|
lack of institutional support, the language
shows a remarkable vitality as the majority
of natives of these villages still speak
it
on a daily basis and transmit it to their
children.
The settlements in question are located
in the mountainous interior 40-50
km west of the Adriatic coast (at the port
of Termoli)
with about 5-10 km of mutual
distance
between them. The main and
largest
village is
Živa
Voda Kruč
(Acquaviva
Collecroce), the second is Mundimitar (Montemitro) and the
third is Filič
(San Felice Slavo). The major economic activity
of the population has always been
agriculture
and, until recently, cattle raising.
Until forty years ago, these villages were almost inaccessible
and even today
they are linked only
by narrow curving
roads.
The ancestors of the present inhabitants
came to this part of Italy during the
16th century.
|
At that time, the Turks were
advancing through the Balkan Peninsula to
the Adriatic and much of the population
from the continental interior fled toward the Adriatic coast,
resettling in the
coastal area, on the Dalmatian islands
and, crossing the Adriatic, in southern regions
of Italy (Figure 1). At the same time
large groups of Albanians also came and formed
a number of compact settlements
in Molise (Montecilfone, Portocannone, Ururi
etc.). According to historic sources1.2
there were fifteen Slavic communities in
the beginning, with a total of seven to
eight thousand inhabitants. With population
growth, their number increased to
over 15 thousand and
later gradually decreased
partly due to assimilation with
the Italian population
and partially due
to emigration to overseas
countries. Although
today their descendents live in
nine councils
of Molise: Kruč
(Acquaviva
|
