In 1450, Albanian soldiers and refugees fleeing Ottoman expansion settled on the Brinjat slopes to establish Contessa Entellina. Located in the Belìce Valley, this municipality of 1,865 inhabitants is one of Italy's oldest Arbëreshë settlements. Local authorities still use Albanian alongside Italian in official public documents.
Situated 571 metres above sea level near Mount Genuardo and 80 kilometres from Palermo, the town preserves Byzantine-Greek Catholic traditions. Along with Piana degli Albanesi and Santa Cristina Gela, it forms the core of Sicilian-Albanian heritage, driven mainly by agriculture and livestock farming.
The Contessa Entellina guide
Near Contessa Entellina
The closest destinations covered by our editors, with straight-line distance.
