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'''Sicily''' ([[Italian language|Italian]] and [[Sicilian language|Sicilian]]: ''Sicilia'', {{IPA-it|siˈtʃiːlja|}}) is the largest island in the [[Mediterranean Sea]], comprising an autonomous region of [[Italy]]. Minor islands around it, such as the [[Aeolian Islands]], are part of Sicily. Its official name is '''Regione Autonoma Siciliana''' ([[English language|English]]:''Sicilian Autonomous Region''). The greatest proportion of the wave of Italian immigration to the United States in the late 19th century and early 20th century came from the "[[Mezzogiorno]]", with by far the largest numbers from Sicily. Thus, in many cases the speech, customs, and culinary delights considered by Americans to be "Italian" were actually ''[[Sicilian]]''.
'''Sicily''' ([[Italian language|Italian]] and [[Sicilian language|Sicilian]]: ''Sicilia'', {{IPA-it|siˈtʃiːlja|}}) is the largest island in the [[Mediterranean Sea]], comprising an autonomous region of [[Italy]]. Minor islands around it, such as the [[Aeolian Islands]], are part of Sicily. Its official name is '''Regione Autonoma Siciliana''' ([[English language|English]]:''Sicilian Autonomous Region'').


Sicily, like all regions of Italy when viewed separately, has its own rich and unique culture, especially with regard to [[the arts]], [[Music of Sicily|music]], [[literature]], [[Sicilian cuisine|cuisine]], [[Sicilian Baroque|architecture]] and [[Sicilian language|language]], having given birth to some of the greatest and most influential people in history.{{Fact|date=November 2010}} The Sicilian economy is largely based on [[agriculture]] (mainly [[orange (fruit)|orange]] and [[lemon]] orchards); this same rural [[countryside]] has attracted significant [[tourism]] in the modern age as its natural beauty is highly regarded.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.yoursicily.net/wedding_sicily.asp|publisher=YourSicily.net|title=Wedding in Sicily|date=20 November 2007}}</ref> Sicily also holds importance for [[archeological]] and ancient sites such as the [[Necropolis of Pantalica]] and the [[Valle dei Templi|Valley of the Temples]]. There are continuous excavations that occur in Sicily due to its extensive history.
Sicily, like all regions of Italy when viewed separately, has its own rich and unique culture, especially with regard to [[the arts]], [[Music of Sicily|music]], [[literature]], [[Sicilian cuisine|cuisine]], [[Sicilian Baroque|architecture]] and [[Sicilian language|language]], having given birth to some of the greatest and most influential people in history.{{Fact|date=November 2010}} The Sicilian economy is largely based on [[agriculture]] (mainly [[orange (fruit)|orange]] and [[lemon]] orchards); this same rural [[countryside]] has attracted significant [[tourism]] in the modern age as its natural beauty is highly regarded.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.yoursicily.net/wedding_sicily.asp|publisher=YourSicily.net|title=Wedding in Sicily|date=20 November 2007}}</ref> Sicily also holds importance for [[archeological]] and ancient sites such as the [[Necropolis of Pantalica]] and the [[Valle dei Templi|Valley of the Temples]]. There are continuous excavations that occur in Sicily due to its extensive history.

Revision as of 04:25, 18 December 2010

This article is about the region of Italy. For other uses, see Sicily (disambiguation).

Template:Infobox Region of Italy Sicily (Italian and Sicilian: Sicilia, [siˈtʃiːlja]) is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, comprising an autonomous region of Italy. Minor islands around it, such as the Aeolian Islands, are part of Sicily. Its official name is Regione Autonoma Siciliana (English:Sicilian Autonomous Region).

Sicily, like all regions of Italy when viewed separately, has its own rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature, cuisine, architecture and language, having given birth to some of the greatest and most influential people in history.[citation needed] The Sicilian economy is largely based on agriculture (mainly orange and lemon orchards); this same rural countryside has attracted significant tourism in the modern age as its natural beauty is highly regarded.[1] Sicily also holds importance for archeological and ancient sites such as the Necropolis of Pantalica and the Valley of the Temples. There are continuous excavations that occur in Sicily due to its extensive history.

