In the Footsteps of Skanderbeg

The special 2025 edition of In the Footsteps of Skanderbeg, the fourth following the three previous ones, took place on Sunday, November 30, 2025, in Casalvecchio di Puglia, in the province of Foggia. The day combined cultural and spectacular dimensions, celebrating the arrival in Italy of the followers of the Albanian hero George Castriot Skanderbeg and the Arbëreshë roots of the community.

The event opened in the morning with a historical meeting at the Bibiotëkatundit, on Corso Skanderbeg, dedicated to the theme "Skanderbeg in Southern Italy and the origins of Casalvecchio," with the participation of Mayor Noè Andreano, artistic director Michele Amendolagine, and historians and scholars of Arbëreshë civilization. Afterward, the village transformed into a 15th-century settlement with the market fair, artisans, jugglers, acrobats, and period music, closing with the medieval banquet inspired by ancient gastronomic treatises.

Sunday, November 30, 2025

• 10:00 AM — Historical meeting at the Bibiotëkatundit (Corso Skanderbeg): "Skanderbeg in Southern Italy and the origins of Casalvecchio". Greetings from Mayor Noè Andreano and artistic director Michele Amendolagine; speeches by Antonello D'Arcangelo (president of "Qendra e Studimeve të Traditave Arbëreshe"), Prof. Michele Boccamazzo, and Nicola Vergine (author of a volume on Skanderbeg); moderated by journalist and researcher Loris Castriota Skanderbegh.
• 11:00 AM — Inauguration of the 15th-century market fair in Piazza Libertà: historical re-enactment groups, artisans, demonstrations of ancient crafts, jugglers, acrobats, jesters, and period music.
• 1:30 PM — Medieval banquet in Piazza Vecchio Municipio (indoors in case of bad weather), featuring dishes inspired by ancient gastronomic treatises and artistic performances.

• Special edition — the fourth of the event
• Historical meeting on the Arbëreshë origins of Casalvecchio
• 15th-century market fair in Piazza Libertà
• Medieval banquet by reservation