italban
Italban is a term that appears only sporadically in contemporary sources and is not widely established in scholarly use. In most writings the related and more precise designation Italo-Albanian refers to communities, cultures, and languages resulting from historical contact between Italian and Albanian populations. The best-known instance of this phenomenon is the Italo-Albanian (Arbëresh) communities in southern Italy and Sicily, historically referred to as Arbëreshë.
Historical background and geography
Beginning in the 15th century, Albanian refugees fled Ottoman advances and settled in various regions of southern
The Arbëreshë speak a dialect of Albanian traditionally based on the Tosk variety, preserved across generations
Today, Italo-Albanian communities are recognized as a distinct cultural and linguistic minority in Italy. The Arbëresh
Arbëreshë, Italo-Albanian Greek Catholic Church, Albanian diaspora.