He was the former Mayor of Bova, a smaller town with 800 people, but significantly, 400 Greek descendants. Within an hour Carmello came and found us. Oh, and word got around that I was looking for Greeks. I met with Carmello Nucera, or rather word filtered around town that somehow foreigners got lost, missed Rome (which is actually the opposite side of the country) and somehow ended up in Bova Marina, not exactly known for its tourists. There are very few Greek speakers remaining in Bova Marina, however, I could not but help being charmed by street names that appear in both Italian and Greek, a Modern Greek School, a Greek Restaurant and two strong Greek Cultural organisations. ![]() I arrived in Magna Graecia, in a town called Bova Marina and I was overwhelmed by this town with a population of 5000. The Greeks of the area once dominated the economy, social and political life through their overwhelming numbers, commercial dominance and achievements in mathematics, science and philosophy. What intrigues me the most about the descendants of Magna Graecia, is that they have a connection to the region dating back over 2,700 years. They are descendants from ancient colonies, Alexander the Great’s conquests, the Hellenistic period or Byzantine expansion. India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and the Black Sea are just some of the places where Greek speakers can still be located. Not in my wildest dreams could I have imagined that around the world there are pockets of Greek civilisations with a connection to the past. You see, Magna Graecia, better know as “Greater Greece” in ancient and Byzantine times, is a vast area of Southern Italy that was once dominated by ancient Greek colonies. A place were time stands still, where the remnants of an ancient Greek minority continue to speak and live like a Greek in a foreign, at times hostile environment.īy chance I came across an article on the “Children of Magna Graecia,” and decided to visit these living, breathing statues of a glorious past. ![]() ![]() This is probably the best way that I can describe to you a magical place that exits in Southern Italy. Think about a true living connection with an ancient and Byzantine past. Stop and admire the tranquillity, listen to the pe ace. Then think about an eyrie feeling, a sensation.
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