Visiting the Greek-Speaking Parts of Italy

Join me as I visit 2 different parts of southern Italy, where 2 different dialects of Greek are spoken.
One is Griko, found in the Salento peninsula.
The other is Greko, found in the southern part of Calabria, which is why it is sometimes known as "Calabrian Greek".
I did have some difficulties along the way. But it was still worth the effort to try and find out more about these rare languages, and see how much I can understand, given how they're related to one of my native languages.
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Griko Museum in Calimera- LaCasaMuseoD...
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Restaurants-
Calimera
Vesuvio 3 Ristorante Pizzeria www.vesuvio3.it/
Bova
Al Borgo di Marcello Mafrica restaurantguru.com/Al-Borgo-d...
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Where I stayed in Bova
www.airbnb.com/rooms/55220615...
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Music-
Italy, by Liborio Conti
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00:00-03:19 Lecce to Calimera
03:19-08:59 Griko Museum
08:59-10:06 Dinner in Calimera
10:06-14:37 Salento to Calabria Odyssey
14:37-17:34 Bova house tour
17:34-21:13 Greco-Calabria Museum.. or not
21:13-22:35 Norman Castle
22:35-26:07 Walking Around Bova, then Dinner
26:07-27:38 Thanks for Watching

[@GlobalNiko]

Thanks for watching! Make sure you click the "thumbs-up" button on this video, and subscribe if you haven't already! If you REALLY enjoy my travel videos, consider becoming a Global Niko patron at www.patreon.com/globalniko or making a donation to support Global Niko travel videos at www.paypal.com/paypalme/globalniko

[@mihaliprefti2507]

Why is the dialect dying? Don’t they study it in school?

[@LeutherGreengager-ip1uw]

A travel video on the Italian Hellenes of Ionian, Rhodian and Cycladic - Dodecanese Greece would complement this perfectly.

[@GlobalNiko]

Decades of younger people moving out of the region for better jobs, plus the overall dominance of Italian language.

[@GlobalNiko]

That’s a great idea actually!

[@LeutherGreengager-ip1uw]

@@GlobalNiko PS: not to mention the Corfiot Maltese!

[@irenepatsalidou4261]

Σας αγαπάμε πολύ και σας θαυμάζουμε για την γλώσσα σας που μιλάτε με δικαιολογημένη περηφάνεια γιατί είστε απόγονοι των αρχαίων Ελλήνων όπως κι εμείς στην Κύπρο. Με αγάπη από την Κύπρο και την κατεχόμενη Λάπηθο και τον Καραβά απ' όπου κατάγομαι.

[@user-cl2hq1ks5o]

❤ ΚΑΛΗΣΠΕΡΑ ΑΠΟ ΑΘΗΝΑ !! ΟΛΗ Η ΑΝΘΡΩΠΟΤΗΤΑ ΕΙΝΑΙ ΕΞ ΕΝΟΣ ΑΙΜΑΤΟΣ ΔΗΛΑΔΗ ΣΥΓΓΕΝΕΙΣ !!! ΟΜΩΣ ΤΑ ΓΛΩΣΙΚΑ ΚΟΠΑΔΙΑ ΤΗΣ ΔΙΔΑΧΘΗΚΑΝ ΑΠΟ ΤΟΥΣ ΠΟΛΙΤΙΚΟΥΣ ΚΑΙ ΘΡΗΣΚΕΥΤΙΚΟΥΣ ΗΓΕΤΕΣ ΤΟ ΜΙΣΟΣ ....Ο ΚΟΣΜΟΣ ΑΥΤΟΣ ΔΕΝ ΕΧΕΙ ΑΓΑΠΗ ΓΙΑ ΤΟΝ ΠΛΗΣΙΟΝ ΕΙΝΑΙ ΕΓΩΙΣΤΗΣ !!! ΑΝΑΠΑΡΑΓΕΙ ΔΙΑΧΡΟΝΙΚΑ ΑΙΜΑΤΗΡΟΥΣ ΠΟΛΕΜΟΥΣ ΚΑΙ ΠΟΛΙΤΙΚΟΘΡΗΣΚΕΥΤΙKΕΣ ΔΙΑΙΡΕΣΕΙΣ.......!!! ΟΡΘΟΝ ? ΤΑ ΚΑΤΕΧΟΜΕΝΑ...0 HITLER , O MUSOLINI, Η ΟΥΚΡΑΝΙΑ....Ο ΚΑΙΝ ΣΚΟΤΩΣΕ ΤΟΝ ΑΔΕΛΦΟ ΤΟΥ...ΦΡΙΚΗ....ΠΟΙΑ ΛΥΣΗ ΠΡΟΤΕΙΝΕΤΑΙ ? ❤

[@julsmason389]

Η Κύπρος είναι Ελλάδα φάτσα μου ράτσα μου

[@skullpierceres4878]

As a Greek Italian i can understand everything. It sounds very similar to ancient Greek

[@JG-ec9sp]

Clearly you dont know anything... They speak e "mixed " words of modern greek and italian.50% of either language in every sentense.... Not even close to the "koine"...

