Despised for years by the hegemonic culture, unknown even to the nearby surroundings, today the Greek language of Calabria, Greko/Grekànika, regardless of whether it is spoken and to what extent, has dynamically re-emerged into the forefront of social, political, and economic life in Calabria, having regained its linguistic prestige and social cachet.

Even the exquisite Warriors of Riace invited us in this language in 2022 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of their discovery. Once considered the language of the "last," the paddèki and tamari (uncultured, primitive), as the urban world of Reggio di Calabria characterized the mountain populations from the Greek-speaking villages of Aspromonte, it has now been elevated to a symbol of a noble tradition and a glorious past, with references to Greater Greece and Byzantium.

Yesterday's paddèki are now "the grandchildren of Homer," and their language is a symbol of pride for the entire Province of Reggio – if not for all of Calabria. The use of the past and how it is mobilized to meet the needs of the present is not unprecedented in human history. The question is how we got here, to today’s "renaissance" of Greko and the various developments surrounding it.

This book aims to provide answers to this – and other related – questions. Narrating the adventures of the language and its world – through years of field research – it seeks to add a small piece to the extremely interesting anthropological mosaic of the South of our neighboring country, as well as to the Anthropology of the Mediterranean.