About us

The Luigi Zara Croatian Community Cultural Association of Molise was founded in 2003 thanks to the determination and perseverance of its first and still mourned president.

The founding idea was, and still is, to act as a link between the Croatian linguistic minority population present in the Molise region, specifically in the municipalities of Acquaviva Collecroce, Montemitro, and San Felice del Molise, and the Croatian population, particularly those settled in the Neretva River valley, the place from which the “Croati-Molisani” probably originate.

Created by Marino Ramundi

Activities and collaborations

To support this idea, over the years the Association has actively collaborated with local authorities and institutions, both Italian and Croatian, to organize various cultural events and exhibitions that have always been very well received.

In this regard, we would like to mention our participation, for nine editions, with our own crew, in the “Maraton Lađa,” a regatta of traditional wooden boats, the “Lađe,” which takes place every year in Croatia from Mektović to Ploče, along the Neretva River, thanks to which the bond with the land of our ancestors has been strengthened.

In the footsteps of our ancestors

This gave rise to the idea of crossing the Adriatic, called “In the footsteps of our ancestors,” which was carried out as part of the international initiatives of the Adriatic Euroregion in collaboration with the “Udruga Lađara Neretve” Association. The event was organized to revive, after more than 500 years, the migration that the populations settled in the Neretva river valley undertook to escape the Turkish invasion, reaching the Molise coast.

The Croatian rowers set off from the town of Merković on a “Lađa della Neretva” and traveled along the river to the port of Ploče. From there, escorted by a Croatian military ship, they rowed across the Adriatic and were welcomed at the Circolo della Vela in Termoli by a Croatian delegation and the highest regional authorities. In addition, to symbolize the arrival and settlement of our ancestors, a reproduction of the “Lađa della Neretva” was placed on the roundabout at the junction of the Castellelce valley road that connects the local roads leading to our villages.

Culture, language and tradition

In order to leave a written record and pass on our Na-Našu language, the Association has published various texts in two languages and, since 2010, an annual calendar featuring poems and stories by authors from our communities.

Other activities include the “Sagra della Zuppetta” (Soup Festival), an event where products from our culinary culture are prepared and tasted, and the staging of various photographic exhibitions and displays of traditional farming and craft tools.

The museum is a tangible result of this collaboration, a space for cultural inclusion that promotes the linguistic and cultural heritage of Croatians in Molise. Many events have been made possible thanks to the contribution of the Republic of Croatia through the State Office for Croatians Abroad, which has always been close to our minority.