Acquaviva Collecroce

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Comune di Acquaviva Collecroce
Municipal coat of arms
Country	Italy
Region	Molise
Province	Campobasso (CB)
Mayor

Elevation	425 m
Area	28 km²
Population
- Total	800
- Density	29/km²
Time zone	CET, UTC+1
Coordinates	41°52′N, 14°45′E
Gentilic
Dialing code	0875
Postal code	86030

Patron	St. Mary Esther
- Day	September 29

Acquaviva Collecroce (also called Živavoda Kruč or, usually, just Kruč) is a small town in the province of Campobasso in the Molise region of Italy, between the Biferno and Trigno rivers. Its inhabitants are generally called acquavivesi (as are the inhabitants of other towns named Acquaviva in Italy).

Like the smaller towns of Montemitro and San Felice del Molise, Acquaviva Collecroce is home to a community of Molisian Croats, most of whom speak a particular Croatian dialect (they call it simply na-našo, naš jezik, or "our language") as well as Italian. There are differences in the dialects of the cities, but they all descend from the Stokavo-Ikavo dialect of Dalmatia.

1 History
2 Culture and other facts
3 References
4 External links

[edit] History

Though there is evidence of an earlier Slavic settlement in 1297, it is believed that the current inhabitants are not their descendants, but rather come from later migrations in the 15th and 16th centuries.^[1] These migrations may have been caused by Ottoman incursions into the Balkans.

[edit] Culture and other facts

Belongs to the Comunità Montana Monte Mauro
In the 12th century, functioned as a base for the Knights of Malta
The patron saint of Kruč is Saint Michael; the town celebrates Michaelmas on September 29
Every May 1, the town celebrates the Festa del Maja by parading a puppet (the pagliara maja) as a good omen for the harvest
Celebrates Smarceka around Christmas
Known for the small, dark, zerniza figs grown there, as well as the fennel and white celery
The language of the three cities is considered an endangered diaspora language
The population of Kruč is falling; there were two major emigrations in the 20th century:
- The first emigration took place between, roughly, 1900-1920, and the emigrees headed toward the United States and Argentina
- The second major emigration took place in the 1950s, when their emigrees left chiefly for Australia