Topography of Sicily
Mount Etna, the largest active volcano in Europe. It is located in the Province of Catania.
View of the town of Vizzini, on the slopes of Monte Lauro in the Hyblaean Mountains

Sicily has been known since ancient times for its roughly triangular shape, which earned it the name Trinacria. It is separated to the east from the Italian region of Calabria through the Strait of Messina. The distance between the island and mainland Italy by the Strait of Messina is about 2 miles [3 km] wide in the north, and about 10 miles [16 km] in the south of the Strait.[2] The island is characterized by a densely mountainous landscape. The main mountain ranges are Madonie and Nebrodi in the north and Peloritani in the north-east, whereas the south-eastern Hyblaean are considered geologically as a continuation of the Italian Appennines. The mines of the Enna and Caltanissetta district were a leading sulfur-producing area throughout the 19th century, but have declined since the 1950s.

Sicily and its small surrounding islands are extremely interesting to volcanologists. Mount Etna, located in the east of mainland Sicily with a height of 3,320 m (10,890 ft) it is the tallest active volcano in Europe and one of the most active in the world.

The Aeolian Islands in the Tyrrhenian Sea, to the north-east of mainland Sicily, exhibit a volcanic complex including Stromboli currently active, also are the three dormant volcanoes of Vulcano, Vulcanello and Lipari. Off the Southern coast of Sicily, the underwater volcano of Ferdinandea, which is part of the larger Empedocles last erupted in 1831. It is located between the coast of Agrigento and the island of Pantelleria (which itself is a dormant volcano), on the Phlegraean Fields of the Strait of Sicily.

Flora & fauna

Sicily has a number of forest and riverine habitats. The largest forest in Sicily is the Bosco di Caronia.[3] A number of bird species are found in Sicily. In some cases Sicily is a delimited point of a species range. For example, the subspecies of Hooded Crow, Corvus cornix ssp cornix occurs in Sicily, Sardinia and Corsica, but no further south.[4]

Rivers

The Anapo River, in the Province of Syracuse

The island is drained by several rivers, most of which flow through the central area and enter the sea at the south of the island. The Salso River flows through parts of Enna and Caltanissetta before entering the Mediterranean Sea at the port of Licata. To the east, there is the Alcantara in the province of Messina, which exits at Giardini Naxos; and the Simeto which exits into the Ionian Sea south of Catania. Other important rivers on the island are to the south-west with Belice and Platani.

 
River length in km
Salso River 144
Simeto 113
Belice 107
Dittaino 105
Platani 103
Gornalunga 81
Gela (river) 74
Salso Cimarosa 72
Torto 58
Irminio 57
Dirillo 54
Verdura 53
Alcantara 52
Tellaro 45
Anapo 40

Climate

Sicily has a classic Mediterranean climate with mild to warm, wet winters and warm to hot, dry summers.

Climate data for Sicily
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 15
(59) 		15
(59) 		16
(61) 		18
(64) 		22
(72) 		29
(84) 		30
(86) 		34
(93) 		29
(84) 		23
(73) 		19
(66) 		16
(61) 		20
(68)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 10
(50) 		10
(50) 		11
(52) 		13
(55) 		16
(61) 		20
(68) 		23
(73) 		24
(75) 		22
(72) 		18
(64) 		14
(57) 		11
(52) 		16
(61)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 72
(2.8) 		65
(2.6) 		60
(2.4) 		44
(1.7) 		26
(1.0) 		12
(0.5) 		5
(0.2) 		13
(0.5) 		42
(1.7) 		98
(3.9) 		94
(3.7) 		80
(3.1) 		611
(24.1)
Source: The Sicily Site[5]

