Montemitro

Comune in Molise, Italy

41°53′N 14°39′E / 41.883°N 14.650°E / 41.883; 14.650CountryItalyRegionMoliseProvinceCampobasso (CB)Government • MayorSergio SammartinoArea • Total16.3 km² (6.3 sq mi)Elevation508 m (1,667 ft)Population • Total468 • Density29/km² (74/sq mi)DemonymMontemitraniTime zoneUTC+1 (CET) • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)Postal codeDialing code0874Patron saintSt. LucySaint dayLast Friday of MayWebsiteOfficial website

Montemitro (also called Mundimitar) is a small town and comune in the province of Campobasso in the Molise region of Italy, near the Trigno river.

Like Acquaviva Collecroce and San Felice del Molise, Montemitro is home to a community of Molisian Croats, most of whom speak a particular Croatian dialect (they call it simply naš jezik, or "our language") as well as Italian.

Culture

Montemitro was granted an Honorary Consulate by Croatia.

The patron saint of Montemitro is Saint Lucia; the church dedicated to her is the church of Santa Lucia Vergine e Martire. However, the town does not celebrate the feast of Saint Lucia on its customary date (December 13), but rather on the first and last Fridays of May. This honors the crossing of the Adriatic Sea to Italy in the 15th century by the town's ancestors; they are believed to have carried a statue of Saint Lucia with them, arriving in Italy on a Friday in May.

The language of the three cities is considered an endangered diaspora language.

See also

• Molise Croats

References

External links

• UNESCO Red Book on endangered languages and dialects: Europe
• The coat of arms of Montemitro
• Mundimitar.it