Grecìa Salentina
Grecìa Salentina (Griko for "Salentine Greece") is an area in the peninsula of Salento in southern Italy, near the town of Lecce which is inhabited by the Griko people, an ethnic Greek minority<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> in southern Italy who speak Griko, a variant of Greek.
Overview
The Union of the Towns of Grecìa Salentina (Unione dei Comuni della Grecìa Salentina) consists of eleven towns and forms part of the province of Lecce in the administrative area of Apulia (Puglia), and was founded by the Griko population in 1966. The purpose of this union was to promote the knowledge of Griko and preserve its culture, by organizing research at the university, teaching the language at schools and publishing books and poetry in the endangered dialect.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
The following towns are members of the Union: Calimera, Martano, Castrignano dei Greci, Corigliano d'Otranto, Melpignano, Soleto, Sternatia, Zollino, Martignano, Carpignano Salentino and Cutrofiano.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The towns of Carpignano Salentino and Cutrofiano joined the Union in 2007, though the inhabitants of these two towns have not spoken their original Greek dialect called griko for two centuries.<ref name = Sakalis>Template:Cite news</ref>
Demographics
| Town | Inhabitants |
|---|---|
| Martano | 9,588 |
| Carpignano Salentino | 3,868 |
| Castrignano de' Greci | 4,164 |
| Corigliano d'Otranto | 5,762 |
| Cutrofiano | 9,250 |
| Calimera | 7,351 |
| Martignano | 1,784 |
| Melpignano | 2,234 |
| Soleto | 5,551 |
| Sternatia | 2,583 |
| Zollino | 2,143 |
| Total | 54,278 |
Source:<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Sports
Since 2020, the Grecia Salentina Marathon has been organized every year and the route starts in Piazza del Sole, in the heart of Calimera, while passing through 9 more municipalities of Grecia Salentina.<ref>https://irunmag.gr/travel/5os-maratona-della-grecia-salentina/</ref> In 2023, the football team AEK CROTONE (formerly Real Fondo Gesù) was founded in Crotone. The name and colors of the team refer to AEK of Athens.<ref>https://calabriadilettanti.it/il-real-fondo-gesu-diventa-aek-crotone/</ref> In 2014, the football club HELLAS TARANTO was founded in Taranto.<ref>https://www.salentosport.net/calcio/eccellenza/hellas-taranto-ennesima-involuzione-squadra-juniores/</ref>
See also
References
External links
Template:Salentinian Greece Template:Griko people Template:Authority control