History

Main article: History of Sicily

Ancient tribes

The hilly countryside around Caltanissetta, in central Sicily

The original inhabitants of Sicily were three defined groups of the Ancient peoples of Italy. The most prominent and by far the earliest of which was the Sicani, who according to Thucydides arrived from the Iberian Peninsula (perhaps Catalonia).[6][7] Important historical evidence has been discovered in the form of cave drawings by the Sicani, dated from the end of the Pleistocene Epoch, around 8000 BC.[8] The arrival of the first humans is correlated with extinction of dwarf hippos and dwarf elephants. The Elymians, thought to be from the Aegean Sea, were the next tribe to migrate to join the Sicanians on Sicily.[9]

Although there is no evidence of any wars between the tribes, when the Elymians settled in the north-west corner of the island, the Sicanians moved across eastwards. From mainland Italy, thought to originally have been Ligures from Liguria came the Sicels in 1200 BC; forcing the Sicanians to move back across Sicily settling in the middle of the island.[8] Other minor italic groups who settled in Sicily were the Ausones (Aeolian Islands, Milazzo) and the Morgetes (Morgantina). There are many studies of genetic records which show inhabitants of various parts of the Mediterranean Basin mixed with the oldest inhabitants of Sicily. Among these were Egyptian, Phoenician, and Iberian.[10] The Phoenicians also were early settlers before the Greeks. Palermo is a name of Phoenician origin.[11]

Greek and Roman period

Main articles: Magna Graecia, Ancient Rome, and Sicilia (Roman province)
Greek temple at Selinunte

About 750 BC, the Greeks began to colonize Sicily, establishing many important settlements. The most important colony was Syracuse; other significant ones were Akragas, Gela, Himera, Selinunte, and Zancle. The native Sicani and Sicel peoples were absorbed by the Hellenic culture with relative ease, and the area was part of Magna Graecia along with the rest of southern Italy, which the Greeks had also colonised. Sicily was very fertile, and the introduction of olives and grape vines flourished, creating a great deal of profitable trading;[12] a significant part of Greek culture on the island was that of Greek religion and many temples were built across Sicily, such as the Valley of the Temples at Agrigento.[13]

Politics on the island was intertwined with that of Greece; Syracuse became desired by the Athenians, who during the Peloponnesian War set out on the Sicilian Expedition. Syracuse gained Sparta and Corinth as allies, and as a result the Athenian expedition was defeated. The Athenian army and ships were destroyed, with most of the survivors being sold into slavery.[14]

The Roman amphitheatre

While Greek Syracuse controlled much of Sicily, there were a few Carthaginian colonies in the far west of the island. When the two cultures began to clash, the Greek Punic Wars erupted, the longest wars of antiquity.[15] Greece began to make peace with the Roman Republic in 262 BC and the Romans sought to annex Sicily as its empire's first province. Rome intervened in the First Punic War, crushing Carthage so that by 242 BC Sicily had become the first Roman province outside of the Italian Peninsula.[15]

The Second Punic War, in which Archimedes was murdered, saw Carthage trying to take Sicily from the Roman Empire. They failed and this time Rome was even more unrelenting in the annihilation of the invaders; during 210 BC the Roman consul M. Valerian, told the Roman Senate that "no Carthaginian remains in Sicily".[16]

Sicily served a level of high importance for the Romans as it acted as the empire's granary, it was divided into two quaestorships in the form of Syracuse to the east and Lilybaeum to the west.[17] Although under Augustus some attempt was made to introduce the Latin language to the island, Sicily was allowed to remain largely Greek in a cultural sense, rather than a complete cultural Romanisation.[17] When Verres became governor of Sicily, the once prosperous and contented people were put into sharp decline, in 70 BC noted figure Cicero condemned the misgovernment of Verres in his oration In Verrem.[18]

The island was used as a base of power numerous times, being occupied by slave insurgents during the First and Second Servile Wars, and by Sextus Pompey during the Sicilian revolt. Christianity first appeared in Sicily during the years following AD 200; between this time and AD 313 when Constantine the Great finally lifted the prohibition on Christianity, a significant number of Sicilians became martyrs such as Agatha, Christina, Lucy, Euplius and many more.[19] Christianity grew rapidly in Sicily during the next two centuries. The period of history where Sicily was a Roman province lasted for around 700 years in total.[19]

