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