Among the words that have not been lost here is besa, the keeping of one's given word. Tradition says it goes beyond death: a song tells of Constantine who, dead, comes out of the tomb for as long as it takes to bring his sister Doruntina back to their mother, as he had promised. It is the story Ismail Kadaré took up in Doruntine.
San Paolo is the smallest comune in Basilicata by population. It was founded around 1534 by Albanian refugees from Koroni, and since then Arbëresh has been spoken here and mass celebrated in the Greek-Byzantine rite. The name has changed four times: Casalnuovo, then San Paolo Albanese in 1863, then Casalnuovo Lucano under fascism, then San Paolo Albanese again in 1962. There are 306 residents.
No events match these filters.
📅 Every year, on 16 August
San Paolo Albanese celebrates Saint Roch on 16 August, when the saint's statue is preceded by a votive throne of wheat sheaves, the himunea; the town, of Byzantine rite, was founded by Albanian refugees in the 16th century.
Straight-line distances from the town centre. Tap a point to open its page.
The closest destinations covered by our editors, with straight-line distance.
Outside San Paolo Albanese, but an easy day trip away.
