The community, founded five centuries ago, has maintained many ethnic elements of Albanian culture such as language, religious rituals, traditional costumes, music and folklore.

The Arbëreshe are the descendants of Albanian families, including nobles and relatives of Skanderbeg, that settled in Southern Italy during the Ottoman Turkish conquest of the Balkans.

[20][21][22][23] It was also known and called by the populations of the nearby villages Casale di lu Mercu territorii Montisregalis, Graecorum Oppidum, Badia (transl.

Abbey, which indicates the strong religious and monastic communities and in a figurative sense it symbolizes abundance and well-being, because the local church had always been the reference point for the Albanians), La Chiana or Piana delli Greci.

[31] In 1482–85, after several attacks from the Ottomans, the Christian Albanians were forced to the Adriatic coast where they hired ships from Republic of Venice, escaped by sailing and managed to reach the island of Sicily.

[citation needed] King John II of Spain and Sicily allowed the original refugees to occupy the present place and to preserve their Orthodox Christian rite.

[33] These Albanian refugees were at the time referred to by the surrounding population as "Greeks" on account of their Orthodox faith and the settlement became known as Piana dei Greci.

[33] In 1941 during Mussolini's invasion of Greece, the name was changed to Piana degli Albanesi so as to gain the locals support for the fascist regime's imperialist intentions toward Albania.

[35] During the 19th century, the Arbëreshë of Piana degli Albanesi played a significant role for the Italian national unity, and participated in the stronger phases of the movement of Fasci Siciliani.

[clarification needed][30] In 1947, the regional Mafia hired the bandit Salvatore Giuliano to shoot down the annual May Day demonstration of the Pianesi, which took place in a remote mountain pass.

(Embroidered with yellow silk threads in various shades, it depicts a two-headed eagle with spread wings with crowned heads and surmounted by a six-pointed star and with three ears of wheat in both claws.

)The gonfalon of the municipality of Piana degli Albanesi is a rectangular drape with a blue background or red with a round in the center adorned with gold embroidery reproducing the Latin inscription Nobilis Planæ Albanensium Civitas and bearing the emblem.

Originally the coat of arms consisted of two ears joined by a knot ribbon with an eight-pointed star in the upper part and with the acronym S.P.Q.A.

This coat of arms, which symbolizes the agricultural work of the Albanians, can be seen in local stone in the oldest fountains, such as that of the "Fusha and Pontit" (1765), as well as on the side door of the Church of St. George, the ancient Matrix.

Emanuele, now the seat of the Municipal Library "G. Schirò", has a stone coat of arms with the figure of Gjergj Kastrioti Skënderbeu in the center.

Due to its ethnic, cultural, religious, historical and environmental peculiarities it is part of the varied Sicilian landscape as a unique unrepeatable.

One of the most critical moments came towards the end of the seventeenth century, when a large group of arbëreshë decided to move with their families to the nearby fiefdom of Santa Cristina, owned by the Archbishopric of Palermo, to build a new farmhouse.

The ethnic composition of Piana degli Albanesi, whose population is and still feels Albanian,[40][41] is significantly different from that of the surrounding Sicilian environment.

The different origins, with the strong historical, cultural and value connotations, constitute specific points of the community, on the other hand perfectly integrated.

Identity aspects, such as ritual, language and customs, are still kept alive by the whole community, thanks to a strong and deep-rooted popular tradition in which this people is linked and is recognized, and religious and cultural institutions also contribute validly to the safeguard and to the enhancement of ancestral heritage.

The historic center of the town has a late-medieval style, reflecting the social status and economic conditions of the time when the settlement was built.

The most notable churches in Piana degli Albanesi are: The Monastery of the Basilian Fathers (Sclizza or in Albanian Sklica) of the Byzantine Rite is it in a panoramic spot over the town, you can admire some mosaic works by Spiridione Marino (Dhoni), a local Italo-Albanian artist.

Within the confines of Piana degli Albanesi, in Contrada Sant'Agata (Shënt Arhta in Albanian), the remains of an early Christian necropolis of late Roman age, called Pirama, were brought to light in 1988.

[43] The town preserves unique Easter traditions, held every year according to a typical itinerary: first of all is the Divine Liturgy, where the Gospel is read in seven languages, including Arabic.

The clothes, linked to the various moments of women's lives, from everyday life to marriage, punctuated the rhythms of social tradition of the past.

The repertoire of sacred songs in Ancient Greek (or Koinè, lingua franca of the Eastern churches) and Albanian (common language of the community), used throughout the liturgical year of complex and detailed, is very wide.

In addition to these compositions, the prevailing source of educated, there are other evidences of a profane nature, strongly influenced, moreover, of the musical traditions of indigenous origin, it has a large number of popular songs, heritage still very much alive and thriving.

For their documentary value are significant, however, also mentioned the many testimonies pentagram on the manuscript, written, since the beginning of up to 900 times closer to us, priests and monks with the aim of safeguarding the integrity of sacred tradition.

Among the various typical gastronomic products we can mention: Strangujët (Gnocchi), Likënkë (Salsiccia), Grosha or Groshët, Milanisë, Grurët (Cuccìa), Vetë të kuqe (Easter red eggs), Panaret (Easter Breads), Loshkat e petullat, Dorëzët, Të plotë (Buccellati), One of the main local resources is made from tourism, but because of the vast areas devoted to agriculture and its climate, its economy is based primarily on the production of dairy products, cereals, olive oil, wine and fruit, and by herds of sheep, cattle and goats.

Interurban transport in Piana degli Albanesi is carried out with scheduled bus services managed by the Prestia e Comandè company.