[@dimitrispvoice133]

I'm from Cyprus and honestly, I'm always surprised whenever I hear the griko because this dialect sounds more like the greek of Cyprus rather than the modern greek. Words heard in the video like ''ένει/έν''(είναι), ''ομπρώς'' (εμπρός) , ''τραούδια'', ''τζαί'' (και), ''τζείνοι'' (εκείνοι), ''έρκοντε'' (έρχοντε) are used today in Cyprus daily but not in Greece except probably in Crete. That gives me the impression that these areas, southeast Italy, Crete and Cyprus are sharing a more similar greek dialect of the medieval and maybe even ancient times. These dialects are the proof of Greece's huge influence in the meditteranean since the ancient era.

[@GlobalNiko]

Yes it is true that Griko is closer to Byzantine-era Greek than modern Greek is. The Greek speakers of southern Italy were never subjugated by the Ottomans empire, so they retained more of the Byzantine style over time.

[@onyerbike4713]

Me too Dimitri I'm from Cyprus and this dialect sounds more like our kipriaka ❤️

[@Asdfhjkl998]

When ottoman get from venesian Cyprus and Girit , rodos most of Catholic greek move to Italy , Sicilia and ottoman brink orthodox Greeks from Anatoli and ather place ( Mideast , black see area ) ……..( this is the risen when ottoman left Girita and when British left Cyprus first thing the do EOK burn the people Registration office )

[@marinapulcinella]

Yes, sure! I'm from Greece but I lived in Cyprus and this is exactly what I think when I hear Griko: it's really very close to the Greek language spoken in Cyprus.

[@domenicozagari2443]

I come from Sinopoli Calabria, its a small town at the feet of the Aspromone in Calabria, It was founded by the Greeks 4 000 years or more ago.

[@GlobalNiko]

Very cool! Are there still people living there? I know a lot of the villages in the region have been depopulating.

[@domenicozagari2443]

@@GlobalNiko lots of people left, i think there is still 2000 people left.

[@PolHa-gv4js]

Sinopoli is a greek name. Poli is city in greek.

[@alessandrom7181]

Why not 8 million years ago? ..LOL

[@domenicozagari2443]

@@alessandrom7181 Humanity is very old.

[@MichalisG1821]

As a Greek with some Sicilian ancestry, this is fascinating to see. I've been to places in Sicily where dialects similar to Griko are spoken - Though in my experience, they were a tad closer to the modern form of the language spoken in Greece today. It's awe-inspiring how our ancient culture has transformed into slightly different variations in different places, and being able to converse with someone who speaks these dialects and understand them is a wonderful experience. Love and respect to those who keep this cultural tradition alive, and to you Niko for sharing it with the world!

[@alessandrom7181]

It is closer to modern Greek because most probably it has nothing to do with Magna Grecia but with movemements dating back to Byzantium.

[@GlobalNiko]

Thank you for watching and for your nice comment! History, especially linguistic history in the Mediterranean part of the world, is such a fascinating topic!

[@Goldenskies__]

​@@alessandrom7181Che problemi hai? Sei un fastidio. Calmati un po' Garibaldi. Sei di forza nuova per caso? E che te ne frega esattamente di che lingua la gente parla?

[@manitheman0806]

I'm curious...which areas

[@linusp9316]

In other documentaries I have seen, "Griko" is 99% the same as standard modern Greek. I saw an interview with a guy who, when asked questions, would say "penso oti..." which obviously is Italian with Greek mixed. But everything else was pretty clear

[@Kobe824.]

Absurd, i’m italian , i know in italy we speek very different dialet from one city to another but this is crazy. Only love for Greek, im from verona , HELLAS VERONA🇮🇹🤝🏻🇬🇷❤

[@GlobalNiko]

Indeed Italy’s linguistic geography is really cool (like many other things about Italy of course!)

[@DoraEmon-xf8br]

Italy has its lot of languages besides Italians and the so-called dialects. This is very interesting. I‘ve encountered people who speak some variety of German and Slovene in Northern Italy.

[@alessandrom7181]

You don't speak different dialects from a city to another within a region, don't say idiocies.

[@alessandrom7181]

@@DoraEmon-xf8br So what?? In Slovenia that has 1\30 of people of Italy they speak Austrian, Croat and Italian too. Just as in the North of Greece speak Macedonian, in some isles in the Adriatic someone still speak Venetians and in the East some speak Turkic. It's normal in the borders. Duh.

[@giorgosstamatopoulos8115]

@@alessandrom7181 BULGARIAN not MAKEDONIAN dude

[@pwp8737]

I'm not Greek, but speak standard Greek and was astounded that for the most part I could understand. It sorta reminded me of being in the White Mountains of Crete. The slight slurring of consonants rather than the crisp vocalizations of Athenian Greek.

[@marinamelek5490]

I’m Cypriot and our harsher Greek dialect sound a lot like this Griko

[@MrAlexanderKind]

Taranto, the city where you got the train to Calabria, was founded as Τάρας by Spartans and it's often called the "capital" of Magna Graecia", it was a real metropolis back then and one of the harshest enemies of Rome in the south. In Taranto there is an amazing museum called MarTa.

[@GlobalNiko]

Cool. If I’m ever in the region again I’ll have to spend some time in Taranto.

[@alessandrom7181]

No matter how harsh they were they all got subjugated to Rome after and start speaking latin as it should be.

[@ronnin2011]

​@@alessandrom7181 And then Rome was culturally subjugated to the Hellenistic spirit and started acting and speaking Greek as they should be, if they would want to be considered civilized. *«Graecia capta ferum victorem cepit et artis intulit agresti Latio»*

[@williamskalaios6444]

From Naples and South its Magna Grecia!! The north is the germanic bastards!!

