Per una geografia dell'Area grecanica: abbandono, sdoppiamento e musealizzazione dei centri interni

Abandonment, doubling, musealization: A Geography of the Grecanic Area from the 18th century to today. – The Grecanic Area occupies the most remote strip of the Ionian coast in Calabria. Since the beginning of the contemporary age, it has undergone a deep and steady process of depopulation which has led the original villages to different destinies. In this article, we inves-tigate the case of Pentedattilo, a small village which after a permanent abandonment is now moving along a path of musealization, and two cases of “doubling”: Bova-Bova Marina and Africo-Africo Nuovo. While the first case concerns two villages still extant and playing a significant role for the entire area, the latter is a case in which the ancient village has disappeared. These three cases give us a spectrum of types within which we can include most other villages in the area. Specific focuses are then dedicated to the development of communication routes; to the main as-pect of the Area’s identity, the Greko language; and to its most prestig-ious economic production, the bergamot.