Early Middle Ages

Main articles: Byzantine Empire and Emirate of Sicily
Depiction of the Gothic War

As the Western Roman Empire was falling apart, a Germanic tribe known as the Vandals took Sicily in AD 440 under the rule of their king Geiseric. The Vandals had already invaded parts of Roman France and Spain, inserting themselves as an important power in western Europe.[20] However, they soon lost these newly acquired possessions to another East Germanic tribe in the form of the Goths.[20] The Ostrogothic conquest of Sicily (and Italy as a whole) under Theodoric the Great began in 488; although the Goths were Germanic, Theodoric sought to revive Roman culture and government and allowed freedom of religion.[21]

The Gothic War took place between the Ostrogoths and the Eastern Roman Empire, also known as the Byzantine Empire. Sicily was the first part of Italy to be taken under general Belisarius who was commissioned by Eastern Emperor Justinian I.[22] Sicily was used as a base for the Byzantines to conquer the rest of Italy, with Naples, Rome, Milan and the Ostrogoth capital Ravenna falling within five years.[23] However, a new Ostrogoth king Totila, drove down the Italian peninsula, plundering and conquering Sicily in 550. Totila, in turn, was defeated and killed in the Battle of Taginae by the Byzantine general Narses in 552.[23]

In 535, Emperor Justinian I made Sicily a Byzantine province, and for the second time in Sicilian history, the Greek language became a familiar sound across the island. As the power of the Byzantine Empire waned, Sicily was invaded by the Arab forces of Caliph Uthman in 652. The Arabs failed to make any permanent gains, and returned to Syria after gathering some booty.[24]

Byzantine Emperor Constans II decided to move from the capital Constantinople to Syracuse in Sicily during 660, the following year he launched an assault from Sicily against the Lombard Duchy of Benevento, which then occupied most of southern Italy.[25] The rumors that the capital of the empire was to be moved to Syracuse, probably cost Constans his life as he was assassinated in 668.[25] His son Constantine IV succeeded him, a brief usurpation in Sicily by Mezezius being quickly suppressed by the new emperor. Contemporary accounts report that the Greek language was widely spoken on the island during this period.[26]

San Giovanni degli Eremiti, red domes showing elements of Arab architecture

By 826, Euphemius the commander of the Byzantines killed his wife in Sicily and forced a nun to marry him. Emperor Michael II caught wind of the matter and ordered that general Constantine end the marriage and cut off Euphemius' head. Euphemius rose up, killed Constantine and then occupied Syracuse; he in turn was defeated and driven out to North Africa.[27]

He offered rule of Sicily over to Ziyadat Allah the Aghlabid Emir of Tunisia in return for a place as a general and safety; a Muslim army of Arabs, Berbers, Spaniards of Al-Andalus (which was then an Islamic region), Cretans and Persians was sent.[27] The conquest was a see-saw affair and met with much resistance. It took over a century for Byzantine Sicily to be conquered. Syracuse held for a long time, Taormina fell in 902, and all of Sicily was eventually conquered by Arabs in 965.[27]

Arab Sicily (965-1072)

Historic map of Sicily by Piri Reis

The Arabs initiated land reforms which in turn, increased productivity and encouraged the growth of smallholdings, a dent to the dominance of the landed estates. The Arabs further improved irrigation systems. A description of Palermo was given by Ibn Hawqal, an Arab merchant who visited Sicily in 950. A walled suburb called the Al-Kasr (the palace) is the center of Palermo to this day, with the great Friday mosque on the site of the later Roman cathedral. The suburb of Al-Khalisa (Kalsa) contained the Sultan's palace, baths, a mosque, government offices, and a private prison. Ibn Hawqal reckoned 7,000 individual butchers trading in 150 shops.

Throughout this reign, revolts by Byzantine Sicilians continuously occurred, especially in the east, and parts of the island were re-occupied before being quashed. Agricultural items such as oranges, lemons, pistachio and sugar cane were brought to Sicily.[20] Under Arab rule the island was aligned in three administrative regions, or "Vals", roughly corresponding to the three "points" of Sicily: Val di Mazara in the west; Val Demone in the northeast; and Val di Noto in the southeast.

