Kristina Gentile Mandala

Kristina Gentile Mandala, dressed in traditional Albanian costume at the Collegio di Maria. Kristina Gentile Mandala (1856–1919) was an Arbëresh writer from Italy. An early documenter of Arbëreshë fairy tales, she is considered one of the first Albanian women writers.

She was born in 1856 in Piana degli Albanesi, a village in Sicily. Her family was Arbëreshë, an Albanian ethno-linguistic group in Italy. She was also among the first writers to compile Arbëreshë fairy tales. She wrote for various periodicals, notably the magazine Fiamuri Arbërit and its successor Arbri i Ri.

Her work was influenced by the Albanian writers Girolamo de Rada and Demetrio Camarda.

Mandala wrote in Arbëreshë, though her work was sometimes translated into Italian.