Zagarise () is an

Arbëreshë Arbën/Arbër, from which derived Arbënesh/Arbëresh originally meant all Albanians, until the 18th century. Today it is used for different groups of Albanian origin, including: * Arbër (given name), an Albanian masculine given name *Arbëres ...

village and ''

comune A (; : , ) is an administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions () and provinces (). The can also have the City status in Italy, titl ...

'' in the

province of Catanzaro The province of Catanzaro (; Catanzarese: ) is a province of the Calabria region of Italy. The city Catanzaro is both capital of the province and capital of the region of Calabria. The province contains 80 '' comuni'' (: ''comune''). Catanza ...

in the

Calabria Calabria is a Regions of Italy, region in Southern Italy. It is a peninsula bordered by the region Basilicata to the north, the Ionian Sea to the east, the Strait of Messina to the southwest, which separates it from Sicily, and the Tyrrhenian S ...

region of southern

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

History

The name of the settlement first appears in official documents in the 16th century, when the Arbereshe migrated to Italy. Zagarise became an independent village during the early 19th century, when

feudalism Feudalism, also known as the feudal system, was a combination of legal, economic, military, cultural, and political customs that flourished in Middle Ages, medieval Europe from the 9th to 15th centuries. Broadly defined, it was a way of struc ...

was abolished in the

Kingdom of Naples The Kingdom of Naples (; ; ), officially the Kingdom of Sicily, was a state that ruled the part of the Italian Peninsula south of the Papal States between 1282 and 1816. It was established by the War of the Sicilian Vespers (1282–1302). Until ...

. The name Zagarise may come from the Albanian region of Zagoria, located in southern Albania. “ I Zagorise “ in

Albanian Albanian may refer to: *Pertaining to Albania in Southeast Europe; in particular: **Albanians, an ethnic group native to the Balkans **Albanian language **Albanian culture **Demographics of Albania, includes other ethnic groups within the country ...

would translate to the one of Zagoria hence being from there which may explain the name Zagarise being from Zagoria. The placename "Zagori" itself is probably derived from the Slavic Zagore meaning "beyond the mountains".

Geography

Zagarise can be found 28 km north of

Catanzaro Catanzaro (; or ; ), also known as the "City of the two Seas" (), is an Italian city of 86,183 inhabitants (2020), the capital of the Calabria region and of its province and the second most populated comune of the region, behind Reggio Calabr ...

in the Simeri river valley. The town is bordered by

Albi Albi (; ) is a commune in France, commune in southern France. It is the prefecture of the Tarn (department), Tarn Departments of France, department, on the river Tarn (river), Tarn, 85 km northeast of Toulouse. Its inhabitants are called ...

, Magisano,

Mesoraca Mesoraca () is a ''comune'' and town in the province of Crotone, in Calabria, southern Italy. Economy Mesoraca relies on the production of oil, wine, cereals, citruses, and intensive cattle rearing. Twin towns — sister cities Mesoraca is t ...

, Petronà, Sellia, Sellia Marina, Sersale, Soveria Simeri and

Taverna A taverna (; ) is a small Greek restaurant that serves Greek cuisine. The taverna is an integral part of Greek culture and has become familiar to people from other countries who visit Greece, as well as through the establishment of tavernes ...

Notable Buildings

Parish Church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in com ...

known as ''Santa Maria Assunta'' can be found here with a Portal built in 1521, while the rest of the church was rebuilt in 1783. There is also a Norman Tower that was built by the Falluca family when they owned the fief of Zagarise.

Gallery

File:Panorama zagarise.jpg, Panorama of Zagarise File:Zagarise aereo.jpg, Aerial view of Zagarise File:Chiesa madre di Chiesa di Santa Maria Assunta (Zagarise).jpg, The Parish Church

References

Arbëresh settlements Cities and towns in Calabria {{Calabria-geo-stub