| 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. |