PIANA-DE-GRECI

[JUNIPER]

From the Ellis island database, it says my great grandmother came from Piana-de-Greci,Naples, Italy. I did a search and it came back \"no such town\". Anyone have any clues??

[ptimber]

You don\'t furnish any name so I cannot check for you but there are no towns listed for province of Naples as you say but that may be an error as there are the follwoingg towns which you can locate in the Campania region which may solve your problem. As punishment for not furnishing asll the data you have you now have to go to www.paginebianche.it and put in her surname in the first line and the following towns in the third line...Piana de\' greci, Piana dei Greci, Piana di Greci, Piana degli Greci... Click cerca after each try. When you get to a town with the name showing up then chances rare thats it!. Peter

[raymo]

I know your posting is very old & you may have already found the answers you needed, nor would I want to be contrary to what Peter says...

But, the most well-known Piana dei Greci is in Sicily, not Naples. Piana is where many Albanians (Arberesh) settled in the 1500s, after escaping from the Turks who overran their homeland. Their settlements are in Sicilian towns such as Palazzo Adriano, Santa Cristina Gela, Contessa Entellina, Mezzoiuso & others...Maybe your g-grandmother was from one of those?

Maybe it's possible the Ellis Islands records were incorrect as to Naples being the point of your g-grandmother's origins?

[suanj]

Also are an localities
-"Piana dei Greci" in Cariati Common(Cosenza province-Calabria region)

-also are "Greci" Common in Avellino province-Campania region(Naples area)
-but I task is "Piana dei Greci" fraction of Mirabella Eclano Common Avellino province-Campania region(Naples area)
Regards, suanj

[Napoli87]

I'm pretty sure Piani di Greci is in Sicily,around Corleone.Not sure about Corleone,but almost positive it's in Sicily.

[ptimber]

Did you try www.google.com???? Peter

[ptimber]

The town is Piano degli Albanesi but previously known as Piano dei Greci. Go to www.initaly.com/regions/ethnikc/arberesh.htm for the listings of towns of albanian origin. Peter

[suanj]

I'm pretty sure Piani di Greci is in Sicily,around Corleone.Not sure about Corleone,but almost positive it's in Sicily.

In the past was Piana dei Greci is in Sicily,around Monreale, currently called Piana degli Albanesi.. are same town..in ancient past (1488) name town was HORA albanian word meaning "the Town"... after name town was Piana dei Greci why the people they conserved the Greek religion and customs and again and subsequently the name changed in Piana degli Albanesi
http://www.pianalbanesi.it/hora.htm
regards, suanj

[Joni]

This is the first post I am attempting. If your family is from Piana dei Greci in the Palermo province, it is now called Piana degli Albanesi. I have been there several times and it is a wonderful comune, I have a great deal of information on the families that came from there, many came to New Orleans, some to Wisconsin and to California, there is a large group of us in Sacramento California who are researching the entire comune and may be able to help you.... Perhaps your family left from a port in Naples but were actually from Piana, that is not too uncommon.

[erico]

The correct name of town is Piana Degli Albanesi.

[Benita LoCastro]

There is no Piana Dei Greci in "Naples" or anywhere else on the mainland of Italy. Piani Dei Greci was in Sicily in the mountains above Palermo; only after 1947 the name of this city was changed to "Piani Di Albanesi" to reflect its Albanian heritage and citizenry. The language spoken in this town was and is "Albanian" or Albareche. The people were taken to the island of Sicily by Veneitian ships, because these people were fleeing from the Turkish conquest of their homeland. This devastation of their homeland took place during the expansion of the Ottoman Empire; after the defeat and death of their Emperor Georji Skaderbed by the Turks. Soon after these people landed on Sicliy they were given land by the Spanish King (Who ruled Sicily in the 15th century) upon which they built their present town. Soon after which they swore allegiance to the Pope and changed their religion from Greek-Catholic to Byzantine-Catholic and they still worship in the Byzantine Rite, up to the present time. There are about 6,500 people living in Piana di Albanisi today and they still consider themselves to be "Abareche" or (Albanians) first and Sicilians second. They sill speak Albanian too as their first language. It is also interestitng historically to note that when Vlad Tepes aka (Dracula III) was fighting against the Turks, so was Emperor Geoji Skaderbed of Albania the ruler of the people who now inhabit Piana di Albanesi. A










































nd these two men saved the Turkish expansion from spreading to Venice and then onto the rest of the Italian mainland.

