Bova-Il cuore della Calabria greca

We had already read a bit about the Greek dialect in Calabria before our trip. But here in Bova — in the heart of Greek Calabria — it all comes alive. This small village is home to a special museum dedicated to Grecanico, the local Greek dialect. It’s a place that invites you to dive deep into the history, language, and roots of this unique land.

Exterior view of the Gerhard Rohlfs Museum of the Greco-Calabrian Language

Our journey through Calabria takes us right into the heart of Greek Calabria. In Bova, a tiny village tucked away in the Aspromonte mountains, about 400 locals still speak the Greek dialect. Chatting with them, you can immediately sense how proud they are — and it’s really wonderful to see their passion for keeping it alive!

Right here, you’ll find the Gerhard Rohlfs Museum of the Greco-Calabrian Language, dedicated to Grecanico — the Greek-Calabrian dialect — and to the German linguist Gerhard Rohlfs, who studied it here. I discovered this gem thanks to my travel guide, so we decided to call the museum to arrange a visit. Unfortunately, it was closed... but hospitality is strong here, and soon, with the locals’ help, we got in touch with the museum’s management.

A few minutes later, Patrizia Romeo arrives and proudly leads us through the museum. You can truly feel her enthusiasm for her work and the Greek dialect! She tells us that Gerhard Rohlfs discovered and researched the dialect here in southern Calabria at the beginning of the 20th century. He proposed the theory that Grecanico is connected to ancient Greek. Honestly, I don’t know the 50 ancient Greek words that Rohlfs’ theory is based on (three years of ancient Greek in school seem wasted!).His theory goes against another one claiming that Greek only arrived in Calabria during the Byzantine era. So, over the centuries, a dialect developed here based on ancient Greek but also containing Italian and Calabrian words.

From left: the pharmacy in Bova, and a street in Bova Marina, both signed in Greek. Entrance to the village of Bova

Patrizia shows us many exhibits and tells us about traditions that are still alive in the village today — some very similar to those I’ve seen in Greece. She also explains that the Greek script would still be used today if it hadn’t been banned by the Catholic Church in the 17th century. Back then, many monasteries in southern Calabria dedicated themselves to translating Greek texts, but even that was forbidden.

Who knows how the dialect might have evolved if it hadn’t been suppressed? Maybe today the Greek Orthodox rite and the Greek language would still be present?

Thinking about it, I wonder if southern Calabria could even be bilingual today, with Greek — or even Grecanico — as a second official language. At least in Bova Marina, down in the valley, street signs are written in both Italian and Greek (see the second photo above).

From left: view of Bova and the Ionian Sea. Main square of Bova

At the end of our visit, Patrizia points us to the museum’s library, which holds all of Gerhard Rohlfs’ research. At first, I’m happy with a few brochures, but I already want to come back someday with more time to really dive into this unique piece of culture.

We linger a bit longer in Bova. There are several B&Bs, small restaurants, a pharmacy, and a post office. The village is very well kept, most houses are restored, and property prices seem higher here compared to other places of similar size. Since Bova is right in the middle of the Aspromonte hiking area, quite a few tourists come by.

We have lunch at a small village bar, where they serve Lestopitta, the local specialty — a kind of fried bread with all sorts of fillings. With a beer in hand, we soak in the beautiful view of the sea and let the day’s many impressions settle. Then we continue along the Ionian coast toward Gerace. Thanks, Bova and Patrizia — we’ll be back for sure!

Find out more about the museum here: https://www.museogerhardrohlfs.it/index-eng.htm