cathedral
Monreale Cathedral
A Norman cathedral above Palermo blazing with golden Byzantine mosaics, among Europe's greatest.
10 km · about 20 min drive
EuropeItalySicily
Piana degli Albanesi
Sicily, Italy · Europe
About Piana degli Albanesi
Piana degli Albanesi is worth a stop: 5 minutes from Santa Cristina Gela, 42km from Lo Zingaro Nature Reserve.
Piana degli Albanesi is in Sicily, Italy, with about 5,700 people. You drive on the right here. The nearest town is Santa Cristina Gela, about 4 km away.
Piana degli Albanesi (Arbëreshë Albanian: Hora e Arbëreshëvet or Hora, Sheshi) is a town and comune in Sicily, Italy. The town 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 lake. It is located around 24Read more
kilometres (15 mi) from Palermo and is administered as part of the Metropolitan City of Palermo. In 2018, the comune had a population of 6,128.
The town is the most important centre of the Arbëresh community of Sicily, as well as the largest and most populous settlement of Arbëreshe (Italo-Albanian or Albanians of Italy) and it is the episcopal see of the Eparchy of Piana degli Albanesi, constituency of the Italo-Albanian Church whose jurisdiction covers all Albanians of Sicily who practice the Byzantine rite.
The community, founded five centuries ago, has maintained many ethnic elements of Albanian culture such as language, religious rituals, traditional costumes, music and folklore. Piana degli Albanesi has contributed greatly to the advancement of Albanian culture and literature with a large group of intellectuals. It is considered the place of origin of Arbëreshe literature, the birthplace of the first work of the Albanian diaspora (1592), and initiator – in the early 16th century – of the first European school in which Albanian was taught. The founders of the Albanian Language and Literature departments of the universities of Naples and Palermo come from the town, and it is the headquarters of the Italo-Albanian Seminary, which was founded in Palermo in 1734 and moved to the town in 1945. Its traditional music and Byzantine songs are part of the 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 ethnic and linguistic minorities.
The Arbëreshe are the descendants of Albanian families, including nobles and relatives of Skanderbeg, that settled in Southern Italy during the Ottoman Turkish conquest of the Balkans. It had a significant role in the revolutionary uprisings for the unification of Italy, for the Albanian National Awakening in the Albanian movement for secession from Ottoman rule, and for regional movements of the Fasci Siciliani dei Lavoratori; furthermore, it is also infamous for the Portella della Ginestra massacre (1947). Between late 1944 and early 1945, Piana degli Albanesi became an independent people's republic, which lasted fifty days.
The main economic activities are the primary sector, agriculture, pastoralism, crafts, and tourism. Its intangible heritage was nominated for the European Heritage Label in 2023.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is there to see near Piana degli Albanesi?
Within an hour or so of Piana degli Albanesi: Monreale Cathedral (10 km), Palazzo dei Normanni (Palatine Chapel) (14 km), Palermo Cathedral (15 km), Tonnara di Scopello (41 km).
Are there any good drives near Piana degli Albanesi?
The nearest famous roads are Targa Florio Circuit (Madonie).
Where is Piana degli Albanesi?
Piana degli Albanesi is in Sicily, Italy, about 4 km from Santa Cristina Gela.
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Quick Information
- Population
- 5,651
- Continent
- Europe
- Country
- Italy
- Region
- Sicily
- Timezone
- Europe/Rome
- Coordinates
- 37.9937, 13.2846
Emergency & Services
Essential numbers in Italy
ACI roadside assistance: 803 116. ZTL (limited traffic zones) in city centres are camera-enforced.
Full driving guide for ItalyTags
Worth the detour from Piana degli Albanesi
8 notable places within an hour's drive.
castle
Palazzo dei Normanni (Palatine Chapel)
The oldest royal residence in Europe, housing Palermo's Palatine Chapel with its extraordinary gold-ground Byzantine mosaics.
14 km · about 25 min drive
cathedral
Palermo Cathedral
A stylistic kaleidoscope of Arab-Norman, Gothic and Baroque dominating Sicily's vibrant capital.
15 km · about 30 min drive
photogenic
Tonnara di Scopello
Ancient tuna fishery on a cove guarded by faraglioni sea stacks and crumbling watchtowers, in use from the 13th century until the 1980s. The anchor-strewn terraces above gin-clear water are one of Sicily's most painted and filmed corners.
41 km · about 50 min drive
national park
Lo Zingaro Nature Reserve
Sicily's first nature reserve, a wild coastal path linking pebbly coves of crystal water near San Vito.
42 km · about 50 min drive
famous road
Targa Florio Circuit (Madonie)
The public mountain roads near Cerda in Sicily that hosted the world's oldest road race from 1906 to 1977; the old Floriopoli pits still stand and the 72 km Piccolo Circuito remains driveable today.
47 km · about 55 min drive
beach
San Vito Lo Capo
Arc of white sand and shallow turquoise water beneath the bare pyramid of Monte Monaco, at the end of a dead-end road past the Zingaro reserve. Hosts the Cous Cous Fest each September: a legacy of Sicily's Arab kitchen.
52 km · about 60 min drive
museum
Targa Florio Museum
Small museum in the Madonie hill town of Collesano honouring the Targa Florio, the world's oldest road race, run on these mountain roads from 1906. Photos, cars and memorabilia of racing legends.
58 km · about 65 min drive
Driving roads near Piana degli Albanesi
- 47 kmTarga Florio Circuit (Madonie)The public mountain roads near Cerda in Sicily that hosted the world's oldest road race from 1906 to 1977; the old Floriopoli pits still stand and the 72 km Piccolo Circuito remains driveable today.
- 61 kmEriceA misty medieval hilltop town above Trapani, reached by cable car or hairpin road with sweeping coast views.
Driving in Italy
- Drives on
- the right
- Petrol
- ~€1.82/litre
- Motorway tolls
- ~€8.50/100km
When to drive here
April to October
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