[@_LoremIpsum]

Sorry my tarantino friend, but the capital city of Magna Graecia was Crotone. 😁

[@user-zq3sz9pr6z]

Sounds perfect Greek to me. I can hear a Cypriot accent in there. I'm amazed. Hundred and Thousand years have passed but still the same...

[@tonyatthebeach]

'Tuti enei glossa' Tuti is indeed 'αυτη'. I'm from Cyprus and Griko sounds a lot like the Cypriot and Cretan dialects which are more ancient than the Greek mainland, including words like 'τουτη' and the prefix 'τζαι'. Italian names like Cicco sound identical to Cypriot Κυκκο. The Italian Sicilian dialect is also very similar in tone (and mannerisms), irrespective of the words.

[@GlobalNiko]

Yes, for sure it is amazing to see the influences of history affecting different parts of the Greek-speaking world in different ways through the different dialects.

[@sazji]

It would make sense that Sicilian dialect would be basically the model local variant of Latin over a Greek substrate. I haven't really heard much Sicilian and would love to. Similarly in the Black Sea there are still some Greek speaking communities, but also certain Turkish speaking communities that have a lot of Greek phonology (not to mention many loanwords). Rize people pronounce "ts" instead of "ch" for example; the ö is more like "io." In much of the Black Sea, people don't really follow the Turkish system of vowel harmony - they might say "yapti" instead of "yaptı" for example. At the same time, the Greek that people speak there has more of a Turkish cadence, and they tend to aspirate their t/k/p like Turkish does.

[@macrowolf7]

Sicilian is not a dialect of Italian though; it's a language in its own right.

[@moutsatsosa]

The Atic dialect that the modern day Greeks use has been under so many reforms and changes but mostly subtractions as "simplifications" that made it a stupefied version of a remote Hellenic dialect. The dialects of Cypriots,Cretans,Pontians,South Italalians,Cicilians,Sarakachans and Alexandrians are way up the chain and closer to the original language. Even thought all of those dialects has been influenced by the people that have subjugated the lands that they live in they still up to this day speak correctly, in both musicality,expression and articulation as well as idioms and the meaning of those. I mean the fricken Greeks no longer pronounce double consonants properly,which is a unique grammar characteristic of the Hellenic dialects and language as a whole.... Let me give you an example.Pizza is a Hellenic world after the name of one of their colonies.They write pitsa they pronounce it pitsa and still cant connect the dots to understand that its a greek word that is writen ΠΙΣΣΑ.

[@GhostSal]

Well the Ancient Romans did call Southern Italy “Magna Graecia”, which means Great Greece. Also, there is DNA evidence that shows Greeks and Southern Italians share the same ancestors. On a side note, my Grandmother was very proud of her Italian and Greek heritage. My grandparents were both from Sicily.

[@antoniousai1989]

This people came later, during the middle ages. They don't speak an Ancient Greek dialect. Most likely they are people that ran away from the falling Byzantine Empire and the Turks. The Albanians that speak Arbresh did the same.

[@Antpaok]

Πόσο σε ζήλεψα τώρα, με 'κανες να θέλω να πάω κι εγώ να επισκεφτώ τα ξαδέρφια μας στη Μέγα Ελλάς!!! Εύγε Νίκο! Χάρηκα που βρήκα το βίντεο σου, έδωσες μια τρομερή απόλαυση. Να 'σαι καλά

[@GlobalNiko]

Ευχαριστώ πολύ! Ηταν πολύ όμορφα εκεί. Χάρηκα πολύ που βρήκατε το βίντεο μου και και σας άρεσε!

[@crystalhealing847]

Would love a translation here 😄

[@svdkc153]

​​​​​​@@crystalhealing847 @Antpaok you can't imagine how jealous i am right now , you made me want to go visit our cousins in Magna Grecia. Good job Niko, I'm glad i found your video, you gave us a lot of pleasure Answer: Thank you a lot, it was really beautiful there im glad you found my video and that you liked it

[@raffaelloschirinzi2072]

I'm originally from Salento and I've already been to the Grecia Salentina several times but I'd never had the chance to hear Griko spoken before. It's really interesting! Thank you

[@KNIGHTTEMPLAR555]

Forzza Magna Grecia.

[@lucasoak407]

My family is from Corato Bari , my DNA came back 20% Greek

[@bcvanrijswijk]

If you ever plan to come back, please contact me. I can then take you to Gallicianò, where everyone still speaks Greek. The village is 8 km as the crow flies from Bova, but there is no bus going there. A few years ago I met a professor of Ancient Greek from Argentina and told him that Greek is still spoken here and there. I took him to Gallicianò and it was nice to see him conversing with the people in ancient Greek. According to him, the dialect was virtually identical to the Doric Greek of antiquity. In Bova there are hardly any people who speak Greek anymore. Several people have tried to revive "Grecanico", the most important of whom was Gerhard Rohlfs who created a dictionary and grammar, but it seems that the language is doomed to extinction because there are few young people willing to use it speaking in everyday life.

[@christina22able]

I would love to come there and stay for some time

[@VelvetEcho]

I'm from Cyprus and I'm amazed by how similar Griko is with the greek-cypriot dialect we speak. The 2 dialects have more similarities than modern Greek. Even the accent is the same

[@aggelosboultas]

greetings to magna grecia

[@nicholasdemetriades3480]

Griko sounds a lot like the cypriot dialect. I could understand everything as a Cypritot.