As dhimmis, the native Christians were allowed freedom of religion, but had to pay a tax, Jizya and had limitations placed on their occupations, dress and ability to participate in public affairs. Many churches were converted to mosques and severe limitations were placed on public displays of Christianity. The Emirate of Sicily began to fragment as intra-dynastic quarreling fractured the Muslim regime.[27] During this time there was also a minor Jewish presence.[28]

By the 11th century, mainland southern Italian powers hired Norman mercenaries, who conquered Sicily from the Arabs under Roger I.[27] After taking Apulia and Calabria, he occupied Messina with an army of 700 knights. In 1068, Roger was victorious at Misilmeri, but the most crucial battle was the siege of Palermo, which in 1072 led to Sicily coming under Norman control.[29]

Kingdom of Sicily

Main articles: Kingdom of Sicily and List of monarchs of Sicily
File:BasilicaDiMonreale.jpg
The Cathedral of Monreale
One of the towers of the Cathedral of Monreale

Palermo continued on as the capital under the Normans. Roger's son, Roger II of Sicily, having succeeded his brother Simon of Sicily as Count of Sicily, was ultimately able to raise the status of the island to a kingdom in 1130, along with his other holdings which included the Duchy of Apulia and Calabria and the Maltese Islands.[29][30] During this period the Kingdom of Sicily was prosperous and politically powerful, becoming one of the wealthiest states in all of Europe; even wealthier than the Kingdom of England.[31]

Significantly, immigrants from Northern Italy and Campania arrived during this period. Linguistically, the island became Latinised. In terms of church, it would become completely Roman Catholic; previously, under the Byzantines, it had been more Eastern Christian.[32]

Depiction of the Sicilian Vespers

After a century the Norman Hauteville dynasty died out; the last direct descendent and heir of Roger, Constance, married Emperor Henry VI.[33] This eventually led to the crown of Sicily being passed on to the Hohenstaufen Dynasty, who were Germans from Swabia. Conflict between the Hohenstaufen house and the Papacy led in 1266 to Pope Innocent IV crowning the French prince Charles, count of Anjou and Provence, as the king of both Sicily and Naples.[33]

Strong opposition to French officialdom due to mistreatment and taxation saw the local peoples of Sicily rise up, leading in 1282 to an insurrection known as the War of the Sicilian Vespers, which eventually saw almost the entire French population on the island killed.[33] During the war the Sicilians turned to Peter III of Aragon, son-in-law of the last Hohenstaufen king, for support after being rejected by the Pope. Peter gained control of Sicily from the French though the French retained control of the Kingdom of Naples. The wars continued until the peace of Caltabellotta in 1302, which saw Peter's son Frederick III recognised as king of the Isle of Sicily, while Charles II was recognised as the king of Naples by Pope Boniface VIII.[33] Sicily was ruled as an independent kingdom by relatives of the kings of Aragon until 1409 and then as part of the Crown of Aragon.[12] In October of 1347, in Messina, Sicily, the Black Death first arrived in Europe.[34]

Sicilian Baroque in Catania

The Spanish Inquisition in 1492 saw Ferdinand II decreeing the expulsion of every single Jew from Sicily.[33] The island was hit by two very serious earthquakes in the east in both 1542 and 1693, just a few years before the latter earthquake the island was struck by a ferocious plague.[33] The earthquake in 1693 took an estimated 60,000 lives.[35] There were revolts during the 17th century, but these were quelled with significant force especially the revolts of Palermo and Messina.[12] Pirate raids discouraged settlement along the coast until the 19th century.[36][37] The Treaty of Utrecht in 1713 saw Sicily assigned to the House of Savoy, however this period of rule lasted only seven years as it was exchanged for the island of Sardinia with Emperor Charles VI of the Austrian Habsburg Dynasty.[38]

