Piana degli Albanesi, located on a fertile plateau in Sicily’s mountains south of Palermo, was established in the 15th century by Albanian refugees and has remained a cultural and agricultural center for five centuries. The town serves as the social and economic hub for the Arbëreshë, Italy’s Albanian ethnic minority, and is known for its production of wheat, dairy products, and ricotta cheese, which features prominently in Sicilian cannoli.
In recent years, the community has faced unprecedented environmental challenges. The Mediterranean region is warming 20 percent faster than the global average, and Piana’s microclimate has produced increasingly extreme conditions, with summer temperatures averaging 85 degrees Fahrenheit over the past decade and minimal rainfall. Sicily accounts for nearly half of Italy’s wildfires, with blazes striking in or around Piana in four of the last six years. A severe wildfire occurred in late July three years ago, destroying acres of farmland and livestock. Additionally, an unprecedented drought has affected the region over the past five years, and a lake that was once Sicily’s largest reservoir nearly dried up in 2024.
These environmental pressures are directly impacting the population. Piana has lost nearly 17 percent of its residents since 2015, a decline almost three times faster than Sicily’s overall population loss, raising concerns about the survival of this historic ethnic minority community. Farmers and families who have worked the land for generations are increasingly questioning whether they can sustain agricultural livelihoods or remain in the region. Several residents have expressed desires to relocate to safer areas, though many struggle with leaving their homeland and cultural heritage.
According to Christian Mulder, an ecologist at the University of Catania, climate change is concentrating its impacts on already vulnerable populations, including ethnic minorities. The combination of extreme droughts and sudden rainfall is severely damaging agricultural fields and accelerating emigration from rural areas. The European Environment Agency has noted that ancient populations and traditional agricultural practices risk disappearing permanently as environmental conditions continue to deteriorate.
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