Himariotes of Italy -Ellopia - Himariotet e Italise- Revista Ellopia
Ellopia Magazine has published an article about the Himariotes who migrated to Italy during the Turkish invasion. The author writes that the inhabitants of the Province of Himara, in order to avoid death or exile, often fled to Apulia, Italy from the time of G. Kastriotis onwards. The majority of the families of the Province faced intense economic problems and in a few families the situation was different. Such were the families of Lekkas (from Palassa) , D. Varfis (from Himara) , Christoforos Nina (from Drymades ) etc., who were called Chiefs or Captains. Mercenary work, therefore, was a factor that contributed to the economic diversification of the people of Himara who served from the 16th century to the 18th century continuously in the Spanish, Venetian and French armies. In 1735, the Kingdom of Naples began to use Himariote mercenaries, which formed a separate Battalion, which in 1786 numbered 2,012 soldiers. The Himarriotes in the military units of the Kingdom of Naples ...
