Civita was founded between 1467 and 1471 by groups of Albanian families fleeing the Turks on the ruins of an ancient village, the castrum Sancti Salvatoris, an ancient site inhabited by residents of Cassano during the time of the Saracen raids.
Civita is one of the best preserved medieval villages in the interior of Calabria, characterized by an urban structure made up of narrow streets and large intersecting spaces. This structure - present in the three main districts, Sant’Antonio (the oldest), Piazza and Magazzeno - is called gjitonia in Albanian, translatable in neighborhood. It has an town-planning logic and constitutes at the same time the fundamental nucleus of the social organization. In fact, it is the smallest part of the urban fabric, consisting of a small square where the alleys converge, surrounded by buildings: generally a noble home around which overlap other minor nuclei occupying all the space . This is where they meet to converse, embroider, speak under the "galti", gallery in front of the main door. Gjitonia is therefore a social practice: like sheshi, a larger space where the regulars of gjitonia gather during their free time, and where, often, choral songs among women are improvised and which generally bears the name of the family who lives there.
Chimneys and "talking houses" are characteristic of Civita. The fireplaces are almost works of art. We do not know exactly when the custom of erecting imposing chimneys with capricious forms began, different for each house and according to the inspiration of the master mason. The chimney was like the signature of a new house, of which it became the totem, with the function not only to suck smoke from the chimneys, but also to keep away evil spirits. There are around fifty historic chimneys, probably built between the end of the 17th century and the beginning of the 20th century. Walking through the village, we can also find houses of anthropomorphic appearance, the so-called "houses of Kodra" or "oratories", a kind of homage to the Italian naturalized painter born in Albania, Ibrahim Kodra, internationally recognized. These are very small houses, with small windows, a chimney and a chimney pot, whose facade clearly recalls the human face. Finally the Devil's Bridge is a characteristic construction which recalls an ancient legend. It is also linked to the Pollino National Park and well-known tourist destination.
