The story of the Molise Croats in Italy and preserving heritage

(Photo: Branka Bezić Filipović)

By Branka Bezić Filipović

In the heart of Italy, in the Molise region, about a hundred kilometres from Pescara, lies a small Croatian community.

The Molise Croats, the most well-known Croatian minority in Italy, with a population of 2,200, reside in three villages: Mundimitar (Montemitro), Filič (San Felice), and Kruč (Acquaviva Collecroce).

Their language, which they have preserved for centuries, was brought from the Croatian Adriatic coast in the 15th and 16th centuries as they fled from the Turks, or as they say, “from the other side of the sea.”

Today, as you travel through Molise, visitors are often surprised by the numerous locations with Croatian names such as Selo and Izer (lake), while bilingual signs bear witness to the presence of this unique community.

However, behind these signs lie stories, legends, and history that this small community treasures as its greatest asset.

According to one such legend, in the 1920s, a blind Molisan man insisted on excavations in Selo. His persistence led to the discovery of numerous human bones, which were buried in a common grave, and a small church was built in honour of Saint Lucy.

Saint Lucy, celebrated in Dalmatia in December, is honoured here in May, according to another legend, which tells of the arrival of Croats on the Italian coast led by Duke Mirko.

(Photo: Branka Bezić Filipović)

They brought with them her statue, which is kept in the church in Mundimitar, but for the May celebration, women carry it to Selo, where the festivities culminate with the cooking of spaghetti in large pots.

Engraved on a stone next to Saint Lucy’s church is a message: “ZA NE ZABIT KO BIHMO, ZA ZNAT KO JESMO” (Not to forget who we were, to know who we are).

This simple message encapsulates the struggle of the Molise Croats to remember their roots. The ‘Agostina Piccoli Foundation’, established in 1999, takes particular care of this.

Francesca Sammartino, who succeeded her father Antonio Sammartino as the president of the Foundation, proudly states:

“The Foundation was officially recognised in 2002 by Italy as an institution for the preservation and protection of Molise Croatian culture, tradition, and the Molise Croatian minority.

The main activities include promoting the Molise Croatian minority in Europe through conferences, publications, and exhibitions. The Foundation established the Piccoli Award, which is given for achievements in culture and art related to the language, tradition, and history of the Croatian community in the Molise region of Italy.

The Foundation also has a documentation and research centre, offers standard Croatian language courses, and publishes a cultural magazine in both Croatian and Italian, ‘Riča Živa/Parola Viva’.

As part of preserving tradition, the Foundation launched the event “Večera na našo” (An Evening in Our Way), where the best Molise Croatian poets are awarded.”

This year’s event, held on 11th August, was marked by the awarding of prizes for the three best poetic works. The same evening also saw the 16th presentation of the book and exhibition “Croats United by the Tie” by Branka Bezić Filipović, part of the global Tie Project initiated by Nada Pritisanac Matulich from San Pedro, California.

(Photo: Branka Bezić Filipović)

With the exhibition in his hometown, tribute was paid to Antonio Sammartino, the guardian of the Croatian language and culture in Italy.

(Photo: Branka Bezić Filipović)

In the musical part of the programme, the Split soprano Vita Vrekalo, a multi-award-winning student of the Music Academy, performed alongside Professor Sanja Erceg Vrekalo and accompanist Vanga Lučev.

(Photo: Branka Bezić Filipović)

Their carefully selected repertoire of Croatian composers musically represented the whole of Croatia, with a special moment of the evening being the performance of the Neapolitan song Santa Lucia, which reminded everyone of the importance of Saint Lucy to this community.

The celebration in Mundimitar lasted three days, filled with poetry in the Molise Croatian language, and concluded with the traditional ‘Multietnik’ – an event that brings together various nations in one place.

The Croatian stand, adorned with ties, was a symbol of pride and unity, and the participants proudly wore ties as a sign of their identity.

(Photo: Branka Bezić Filipović)

In the story of the Croats in this part of Italy, it is also worth mentioning the nearby town of Vasto in the Abruzzo region, which borders Molise and has about 40,000 residents.

In Vasto, there are streets named Dalmacia, Ragusa, Zara, Sebenico, Lesina, and Braca. The Church of Maria Santissima del Carmine was built in the 17th century on the foundations of the Church of San Nicola degli Schiavoni from 1362, erected by a large Croatian colony.

(Photo: Branka Bezić Filipović)

Although the number of Croatian families has decreased, surnames of Croatian origin have been preserved: Stanisci, Schiavone, Di Spalatro, Spalatino, Marcovecchio, Besca, Bracone, Bucchicchio, Busico, Lalli, Matassa, Mattiaccio, Miri, Miscione, Peca, Radoccia, Rosica, Santicchia, Silla, Suriani, Tenisci, and Teti.

In the Archive in Vasto, there are documents from the 16th century that testify to the lively trade activities with Split and Dubrovnik, as well as the fact that Italians learned how to salt meat and fish from the Dalmatians.

(Photo: Branka Bezić Filipović)

At the same time, Croatian settlements were being established along the entire Italian coast from the Marche to Apulia regions, further connecting the two Adriatic coasts. However, today, the area inhabited by the Croatian minority is limited to the small Molise region.