Abstract
Museums that document “restanza” appear in small villages located in inland
areas. The birth of these institutions is fueled by the desire of communities that are undergoing a process of progressive factual and symbolic dissolution to have their existence and
cultural resources ‘certified’ as part of the wider world’s plurality. The Museum for Arbëreshe
Culture in San Paolo Albanese is an example of this kind. San Paolo is Basilicata’s smallest
village, counting just over 200 residents who trace their origins back to a 16th century wave
of immigration from Albania. This museum was conceived as early as the 1970s by the local
community as a tool promoting the diversity of a small Arbëreshe village in southern Italy.
Keywords: Museum, Restanza, Heritage, Arbëreshe Culture, San Paolo Albanese.