[@fabriziodambrosio86]

"bus" and "allergedly" get along so well in South Italy

[@anthonylucchese6254]

Interesting video on the region of Italy , where some of the residents speak Greek . I believe the Greeks came about the 8 century BC to Calabria where my parents were born(Reggio Calabria) and came to America in 1929. The Romans named this region of Calabria Magna Graecia . I believe it was the first region to be called Italy. Thank you for your showing me this video. Anthony Joseph Lucchese

[@violetka1197]

s.....ROMA PARLO ALBANESE FINO 1400...E L ATENE LO SA TUTTA LA GRECIA CHE PARLO ALBANESE FINO 1930...E OGGI SONO 6 MILIONI DI PERSONE IN GRECIA CHE PARLANO E CANTANO IN ALBANESE........I PAESE GRECANICI CREATI DA MUSSOLINI SONO CREATI PER RAGIONI GEOPOLITICI CON GENTE RACCATATA QUA E LA........PIU CHE ALTRO ZINGARI NERI........E ROM.....!!!!...............INVECE GLI ALBANESI PROVENUTI DALLA GRECIA DOPO L OCCUPAZIONE TURCA HANNO ANCORAI DOCUMENTI E GENEALOGIE DELLE LORO FAMILIARI......TUTTA LA GRECIA ALBANESE ..L UNIVERSITA DEL ATENE........!!!!!! kzbin.info/www/bejne/rqOXmnSsYsyMrJo

[@sprinkles-hour9719]

Taranto, the city where you stopped by to take the train for Calabria, was a Spartan colony. They were hated by everybody in the region and everybody hated Taranto. As a result, the spoken accent in Taranto can only be found there and there alone. A few kilometres (10km is enough) outside the city and the accent is completely different. Because Taranto was sheltered from other influences for centuries, some characteristics of the ancient Greek accent were preserved. For example, some language experts isolated a few characteristics that were present in the ancient Doric accent (for example the "ou" diphthong) and lots of greek words, greek names and stuff. In Taranto there's also the most important museum of the Magna Grecia and it's considered one of the most important museums in Italy

[@nekdo9617]

you speak much better greek than I expected, bravo

[@GlobalNiko]

Thank you!

[@BlueJerry2]

I'm so glad I stubbled upon this isolated language I would love to learn griko, what a beautiful language and culture

[@frannybanny9683]

I'm very glad, this video was recommended to me. I was born and live in Germany and have sicilian roots. Two of my ex-boyfriends are Greek and have told me about griko. This video was actually very interesting, also because I have been thinking about making a trip like this but the other way round: I've read that in Croatia there are villages where there speak Italian.

[@GlobalNiko]

I'm so happy the KZbin has been kinder lately to this video and recommending more so that you can see it! These sort of linguistic trips are so fascinating. That would be interesting to see if the Italian-speaking villages in Croatia speak Italian in a way that's understandable to an Italian-speaker from Italy (or one like me who's learning).

[@SpartanLeonidas1821]

From where in Sicily? There were a lot of Greek Cities on the East Coast! 👍

[@BookishDark]

I’m curious if you’ve ever gone to Siracusa in Sicily. My grandfather’s family came from there - I’ve never been there but I’ve read that it has immense Greek roots and was supposedly considered the greek hub of Sicily. Really interesting!

[@GlobalNiko]

I have not yet, unfortunately, but I hope to go some day when I’ll be able to stay for enough time to do this amazing place justice.

[@yiannishadjiloizou5501]

Greetings from Cyprus

[@PolHa-gv4js]

The people of south italy are italianized greeks. They italianized after the middle ages and after Mussolini

[@akshatjain2775]

Syracuse has an immortal place in history because of Archimedes.

[@maxxam2774]

You should visit the Venetian (Italian) speaking areas in Greece.

[@kimm3473]

This was fascinating! Well done!

[@GlobalNiko]

thank you Kim! I'm so happy you enjoyed it!

[@ckaye]

This was fascinating. Thanks Nick.

[@GlobalNiko]

Thank you Charlie! I’m happy you enjoyed it!

[@jerometurner8759]

Very cool video! Even with the foggy weather, this was awesome to see.

[@GlobalNiko]

Thank you! Yes it was really great to go there even despite the weather.

[@victoriavincent4344]

Your most interesting video, so far! I understood Mr Vito’s Greko, perfectly. Also, nice bus driver to help you get to Calimera.

[@GlobalNiko]

Yes it was so cool to get to speak with him! Was cool to understand more than I thought I would. But there were definitely things I didn’t understand that were very different the standard Greek spoken in Greece today.

[@taki2003]

thanks for the video; you still put forth wonderful content even with trains and weather plotting against you!! Bravo Niko!!

[@GlobalNiko]

Thank you Taki! Yes lots of hurdles were thrown at me for this one, but I survived! I'm so happy you enjoyed the video!

[@rrocketman]

Fantastic work, great video!

[@GlobalNiko]

thank you!

[@archeewaters]

hi niko, thanks for bringing us along. even though it wasn't open on a sunday, we could still see how pretty the buildings and the streets were. always interesting to speak to complete strangers in foreign countries in greek! it was the lingua franca of its time. happy travels!

