronomy 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.

Albanian cuisine is very simple but tasty due to the aromas used in the dishes [110]. Local food is rich in values and flavors, with its rituals and its symbolic codes, it constitutes an element of socio-cultural identification. The manufacturing process to obtain these products is almost a ritual, which from ancient times has been handed down from father to son to the present day [111]. A complete overview of typical products, especially desserts (ëmbëlsirat), is for Easter, when all the Albanian traditions rediscover their splendid form. Piana degli Albanesi is famous for bread (''bukë''), olive oil (''vajtë ulliri''), ricotta (''gjizë''), cheese (''udhosë'') and cannoli (''Kanojët'') filled with candied ricotta.

Among the various typical gastronomic products we can mention: ''Strangujët'' ([[Gnocchi]]), ''Likënkë'' (Salsiccia), ''Grosha'' or ''Groshët'', ''Milanisë'', ''Grurët'' (Cuccìa), ''Vetë të kuqe'' (Easter red eggs), ''Panaret'' (Easter Breads), ''Loshkat e petullat'', ''Dorëzët'', ''Të plotë'' (Buccellati),

==Notable people==
[[File:Padre Giorgio Guzzetta.jpeg|thumb|100px|[[Giorgio Guzzetta]] (1682 – 1756)]]
[[File:ZefSkiroi.jpg|thumb|100px|[[Giuseppe Schirò]] (1865 – 1925)]]
* [[Luca Matranga]] (1567–1619) priest of the [[Italo-Albanian Greek Catholic Church]] and writer who gave the official start [[Albanian literature]] in diaspora.
* [[Giorgio Guzzetta]] (1682–1756), [[Apostle]] of the Albanians in Sicily, founder of the "Italo-Albanian Seminary" and Catholic priest of Byzantine rite for the sanctity of life and apostolic works memorable.<ref>((Cite web|url=http://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/giorgio-guzzetta_(Dizionario-Biografico)/|title=GUZZETTA, Giorgio. Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani|publisher=treccani.it|access-date=October 1, 2019))</ref>
* [[Giuseppe Schirò (archbishop)|Giuseppe Schirò]], (1690–1769) Greek Catholic priest, writer and archbishop of [[Durazzo]] (Albanian) of the 18th century.
* [[Demetrio Camarda]] (1821–1882), priest of [[Byzantine rite]], Albanian-language scholar, historian and philologist.
* [[Nicola Barbato]] (1856–1923), doctor and politician among the founders of the movement of the [[Fasci Siciliani]] Workers.<ref name=piana>((in lang|it)) [http://www.pianalbanesi.it/pages/storiaecultura/personaggi.htm DE PLANAE ALBANENSIUM VIRIS ILLUSTRIBUS: Personaggi illustri] ((webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719124801/http://www.pianalbanesi.it/pages/storiaecultura/personaggi.htm |date=July 19, 2011 )), Comune di Piana degli Albanesi (Accessed October 31, 2010)</ref>
* [[Giuseppe Schirò]] (1865–1927), poet, historian, linguist, publicist and Albanian patriot, most representative of the Albanian literary and cultural traditions of Sicily.
* [[Kristina Gentile Mandala]] (1856-1919), writer, documenter, one of the first Albanian women writers.
* [[Joseph Ardizzone]] (1884-1931),the first boss of [[Los Angeles crime family]].
* [[Francesco Cuccia]] (1876-1956), [[Sicilian Mafia]] [[crime boss|boss]] and longtime mayor of Piana.
* [[Marco La Piana]] (1883–1958), scholar.
* [[Ercole Lupinacci]] (1933), bishop of the Eparchy of [[Eparchy of Piana degli Albanesi|Piana degli Albanesi]] and [[Eparchy of Lungro|Lungro]] of the [[Italo-Albanian Church]].
* [[Sotir Ferrara]] (1937), bishop of the Eparchy of [[Eparchy of Piana degli Albanesi|Piana degli Albanesi]] of the [[Italo-Albanian Church]].
* [[Giuseppe Schirò Di Maggio]] (1944), poet, journalist, essayist, playwright and writer, among the most influential and prolific exponents of contemporary Arbëreshë literature.

===Honorary citizens===
* [[Ismail Kadare]] (1936), Albanian writer, poet and essayist.

