In 1066 Robert Guiscard and his wife Sichelgaita attended here the consecration of the abbey of Santa Maria ad Nives, which they had paid for: ruins of it remain in contrada Conicella. In the sixteenth century the Albanians arrived, and something unusual happened: the local people took on their habits and their costumes, still visible today, but not their language.
The rite, on the other hand, went by decree: in 1607, under Paul V, Cervicati passed from the Greek-Byzantine to the Latin. The village changed name several times on paper — Cervicarius, Cervicaro — before settling on today's one. In the twentieth century it also lost its autonomy, annexed to San Marco Argentano, and got it back in 1937. Francesco De Sanctis was a guest of the local barons for more than a year.
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Near Cervicati
The closest destinations covered by our editors, with straight-line distance.
Places to see within 25 km
Outside Cervicati, but an easy day trip away.