[@magos6595]

This video is just surreal. Thank you!😊😊

[@kocostamatis3080]

Very similar to the Albanian and Croatian communities in Italy also. Great opportunity to study the old languages. Love from Croatia..❤

[@tomialbania]

🇦🇱❤🇮🇹ARBËRESHI ❤

[@petrostsorvas7814]

Η καταγωγή τον Αλβανοί είναι Κροατική και λίγο Σερβική!

[@celiacaputi4434]

Dude, I love this. I have travelled in and lived in southern Italy (specifically Salento) on and off for over twenty years. Totally relate to the little disappointments re: buses and museum hours. But I am absolutely used to it. You will be too, one day. BTW, I have never heard the term "Griko" used on its own in Salento; I've only heard of "Griko Salentino." So I imagine that the dialects that have adopted "Griko" vary widely between different regions of Italy.

[@steveneardley7541]

My mother is from Ancona--much further north. Ancona was a Greek colony, pre-Roman, though now they all speak a very nice Italian. The 11th century cathedral, on a promontory overlooking the sea, is built on top of a temple to Aphrodite. People tend to worship not at the main altar, but in an apse where there is a picture of the Virgin Mary. This is where the statue of Aphrodite used to be. Aphrodite was thought to protect the fishermen from storms.

[@bobfotoples6950]

Boy, Niko, you couldn't catch a break. Fog, rain-you might as well be in Seattle or somewhere in England. I'm glad you were able to show us what you could. Bravo.

[@GlobalNiko]

haha yes. It's always a risk when you just spend one full day somewhere & it definitely could have gone better in Bova for me (plus a little more pre-planning on my part). But it's ok. It could always be worse. Still glad I went there.

[@chenzenzo]

😂❤️

[@chenzenzo]

Still beautiful though, and everybody has stories of Sicilian sunshine. A story of traveling through rain and harsh weather is nicer. lol

[@lifeandtext]

Thanks, Nico, for this huge effort to get to those places and let us explore with you. I live in Rome for ten years but never when to those places...unfortunately!

[@GlobalNiko]

Thank you! I'm really glad you enjoyed it! I'm so happy this video has been getting a lot of views since it was one of the more special ones that took a little more effort. Hope to do more like this!

[@RinoBellissimo]

Fantastic video! Well done - thank you.

[@GlobalNiko]

Thank you!

[@mariadange06]

My family roots are from the Province of Agrigento, Sicily, and our dialect l think was Greek influenced.

[@GlobalNiko]

cool!

[@odysseasntalias5950]

Agrigento=ΑΚΡΑΓΑΣ= ancient greek colony . Viva la greka-italiana fraternita!!!!😊😊

[@mariadange06]

@@odysseasntalias5950 My mother's maiden name was Greco ;)

[@SuperTommox]

What a shame that this tradition and language is dying out!

[@GlobalNiko]

Absolutely. Very sad 😔

[@calliopibertos4020]

I read that the Italian government is trying to save these Greek dialects. Hope they are successful, so much history is involved here.

[@shrektheswampless6102]

@@calliopibertos4020 the people who would learn such minor languages are non existent besides locals

[@PaganiZ0ndaF]

Amazing video!

[@user-ki6gz1rq2t]

I’m a Greek Australian & l found your video very interesting. My mother is actually from Leros( part of the Dodecanese)which the Italians had great plans to build up & fortify. As a result my mother, like everyone on the island, were taught to speak Italian.

[@GlobalNiko]

Very cool! This reminds me a bit of a lot to the histories I’d learned of people in Kastellorizo island, which I visited in 2021 & did a really great video from. Some people there spoke Italian for similar reasons (and have a lot of diaspora in Australia, like yourself!)

[@stevetriantafillos6401]

Im from Australia and have family in Leros and Kalymnos been to both islands many times love them both .my grandparents on both sides speak Italian

[@Tztimelord]

Interestingly same situation happens in north east Turkey. Some villages still uses a greek called “Romeika”. It is known that romeika is the only language which is very close to ancient Greek.

[@antoniousai1989]

In Peloponnese too, there are some people who speak Tsakònika, which doesn't derive from Koinè Greek but is Doric

[@MrEpsilonSigma]

Νικο, σε ευχαριστω για την δουλια που κανης. Να εισαι καλλα. ΜΕ ΑΓΑΠΗ ΑΠΟ ΕΛΛΑΔΑ .

[@GlobalNiko]

Ευχαριστώ πολύ! Νά´στε καλά!!!

[@deanpapadopoulos3314]

It’s such an interesting and unique passion, Niko. I’m happy you’re following what gives you joy. It’s support and fact for the idea that the people in that part of the world are ‘una fatsa (sp) una raza’. I like that you speak one of the most beautiful sounding languages - Italian. I’m 60% Italian by race and 23% Baltic. The Italian language and food feel very at home to me as do the people.

[@GlobalNiko]

Yes and I also speak a little bit of Italian too. Che una Bella Lingua!

[@geemama420]

One thing you do not have is Bad Luck! You are living our traveling dreams!!! I Loved the Greeko Grandpa and the Fog is So Cool gives it a magical castle experience! Loved the windows in the house too very cool!! I was suprised they had a 3rd toilet lol! But the cookies on the table looked delicious 😋 and the wine you had 🍷🍶

[@GlobalNiko]

lol neither do you there! Yes the fog made it look interesting for sure. My short visit to Bova may not have gone as well as I'd hoped, but it was still nice to go there and make the most of it. You always have to remember that when things are bad and tough, it can always be worse, so don't lament it too much. This is true of any situation in life, but especially travel.

