Roccaforzata is a town and ''

comune The (; plural: ) is a local administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions ('' regioni'') and provinces (''province''). The can also ...

'' in the province of Taranto, Apulia, southeastern

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

. Roccaforzata was historically an

Arbëreshë Arbën/Arbër, from which derived Arbënesh/Arbëresh originally meant all Albanians, until the 18th century. Today it is used for different groups of Albanian origin, including: * Arbër (given name), an Albanian masculine given name * Arbëresh ...

settlement. After the inhabitants abandoned the Albanian Greek Orthodox faith they assimilated into the local population.

Notable People

* Gjergj Basta, 16th century Albanian Arbëreshë Stratiot.

References

Cities and towns in Apulia Localities of Salento Arbëresh settlements {{Puglia-geo-stub