Acquaviva Collecroce
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Comune di Acquaviva Collecroce | |
|---|---|
 Municipal coat of arms |
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| Country |  Italy |
| Region | Molise |
| Province | Campobasso (CB) |
| Elevation | 425 m (1,394 ft) |
| Area | 28 km² (11 sq mi) |
| Population | |
| - Total | 800 |
| - Density | 29/km² (75/sq mi) |
| Time zone | CET, UTC+1 |
| Coordinates | |
| Gentilic | |
| Dialing code | 0875 |
| Postal code | 86030 |
| Patron | St. Mary Esther |
| - Day | September 29 |
Acquaviva Collecroce (also called Živavoda Kruč or, usually, just Kruč) is a small town in the province of Campobasso in the Molise region of Italy, between the Biferno and Trigno rivers. Its inhabitants are generally called acquavivesi (as are the inhabitants of other towns named Acquaviva in Italy).
Like the smaller towns of Montemitro and San Felice del Molise, Acquaviva Collecroce is home to a community of Molisian Croats, most of whom speak a particular Croatian dialect (they call it simply na-našo, naš jezik, or "our language") as well as Italian. There are differences in the dialects of the cities, but they all descend from the Stokavo-Ikavo dialect of Dalmatia.
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[edit] History
Though there is evidence of an earlier Slavic settlement in 1297, it is believed that the current inhabitants are not their descendants, but rather come from later migrations in the 15th and 16th centuries.[1] These migrations may have been caused by Ottoman incursions into the Balkans.
[edit] Culture and other facts
- Belongs to the Comunità Montana Monte Mauro
- In the 12th century, functioned as a base for the Knights of Malta
- The patron saint of Kruč is Saint Michael; the town celebrates Michaelmas on September 29
- Every May 1, the town celebrates the Festa del Maja by parading a puppet (the pagliara maja) as a good omen for the harvest
- Celebrates Smarceka around Christmas
- Known for the small, dark, zerniza figs grown there, as well as the fennel and white celery
- The language of the three cities is considered an endangered diaspora language
- The population of Kruč is falling; there were two major emigrations in the 20th century:
- The first emigration took place between, roughly, 1900-1920, and the emigrees headed toward the United States and Argentina
- The second major emigration took place in the 1950s, when their emigrees left chiefly for Australia
[edit] References
- ^ Milan Rešetar, Le colonie serbocroate nell'Italia Meridionale, 1911. (Reprinted in 1996.)
[edit] External links
- UNESCO Red Book on endangered languages and dialects: Europe
- The coat of arms of Acquaviva Collecroce
- Acquaviva Online
- Kruc.it
