Greek Italy - Una Faccia Una Razza

Much of Southern Italy was colonised by				listening to various pieces of music and
Greeks 2500 years ago, and these areas form				songs, both modern day and traditional, e.g.
what we still know today as Magna Grecia				Mari by Neapolitan artist Nino D'Angelo.
(Greater Greece). As a result, Southern Italy				Traditional Southern Italian and Greek music
became a centre of Greek culture, music, and				both use similar instruments such as the
language for hundreds of years. Greece has in				mandolino (similar to the Greek bouzouki) and
the past also been occupied by Romans and				tamburello (tambourine), which is the most
Italians. To this day, we can see the Greek				important percussion instrument in Italy's
influence in Italy, and Italian influence in				music tradition. The 'tamburello' was
Greece, through architecture, music, food and				originally introduced via Greek influence in
language. Naples, for example, was a city				South Italy, and also through the Arabic
founded by the Greeks, and it's name derives				influence in Sicily.The tarantella is a
from the Greek Nea Polis (New City). Naples				famous traditional Southern Italian dance and
was also a Greek speaking town until the 9th				is directly related to the ritual of the cult
century BC. It is an ancient Greek city, with				of Dionysus (the patron god of wine) of
a 'secret abandoned' underground city, where				Ancient Greece. It is named after the
there are many original city walls, and even				tarantula spider. In around the 16th and 17th
a Greek-Roman theatre where the famous				centuries, people were poisoned by deadly
Emperor Nero used to perform opera! The				tarantula bites from the Lycosa Tarantula,
underground city can be visited on guided				and it was believed that they could only be
tours organised by Napoli Sottoteranea				cured by frenetic dancing. The dance would
-'Napoli Underground'. In Piazza Bellini in				start on a regular beat and then gradually
the centre, you can also see some Greek ruins				speed up. The victim works themselves into a
of the original city.Agrigento, Sicily, is				'trance' and dance in a state of ecstasy so
famous for Valle dei Templi (Valley of				much so until they were exhausted. Once they
Temples), one of the most important				reached exhaustion and slowed down it would
archelogical sites in the world, and is a				be taken as a sign that they had been cured.
UNESCO World Heritage site. There are many				There is obviously a lot of Greek influence
Doric Greek temples just outside the main				on the history and music in the Magnia Grecia
centre of Agrigento, including Temple of				areas where Griko and Greacanic is spoken.
Hercules, Temple of Zeus and Temple of
Concord.The Sicilian town of Siracusa was				Greek and Southern Italian cuisine do share
also an ancient Greek town. The Greeks				many similarities. Primarily, this is due to
arrived here in 734BC and named the small				the fact that they are two areas of the
Island of Ortigia in Siracusa after				Mediterranean situated very near each other,
'ortgyia', the Greek word for 'quail', as it				sharing similar climates and soils...as a
was 'quail shaped'. (how did they know what				result they use and grow similar products,
it looked like from above...?) They also				e.g. olives and olive oil, aubergines,
built various temples, such as the Temple of				courgettes, peppers, garlic and tomatoes.
Apollo in the central Piazza Pancali, and the				This in turn results in similar dishes and
Temple of Athena. They also built the				recipes. There is also however Greek
Arethusa fountain, named after the legendary				influence in some Southern Italian cuisine
nymph of Arethusa, which is now a 'hangout'				and vice versa, due to historical factors;
for local youngsters. Also, inland from the				Greek occupation in Southern Italy, and Roman
main Siracusa centre, they built the biggest				occupation in Greece. For example, when the
theatre in Sicily.				Romans occupied Greece, many Greek tutors
				were employed by rich Roman families for
With many areas of Southern Italy speaking				their children as well as Greek chefs for
Greek for many years, (Naples was Greek				their kitchens...Other dishes to be compared,
speaking until the 9th century) it's no				are the Neapolitan dish Parmigiana to the
surprise that there is some Greek influence				Greeks' Moussaka , (both dishes include
to be found in some accents or dialects in				layering similar ingredients such as
the South. Admittedly the Greek language on				aubergines, tomato sauce and cheese),
the whole is very different, but there are a				Pepperonata from Campania with the Greeks'
few words that still remain.With the Romans				salata me psites piperies , (a charred pepper
also having occupied Greece, some words also				salad with olives), and Campania's melanzane
may have been brought into the Greek language				a scarpetta (also know as melanzane a
by the Romans.....Griko and Graecanic are				barchetta) to the Greeks' melitzanes
languages spoken by the Italians living in				papoutsakia (stuffed aubergine halves- the
the Bovesia Calabria region, and could be				Italian scarpetta and Greek papoutsakia mean
described as an Italian-Greek pidgin				'shoes' referring to how they look ).
languages. These languages are dying out, and
there has been a law brought in to protect				It is no wonder, then, that Italians and
them, although some believe it may be too				Greeks have a saying "Una Faccia Una Razza"
late.				(pronounced una fatsa una razza in Greek)! (
				Translated literally, it means "one face one
Greek, Arabic and Spanish influence on				race" and refers to similarities and history
Southern Italian music can be heard from				that Greece and Italy.

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Musicals a world full of music

Greek Italy - Una Faccia Una Razza