Arbëreshë di Maschito
An Albanian village in the hills of Basilicata, and the Maschitan families who carried its language, faith and traditions to Fresno, California.
Maschito sits on a small hill in northeastern Basilicata, part of the Albanian “ethnic island” of the Vulture. It was settled in the late 1400s by Albanians fleeing the Ottoman conquest of their homeland, and was later joined by Greeks from Corone. Its people kept their own Arbëreshë dialect for more than five centuries, a language quite unlike the Italian spoken in the towns around it.
Our patron saint
Every September, Maschitan families in Fresno gather to honor Saint Elia the Prophet, the patron saint of Maschito, with a Mass, a procession and a celebration dinner. The tradition has continued for more than a century.
Announcements, past Committee members and the history of earlier celebrations are on the Committee's Saint Elia Celebration pages of this website.
Coming next
September 2027 · Fresno, California
The date will be announced on the Saint Elia Celebration home page.
Histories of Maschito and the Arbëreshë villages of southern Italy, reproduced here with permission so that all persons, everywhere, can read them.
Booklet · 1996
Why does the Maschitan dialect sound so different from Italian, and will it survive? Covers the geography and history of Italy and Albania, Skanderbeg, the migrations, and the land the Maschitans settled, including an oral history from the author's brother Anthony.
Booklet · 1997 translation
The village's own account of its founding under Ferdinand of Aragon, the arrival of Skanderbeg's soldiers and the Coronei, and the history, customs and legends of Maschito.
Study · 1964
A geographer's field study of the Arbëreshë villages of Calabria, Lucania and Sicily: their settings, history, language, Greek Catholic rite, traditions and women's costumes, with 31 photographs and 7 maps. The study Ann La Centra Backen recommends.
Maschito's famous sons
Two brothers from Maschito who became famous well beyond the village: Luigi Giura, the celebrated Neapolitan engineer, and Rosario Giura, the politician. Their story is a point of pride for Maschitans everywhere.
Surnames of Fresno-area families whose roots are in Maschito. Americanized spellings are shown in parentheses.