While the Austrians were concerned with the War of the Polish Succession, a Bourbon prince, Charles from Spain was able to conquer Sicily and Naples.[39] At first Sicily was able to remain as an independent kingdom under personal union, while the Bourbons ruled over both from Naples. However the advent of Napoleon's First French Empire saw Naples taken at the Battle of Campo Tenese and Bonapartist Kings of Naples were instated. Ferdinand III the Bourbon was forced to retreat to Sicily which he was still in complete control of with the help of British naval protection.[40]

Following this Sicily joined the Napoleonic Wars, after the wars were won Sicily and Naples formally merged as the Two Sicilies under the Bourbons. Major revolutionary movements occurred in 1820 and 1848 against the Bourbon government with Sicily seeking independence; the second of which, the 1848 revolution was successful and resulted in a period of independence for Sicily.[41]

Italian unification

File:SalvatoreGiuliano.jpg
Salvatore Giuliano (1922–1950), a Sicilian bandit and separatist mythologized after his death as a kind of Robin Hood

In 1860, as part of the [[[Italian unification|risorgimento]]] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help),[42] the Expedition of the Thousand led by Giuseppe Garibaldi captured Sicily. The conquest started at Marsala, and native Sicilians, lured by Garibaldi's promises of an Italian republic and equality for Sicilians, joined him in the capture of the southern Italian peninsula. Garibaldi's march was finally completed with the Siege of Gaeta, where the final Bourbons were expelled and Garibaldi announced his dictatorship in the name of Victor Emmanuel II of Sardinia. Sicily then became part of the Kingdom of Italy. With the imposition of a monarchy, Sicilians got neither the promised republic, nor equality, since important police, judicial and political positions were filled by northern Italians. An anti-Savoy revolt pushing for Sicilian independence erupted in 1866 at Palermo; it was quelled brutally by the Italians within a week.[42][43]

Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa wrote in his book Il Gattopardo that the Sicilians viewed the unification of Italy as a conquest of the south by the north. The Sicilian (and the wider mezzogiorno) economy collapsed, leading to an unprecedented wave of emigration.[42] Organizations of workers and peasants known as the Fasci Siciliani, who were leftist and separatist groups, rose and caused the Italian government to impose martial law again in 1894.[44][45] The Messina earthquake of December 28, 1908 killed over 80,000 people.[46]

The Mafia, a loose confederation of organized crime networks, emerged in the middle of the 19th century initially in the role of private enforcers hired to protect the property of landowners and merchants from the groups of bandits (briganti) who frequently pillaged the countryside and towns. The Fascist regime began suppressing them in the 1920s with considerable success.[42] There was an allied invasion of Sicily during World War II starting on July 10, 1943. In preparation of the invasion of Sicily, the Allies revitalised the Mafia to aid them. The invasion of Sicily contributed to the July 25 crisis; in general the Allied victors were warmly embraced by the Sicilian population.[42] The mafia continues to run rampant in Sicily and also provides many problems for the government of Italy that continues to pour an immense amount of money into the region with no accounts of where it disappears to.[citation needed]

Italy became a Republic in 1946 and as part of the Constitution of Italy, Sicily was one of the five regions given special status as an autonomous region.[47] Both the partial Italian land reform and special funding from the Italian government's Cassa per il Mezzogiorno (Fund for the South) from 1950 to 1984, helped the Sicilian economy improve, though the imposition of northerners in important administrative positions continued.[48][49]

Economy

Sicilian oranges
Street market in Palermo selling locally-cultivated fruit and vegetables

Sicily has long been noted for its fertile soil due to the volcanic eruptions in the past and present. The island is still known for its pleasant climate and natural beauty. It has a long, hot growing season, but summer droughts are frequent. Agriculture is the chief economic activity but has long been hampered by absentee ownership, primitive methods of cultivation, and inadequate irrigation. The establishment (1950) of the now-defunct Cassa per il Mezzogiorno (Southern Italy Development Fund) by the national government led to land ownership reforms, an increase in the amount of land available for cultivation and the general development of the island's economy. However, the Mafia, which is still influential, has hindered governmental efforts to institute reforms in the region, and Sicily continues to have an extremely low per capita income and high unemployment, although many workers have "black," or unreported, jobs. After Italy joined the EU, billions of dollars have been infused in Sicily to bring the region up to current times. Prices rose 500% and many families decided to move back to the family residences to be able to afford to live. Although policies have begun to change, there is a large group of people that rely on the revenue from NAS Sigonella, the American military base that is stationed near Catania as well.

