A SMALL village tucked away in the mountains of Southern Italy has held on to its 2,000-year-old Greek traditions. Known as the the Acropolis of Magna Graecia, Galliciano is nestled on top of the Aspromonte mountain ranges in Calabria, Italy. The small village has thrived for more than 2,800 years, with its unique history and language passed on from generation to generation.
The village boasts two churches, a Catholic church and a Greek Orthodox church - the latter set up high in the village and accessible via a series of stairs. The climb might be challenging, but the views from the church are spectacular, with mountain ranges in the background and terracotta roof tiles spotted around. A stone's throw away from the Greek Orthodox church lies the ruins of an ancient amphitheatre - a throwback to historical ties to Magna Graecia.
And anyone who ventures into the village will find the locals speak Grecanico - a cross between ancient Greek and Italian. But people moving out of the village towards the bigger city of Reggio Calabria means the language is starting to die out. Mimmo Nuncera, a resident of Galliciano, has become somewhat of a tour guide.
According to Mimmo, there are approximately 30 people who live in the village. He told THe Sun: "We want to teach the children so we don’t lose the language. "We don’t know how old the village is, it was a long time ago, before Christ.
"It was always a small village, with a lot of people. We are Greeks from before Italy . "This a.