It’s All Greek in a Corner of Italy

More than 2,700 years ago, southern Italy had yet to see the Romans. The Greeks occupied its shores, forming Magna Grecia, or Great Greece.

With a population down to double digits, Gallicianò still maintains its Greek heritage. Kevin Revolinski

The February wind held a chill but the sun felt warm enough to melt ricotta as Giovanni and I drove through the winding roads up from the Ionian coast on a beautiful day in Calabria, at the toe of Italy’s boot. 

Giovanni, a 30-year-old pub owner, was my student where I was teaching English in Reggio at the time. On free days, he taught me about life in southern Italy. That day, we’d gone in search of a village called Gallicianò, but when we found a road sign, it was written in Greek.