Agriculture

The main agricultural products are citrons, oranges, lemons, olives, olive oil, almonds, grapes, Sicilian pistachios and wine; cattle, mules, donkeys, and sheep are raised.

Sicily produces more wine than New Zealand, Austria and Hungary combined, but was previously known mainly for fortified Marsala wines. In recent decades the wine industry has improved, new winemakers are experimenting with less-known native varietals, and Sicilian wines have become better known.[50] The best known local varietal is Nero d'Avola, named for a small town not far from Syracuse; the best wines made with these grapes come from Noto, a famous old city close to Avola.

There are important tuna and sardine fisheries.

Industry and manufacturing

In addition to wine, Sicily manufactures processed food, chemicals, refined petroleum, fertilizers, textiles, ships, leather goods, and forest products. There are petroleum fields in the southeast, and natural gas and sulfur are also produced. Improvements in Sicily's road system have helped to promote industrial development. The chief ports of the island are Palermo, Catania, Augusta and Messina.

Statistics

GDP growth

A table showing Sicily's different GDP (nominal and per capita) growth between 2000 and 2008[51] produced in Sicily from 2000 to 2006:

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2008
Gross Domestic Product
(Millions of Euros)		 67,203.8 70,530.1 72,855.0 75,084.5 77,327.3 80,358.1 82,938.6 88,327.73
GDP (PPP) per capita
(Euro)		 13,479.6 14,185.7 14,662.2 15,053.9 15,440.1 16,023.2 16,531.5 17,533[52]

Economic sectors

After the table which shows Sicily's GDP growth,[51] this table shows the sectors of the Sicilian economy in 2006:

Economic activity GDP product % sector (region) % sector (Italy)
Agriculture, farming, fishing € 2,923.3 3.52% 1.84%
Industry € 7,712.9 9.30% 18.30%
Constructions € 4,582.1 5.52% 5.41%
Commerce, hotels and restaurants, transport, services and (tele)communications € 15,159.7 18.28% 20.54%
Financial activity and real estate € 17,656.1 21,29% 24,17%
Other economic activities € 24.011,5 28.95% 18.97%
VAT and other forms of taxes € 10,893.1 13.13%% 10.76%
GDP of Sicily € 82,938.6

Transport

The A29, passing through the countryside near Segesta

Roads

Highways have been a relatively new phenomenon as they have recently been built and expanded in the last two centuries. As discussed earlier once Italy joined the EU they have poured an immense amount of money into the island to make it more efficient and easier to move goods and services. The most prominent Sicilian roads are the motorways (known as [autostrada] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help)) running through the northern section of the island. Much of the motorway network is elevated by columns due to the mountainous terrain of the island.[53][54][55][56] Other main roads in Sicily are the Strade Statali like the SS.113 that connects Trapani to Messina (via Palermo), the SS.114 Messina-Syracuse (via Catania) and the SS.115 Syracuse-Trapani (via Ragusa, Gela and Agrigento).

 
Sign Motorway length in km Toll
A18 Messina-Catania 76 km Yes
RA15 Catania's By Pass (West) 24 km free
Motorway Catania-Siracusa 25 km free
A18 Siracusa-Rosolini 42 km free
 
Sign Motorway length in km Toll
A19 Palermo-Catania 199 km free
A20 Palermo-Messina 181 km Yes
A29 Palermo-Mazara del Vallo 119 km free
A29dir Alcamo-Trapani/Marsala 38 km/44 km free