[@persephony.8286]

Great Video!😍

[@GlobalNiko]

Thank you!

[@wjgonzalez1]

My Italian grandfather, Nicole Franzese, was from Bari.

[@Seacae]

I'm from salento, i want to thank you for this video because it was really fascinating. I'm from a really small village/town and our region doesn't really promote our regional culture or ancient culture. I didn't know any of this. I can speak my dialect, but nobody knows what kind of dialect is or where it came from. I feel like i'm missing a lot things about my culture. I'm 24 years old, and i've stopped speaking my dialect since my grandparents died. Nowadays it's harder to find dialect speakers. The really old generations spoke a completely different dialect, the modern era generations speak a dialect mixed with italian words. I'm really curious about my region Puglia, but it doesn't promote cultural events or museum, or stuff like this. It's really saddening because i feel like this region has so many culture to share, but all of this is dying.

[@PolHa-gv4js]

You are greek just the italian state italianized you. This happened with Mussolini and afterwards.

[@michaelpenzikis1234]

Very nice. Thank you.

[@selini52]

Very interesting, thank you for letting this known. I do speak Italian and Greek and did understand everything.

[@GlobalNiko]

Thanks for watching and for your nice comment. Πολύ ευχαρίστως. Ciao!

[@elenichristofi1794]

Hi! Lovely video! What an extremely unique idea for a video indeed! I was so surprised with the Griko dialect that's spoken in Kalimera. It sounded like the Cypriot dialect at times- especially when the man was pronouncing numbers (I'm Cypriot myself). Also, the "irtate" part from the "Kalos Irtate" plaque you showed us, is the way your average Cypriot would say "ήρθατε", as well as "Costantinu" - from the street sign "odos Costantinu" that you came across - we tend to say "Κωσταντίνου", i.e. dropping the "ν" in the beginning (most probably because of the fact that you say "Κώστας" and not "Κώνστας" I suppose). Anyway, just thought I'd share! Καλή συνέχεια και μπράβο και πάλι για την ωραία ιδέα!

[@Backwardlooking]

Fascinating. Thank you. 👍🏻🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🇺🇸🇬🇷

[@GlobalNiko]

thank you!

[@moutsatsosa]

Everything south of Napoli is Greek or of Greek Heritage not just those vilages.Those people were subjugated and forced to join the Italians in their effort to unite the continent.

[@pp38pp]

The Italians have not "subjugated" us at all because we too are "the Italians". Greeks, Samnites, Lucanians, Enotri, Peuketiantes, Bruzi and dozens of other Italic peoples.... we have merged with the Romans partly by fighting them, partly by trading with them for generations. We have changed by learning something from them, they have changed by learning a lot from us and we have become one according to the Latin motto "e plurimus unum": full citizens of Rome. This phrase expresses a concept so powerful that it has been the federal motto of the USA since 1776. After the end of the Western Empire, Goths, Longobards, Franks, Normans, Arabs, Swabians, Aragonese, Angevins arrived... we also merged with them and all together we became the "Italians". Every Italian today has the blood of dozens of peoples. In Italy every single village is special, it speaks its own dialect, has its own traditions and there are also villages where Greek or Albanian is spoken, even in the heart of the South there are villages with Gallic dialects and others with Celtic traditions! There are Sicilians, Pugliesi, Lucani, Calabresi, Neapolitans tall, blond and with blue eyes alongside other little ones with dark skin, curly hair and eyes as black as night. But we are all Italians because it is precisely this great diversity that defines us.

[@moutsatsosa]

@@pp38pp All those people that are not of Greek or Etruscan descent have forced their way to the land.They have subjugated,pillaged,rapped and did all the good things all barbarians and saracens tent to do when they have a good time. Your diversity is the byproduct of violence,genocide,oppression and human exploitation.The Romans where the first to start imposing their will to others and in their absence every other ultra violent criminal of the time made sure to join the party.I mean come on even the Northmen came to have a piece of the cake. You should be really proud of it. All that matters is one gold piece per orthodox head.Remember that.

[@petera618]

​@@pp38ppThat is the truth. The town my parents are from in Sicily is a good example. We have many different physical types. In my own family we have dark complexions as well as light and blonde hair, blue and green eyes. Many people know little of the history of the region and its genetic makeup. They think a place like Sicily is completely homogeneous and the people should always look a certain type, not true.

[@mmscuf]

@@pp38ppThis Greek reading your elaborate comment, bows to you in respect and gratitude for having made abundantly clear the way of the world. Well spoken, brother, thank you for putting things under the proper historic perspective.

[@deanpapadopoulos3314]

Great stuff!!!

[@GlobalNiko]

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it!

[@deanpapadopoulos3314]

I’ve thought so much about this and you’re investigating it systematically. It’s so cool. Constantine ‘Gus’ D’Amato - Tyson’s mentor/coach is from Calabria…I claim him as our own 😄😄😄😄. Safe travels to you Niko from Chiang Rai.

[@GlobalNiko]

Thank you so much Dean! Yes it’s my favorite way to learn about such things. I wish I had more time there, and to do the same in other places like this with unique linguistics.

[@theobessiris9681]

I can understand some of your frustrations. When I was in Sicily in1996 I had booked with an agency to go and see the sights but they never showed up so I hired a cab driver who luckily spoke English and had to resort to seeing what I wanted by taxi. When I was in Naples I went to see the archaeological museum but it was closed for maintenance and repairs. It wasn't a very pleasant experience especially for someone like me who travelled all the way from Australia.