[Benita LoCastro]

My question is why was "Piana de Greci" named "Greci" in the first place? Historically, there is no question that these people escaped and fled from "Albania" not Greece in the Fifteenth Century during the Turkish expansion of the Ottoman Empire. The border of Albania (where the people of Piana dei Greci came from) may have changed over the centuries from Albania to Greece and back again, because of minor border skirmeshes; but the language and culture of the people who settled in Piana di Greci was definately "Albanian" not Greek. So why was the word "Greci" put into the name of the town, only to be corrected after 1947? I am seeking a historically factual answer not something someone's uncle or relative may have told to them. These stories though colorful, do nothing to document the history of this wonderful history of a people who are deserving of great praise for their courage and endurance as a nationality. I am very proud to have decended from the people of Piani di Albanesi.

[liviomoreno]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piana_degli_Albanesi

King John II of Spain and Sicily allowed the original refugees to occupy the present place and to preserve their Orthodox religion, which was identified as Greek, so that the small town had the name of Piana dei Greci.In the beginning it was called "Piana dei Greci" for the use of Greek language in the Byzantine rite professed by the inhabitants. In 1941, during the Fascist regime, has been changed to "Piana degli Albanesi"

[tshrmn]

This is the first post I am attempting. If your family is from Piana dei Greci in the Palermo province, it is now called Piana degli Albanesi. I have been there several times and it is a wonderful comune, I have a great deal of information on the families that came from there, many came to New Orleans, some to Wisconsin and to California, there is a large group of us in Sacramento California who are researching the entire comune and may be able to help you.... Perhaps your family left from a port in Naples but were actually from Piana, that is not too uncommon.

My family came from this region as well. Would love to know more. Cuccia family.

[kerx]

My question is why was "Piana de Greci" named "Greci" in the first place? Historically, there is no question that these people escaped and fled from "Albania" not Greece in the Fifteenth Century during the Turkish expansion of the Ottoman Empire. The border of Albania (where the people of Piana dei Greci came from) may have changed over the centuries from Albania to Greece and back again, because of minor border skirmeshes; but the language and culture of the people who settled in Piana di Greci was definately "Albanian" not Greek. So why was the word "Greci" put into the name of the town, only to be corrected after 1947? I am seeking a historically factual answer not something someone's uncle or relative may have told to them. These stories though colorful, do nothing to document the history of this wonderful history of a people who are deserving of great praise for their courage and endurance as a nationality. I am very proud to have decended from the people of Piani di Albanesi.

sorry to interrupt after all these years, but i would like to correct some misunderstanding here. They didn't keep their name Piana de Greci for 400 years because of a "mistake". The original name Piana de Greci was offered in 15th century, ther was no such country or name as "Albania". Arbereshe lived with Greeks in the Byzantine Empire and shared their customs. Moreover Arbereshe people like their Greek relatives "Arvanites", use mixed 10% of their language in Greek. Mussolini changed the name of the village before attacking the Greeks in Albania, because he wanted to promote Albanian national pride, as they were allies at that time.
So my friend your ancestors do use 80% an albanian pre-dialect but they have more Greek customs than Albanian. So i wouldn't call you Albanian or Greek, because you are not, you are something more unique. Arbereshe or Arvanite is a great minority!

Also another misunderstanding, someone said "Hora" that means "the town" is and albanian word, it is not. It is totaly ancient Greek word http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/χώρα that means "town" but also "country" "place" and other meanings.
I hope i was helpful enough! I am Greek by the way.