==Economy==
((unreferenced section|date=March 2022))
[[File:Mish.jpg|thumb|upright|Shop with bilingual sign (Mish / Carne)]]

===Agriculture===
One of the main local resources is made from tourism, but because of the vast areas devoted to agriculture and its climate, its economy is based primarily on the production of dairy products, cereals, olive oil, wine and fruit, and by herds of sheep, cattle and goats. The office and industrial sector is thriving, the country is precisely known for the presence of accommodation such as guesthouses and restaurants that specialize in preparing dishes of those particular goods

===Artistic and sacred crafts===
[[File:ShënGjoni.jpg|thumb|70px|Mosaic of Saint John the Great, written in Albanian]]
A prestigious tradition also belongs to art and craft, including Byzantine style [[icon]]s created according to the traditional canons.  Modern painters of icons (religious pictures on wood) draw inspiration from Byzantine art and spirituality. Even after some centuries, they keep the tradition going in the community of Piana degli Albanesi, and are interpreters of techniques, stylist characters and use of materials, according to every detail established for centuries about this kind of art: the position of the figures, the symbolic gesture, the choice of the colours.

Embroidered with meticulousness elegant women's costumes Arbëreshë in almost continuous production for over five centuries. Other local artists are skilled [[goldsmith]]s, especially for production of costume accessories, [[mosaic]]ists and craftsmen who work with local marble.

==Gallery==
<gallery>
Image:MirëSeNaErdhët.jpg|Bilingual signs in Italian and Albanian
Image:Piana-degli-Albanesi-bjs2007-05.jpg|Italo-Albanian Epiphany of the Byzantine rite
Image:Tre Kanojvet.jpg|Ancient baroque fountain ''Tre Kanojvet'' in the shape of temple (1608)
Image:Piana-degli-Albanesi-bjs2007-01.jpg|The ancient main square
Image:IconostasiCattedrale.png|Iconostasi of the Cathedral
Image:Abside Cattedrale San Demetrio.jpg|[[Pietro Novelli]] (17th century), the frescoes of the Cathedral
Image:Pasqua Bandiere Comune Piana degli Albanesi.jpg|During Easter
Image:PianaDegliAlbanesiTreppen.jpg|A typical street of the old town
Image:Shrine_in_Sicily_with_Arberisht_language.jpg|Roadside shrine showing the words "''Falem O Mëri''" meaning "Hail Mary" in Albanian
Image:Odhise Paskali - Scanderbeg, Piana degli Albanesi.jpg|[[Odhise Paskali]] (1968), Bust of the Albanian Hero [[Skanderbeg]], Garden Comune
Image:Artigianato Arberesh.jpg|A traditional Albanian craft store
Image:Lago_Piana_degli_Albanesi.jpeg|[[Lago di Piana degli Albanesi]]
Image:Illustrazione italiana 21 01 1894 P20 (1).jpg|Arbëreshë with traditional clothes at the fountains of ''Me një gojë'' and ''Kryqa'' in 1894
Image:Museo Civico Nicola Barbato - Piana degli Albanesi 08.jpg|Clothes used by Arbëreshë women to lament their dead (((lang-sq|vajtim)))
Image:Artista Arbëresh.jpg|Arbëreshë icon painter
</gallery>

==See also==
* [[Arbëreshë people]]
* [[Byzantine Rite]]
* [[Eparchy of Piana degli Albanesi]]
* [[Lago di Piana degli Albanesi]]
* [[Portella della Ginestra massacre]]

==Notes==
*[http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0013/001387/138795E.pdf#page=103 Scientific article on the state language Arbëresh of Piana degli Albanesi]

==References==
((Reflist))

==External links==
((Commons))
* [http://www.pianalbanesi.it/ Official website Comune of Piana degli Albanesi] ((in lang|it))
* [http://www.eparchiapiana.org/ Portal of the Eparchy of Piana degli Albanesi] ((in lang|it))
* [http://www.unibesa.it/ Unione dei Comuni Albanesi di Sicilia BESA – Lidhja e Bashkivet Arbëreshe të Siçilisë BESA]
* [http://www.prolocopianadeglialbanesi.com/ Pro Loco Piana degli Albanesi – Për Vendin Hora e Arbëreshëvet] ((in lang|it))
* [http://www.altobelicecorleonese.com/abc_tur/pdf/guida/comuni/piana_degli_albanesi.pdf Guida ai Comuni – Piana degli Albanesi] ((in lang|it))
* [http://www.vatrarberesh.it/biblioteca/ebooks/miredite.pdf Mirëditë: anima shpirt arbëresh – Magazine of Piana degli Albanesi] ((in lang|it))
* [http://www.jemi.it/ Arbëreshë portal]  ((in lang|it))
* [http://unibesa.it/images/guida%20arbereshe.pdf Practical manual in Albanian on Piana degli Albanesi] ((in lang|sq))
* [http://www.hora1488.com/ The best way to uncover Piana degli Albanesi on hora1488.com.]

((Province of Palermo))
((Arbëreshë settlements))
((Ethnic Albanians))
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((Authority control))

((DEFAULTSORT:Piana Degli Albanesi))
[[Category:Arbëresh settlements]]
[[Category:Municipalities of the Metropolitan City of Palermo]]

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