[@guillaumekalfon9117]

I live in Cyprus. This is so cool!

[@kikikoko3266]

Ποσό άτυχος ήσουν, πραγματικά, με τον καιρό!! Πάντως ευχαριστούμε για την περιήγηση!! Τι μήνα έκανες το ταξίδι αυτό;🌷

[@GlobalNiko]

Ευχαριστώ πολύ που είδατε και αρέσατε το βίντεο! Μάιος μήνας ήταν, οπότε ναι, πολύ ατυχώς με τον καιρό γιατί είναι συνήθως απ τους καλύτερους μήνες εκεί.

[@layalabi1667]

Really interesting! So many adventures with Trenitalia!! 😀😀😀

[@GlobalNiko]

Haha yes. I definitely understand now why Italians have a love-hate relationship with Trenitalia.

[@mariatheodoulou9130]

The Greek that was spoken by that old man is very similar to the Greek language that you hear the older generations speak in Cyprus . The Cypriot dialect is slowly being replaced by modern Greek spoken everywhere now . Also my Cypriot granmother used many Italian words like pomiloro instead of tomata . 😊

[@GlobalNiko]

I didn’t realize the similarities with Cypriot Greek before seeing so many recent comments on this video saying so.

[@MrVorpalsword]

unlucky with the weather - but, a gloriousish view in the end, thanks, I shall now have a look on street view ... where it is always sunny!

[@GkinnisSpyridon]

you should all visit calabria and sicily at least once in your life... it's a great experience and incredibly beautiful places for vacation...

[@rosemarie7705]

What a nice video, I had no idea that there were parts of Italy where Greek is spoken.

[@GlobalNiko]

Thank you for watching! It makes me very happy to show something to the world that is both fun to watch and can be educational too!

[@rosemarie7705]

@@GlobalNiko You are very welcome, I was in Italy and Greece this summer and I absolutely loved it. I will definitely visit Calimera one day.

[@ssofianos]

Μπραβο Νικο τελειο το βιντεο 😊

[@GlobalNiko]

Ευχαριστώ πολύ! Χαίρομαι που σας άρεσε τόσο πολύ!!

[@giovanninicolaii]

Greetings from reggio calabria, nice video🫶🏻

[@miastupid7911]

"Η γλωσσα μας". Ksai na milesei Ellinika! Μπραβο αδερφια! Να μελετησει which ultimately means to study, look into. The village of Bova is like mine, literally in the clouds.

[@dedalosikaros2161]

Πολύ άτυχος στη Μπόβα με την ομίχλη και το κλειστό μουσείο. Έκανες καλή προσπάθεια! Μπράβο!

[@GlobalNiko]

Όντως πολύ ατυχία στην Μπόβα. Αλά κατά τα αλλά καλή εμπυρία ήταν. Μακάρι να μπορέσω καμία μέρα να ξανά πάω να την δω καλύτερα.

[@dedalosikaros2161]

@@GlobalNiko Μακάρι όλοι να πάμε! Να είσαι καλά!

[@ronisofroniou7740]

you do not have bad luck Niko , you are blessed to have been born a Greek .

[@aloq7446]

Νικόλα είσαι απιθανος λάτρης της ιστορίας και υποστηριχτής της Ελληνικής γλώσσας

[@adrianwhyatt1425]

I'm a dual national of Canada and the UK, resident in Portugal for just under 3 years. I lived in Québec for a year, Italy for 2 years, and in Greece for 3 1/2 years. I used to ski in Davos, Graübunden, Switzerland, where the main native language is Romansch, which is, in some of the basic vocabulary, very similar to Italian. However there are only about 100,000 or so native speakers of Romansch, and they are entirely surrounded by Swiss German speakers with the result that they are all trilingual in standard German, Swiss German and Romansch, resulting in much invasion of German words amongst less frequently used vocabulary, as is also definitely the case for the little Cornish and Welsh I know (hog for pig, banana for banana, for example) (but Italo-Celtic liver for book and Da for day (or good), ku and ki for cane (Italian and Romanian) for dog, etc. In addition to all the main languages of those countries (and qualified to do a postgraduate linguists' business course by virtue of passing an exam (my undergraduate degree was in Modern History, Economic History, I speak a little Spanish from having had it as an option in an export course, a little Church Slavonic and a tiny smattering of Russian and Romanian, and a few phrases of German and Turkish). I understood every word of the video, as anyone who knows some basic Greek AND Italian would. Without both you might not. The situation of the different "Grecos" is analogous to the different Romansch or Basque dialects, or Welsh, Cornish, Irish, Scots, Scottish Gaelic, Aran, Galiego, or Mirandese dialects, to name a few - inevitably influenced quite substantially by the other language they all speak, making their basic language just about entirely intelligible only to those who speak both languages. I want to know if any Turkish origin words in standard Greek have been borrowed, such as aman and rousfeti and kebab.

[@GlobalNiko]

Thanks for your comment Adrian. Yes, there are definitely lots of Turkish words that have mixed into Greek, especially after the population exchange of 1923, which saw 1.5 million Greek Orthodox Christians forced west into Greece from Asia Minor, many of whom were Turkish-speaking and had to undergo assimilation into the Greek-speaking world. In particular a lot of food words are the same or similar if it’s something that both Greeks & Turks eat (which is a lot of things). Plus a couple of swear words and other common things.

[@user-xu4vx9kz5b]

Griko is different from greek look like Cyprus greek 🇬🇷❤🇮🇹

[@magicmagic5913]

VERY GOOD VIDEO FREND

[@perseusarkouda]

Cool video! When visiting Europe switch your cameras to 25/50/100FPS instead of 30/60/120FPS to avoid weird artifacts with the lights.

[@YogaBlissDance]

This was interesting as a KZbinr too, you may want to edit a bit more to shorten the video and more highlights...it will help get more and longer views. At 26:08 what a pretty shot you got after all the bad weather, what a pretty town!

[@GlobalNiko]

Thanks, and thanks for watching! This was made a year after I started my channel, so I was still a bit rusty on the editing, especially since this was a bit of a different kind of video than my typical travel vlogs.

[@mariatrigg4600]

Such an interesting video Ευχαριστώ πολύ🇬🇷🇬🇷🇬🇷🇬🇷🇬🇷🧿

[@GlobalNiko]

Ευχαριστώ πολύ for watching it and for leaving a nice comment!!

[@Garden_Queen]

My grandparents were from Scala Coeli in the soul of Italy, Calabria. Scala is an Italian word, and Coeli is Greek on some way. My father took a blood test, and it turned out he was 75% Calabrian and 25% Greek. The only clue being, the name of the town. He had no idea he had Greek genetics.

[@cosettapessa6417]

Weird this wasn’t considered protected language like arberesh 😢

[@antoniorigliano8960]

Oh, it's my town!

[@petrisael]

Many of the greek words used in this dialect, we also use in our dialect in Cyprus. I was so surprised 😊

[@GlobalNiko]

yes, I was a bit surprised by this too.

[@SirRobinDeSway]

So very interesting. Thanks for making the video. I have often imagined the whole of southern Italy dotted about with Greek towns. I suppose the most successful was Nea Polis! Sadly probably no Greek speakers there today except for incomers…..

[@GlobalNiko]

Thank you for watching! I’m glad you liked it.

[@miastupid7911]

The fact that you got to Calimera on the bus for free is in itself ultimately Greek in itself!

[@TMPOUZI]

As a Greek i could understand everything. It seems to be a very simple later Byzantine dialect of Greek. The people of course are there for 3000 years aprox

[@calliopibertos4020]

Read recently that the late Tony Bennett's family were Griko, too.

[@5qK71]

In Gallicianò (not far away from Bova, up in the hills) they speack too grecaniko... Visit it if you can.

[@GlobalNiko]

I would absolutely love to!

[@christriky7506]

Sounds like Cypriot Greek basically

[@ronwalker4849]

THE MUNICIPAL MUSEUMS IN ITALY ARE OFTEN CLOSED WITHOUT NOTICE. IT MAKES SIGHT SEEI NG DIFFICULT THERE BUT THE EMPLOYEES STILL RECEIVE THEIR SALARIES EVEN IF THEY CLOSE THE MUSEUMS.

[@petermuller3530]

So etwas passiert auch in Spanien. Zweimal habe ich es geschafft nach Toledo zu kommen, unter anderem mit großer Begierde das westgotische - mozarabisch Museum zu besuchen. Trotz angekündigter Öffnungszeiten, stand ich jedesmal vor verschlossenen Türen.

[@georgepoitras3502]

I spent 5 months in Southern Italy in 1996 supporting NATO missions. Beautiful place especially if you get on the roads next to the Adriatic. Great rock climbing all along the coast and if you fall you fall into the sea. awesome food as well!

[@GlobalNiko]

Yes it is a really beautiful place. I hope to go back again!

[@dafnebernini3069]

💓

[@antonellosidoti6895]

in every single region the dialect or language changes from city to city and within the same city there may be small differences in pronunciation between districts. this is due to the isolation that every single city underwent during the Middle Ages, developing unique characteristics even at a distance of only a few kilometres. I❤ my country 🤪😂😂

[@infinityexplorer721]

Calabria what does it mean? for those who understand languages 😊

[@fanos23]

As a Cypriot his accent reminded me a bit of the cypriot dialect. ''εκείνοι -> Τζείνοι ''

[@GlobalNiko]

Perhaps due to being closer to Byzantine Greek, which I believe the Cypriot dialect is too (compared to modern standard Greek). I must admit I sometimes struggle to completely understand someone speaking in a Cypriot dialect and have found myself switching the conversation to English in times past that I’ve traveled to Cyprus.

[@Happy-wb8gi]

Forza Italia/Greciax

[@attilioreghini1420]

Ciao Niko sei di origine greco??? i TUOI video sono belli puòi tradurli in sottofondo italiano 🇮🇹🇮🇹 grazie forza Grecia e Italia 🇬🇷🇮🇹🇬🇷🇮🇹🇬🇷🇮🇹

[@GlobalNiko]

Si, sono greco! Grazie per la tua visualizzazione e il tuo bel commento!! Bella Italia! Ciao!

[@BenDover12366]

Melicucco, Calabria....home of the extended Papasidero clans....Greek Melikukous and Papasideris.

[@lamproskkaras4797]

Για σου από την Κύπρο! Η λέξης προφέροντας οπός τιν κυπριακή διάλεκτο στην Αθήνα έκαμαν μέγα λάθος που άλλαξαν την προφορά ταχατες εν πιο πολιτισμένα τα καλαμαριστικα