Railways

The Sicilian rail network in 2007

The first railway in Sicily was opened in 1863 (Palermo-Bagheria) and today all of the Sicilian provinces are served by a network of railway services, linking to most major cities and towns; this service is operated by Trenitalia. Of the 1,378 km (856 mi) of railway tracks in use, over 60% has been electrified whilst the remaining 583 km (362 mi) are serviced by diesel engines. 88% of the lines (1.209 km) are single-track and only 169 km (105 mi) are double-track serving the two main routes, Messina-Palermo (Tyrrhenian) and Messina-Catania-Syracuse (Ionian). Of the narrow gauge railways the Ferrovia Circumetnea is the only one that still operates, going round Mount Etna. From the major cities of Sicily, there are services to Naples and Rome; this is achieved by the trains being loaded onto ferries which cross to the mainland.[57] In two of the main cities there are underground railway services; these feature in the cities of Palermo and Catania whilst Messina is served by a light rail service.

Airports

Mainland Sicily has several airports which serve numerous Italian and European destinations and some extra-European;

Ports

By sea, Sicily is served by several ferry routes and cargo ports, and in all major cities, cruise ships dock on a regular basis.

The planned bridge

Main article: Strait of Messina Bridge

Plans for a bridge linking Sicily to the mainland have been around since 1865. Throughout the last decade, plans were developed for a road and rail link to the mainland via what would be the world's longest suspension bridge, the Strait of Messina Bridge. Planning for the project has undergone several false starts over the past few years. On 6 March 2009, Silvio Berlusconi's government declared that the construction works for the Messina Bridge will begin on December 23, 2009, and announced a pledge of 1.3 billion EUR as a contribution to the bridge's total cost, estimated at 6.1 billion EUR.[60] The plan has been put under severe criticisms by environmental associations and local Sicilians and Calabrians, concerned with its environmental impact, economical sustainability, and even possible infiltrations by organized crime.[61][62]

Demographics

Historical population
YearPop.±%
18612,409,000—    
18712,590,000+7.5%
18812,933,000+13.2%
19013,568,000+21.7%
19113,812,000+6.8%
19214,223,000+10.8%
19313,906,000−7.5%
19364,000,000+2.4%
19514,487,000+12.2%
19614,721,000+5.2%
19714,681,000−0.8%
19814,907,000+4.8%
19914,966,000+1.2%
20014,969,000+0.1%
2008 (Est.) 5,037,000+1.4%
Source: ISTAT 2001
Further information: List of Sicilians
An elderly Sicilian farmer wearing the stereotypical coppola
An old, historical district in Palermo

The people of Sicily are often portrayed as very proud of their island, identity and culture and it is not uncommon for people to describe themselves as Sicilian, before the more national description of Italian.[63] Despite the existence of major cities such as Palermo, Catania, Messina and Syracuse, popular stereotypes of Sicilians commonly allude to ruralism, for example the coppola is one of the main symbols of Sicilian identity; it is derived from the flat cap of rural Northern England which arrived in 1800 when Bourbon king Ferdinand I had fled to Sicily and was protected by the British Royal Navy.[64]

Sicily has been under the control of a variety of different cultures, including the original Italic people, the Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Saracens, Normans, and Spaniards, each contributing to the island's culture, particularly in the areas of cuisine and architecture. Sicilian people tend to most closely associate themselves with other southern Italians, with whom they share a common history. The island of Sicily itself has a population of approximately five million, and there are an additional ten million people of Sicilian descent around the world, mostly in North America, Argentina, Australia and other European and Latin American countries. Like the rest of southern Italy, immigration to the island is very low compared to other regions of Italy because workers tend to head to Northern Italy instead, due to better employment and industrial opportunities. The most recent ISTAT figures show around 100 thousand immigrants out of the total five million population or nearly 2 percent of the population; Romanians with more than 17 thousand make up the most immigrants, followed by Tunisians, Moroccans, Sri Lankans, Albanians, and others mostly from Eastern Europe.[65]

Major settlements

In Sicily there are fifteen cities and towns which have a population level above 50,000 people, these are:

 
Comune Population (2006 est.)
Palermo 665,434
Catania 300,701
Messina 244,573
Siracusa 123,494
Marsala 82,378
 
Comune Population (2006 est.)
Gela 77,239
Ragusa 72,419
Trapani 70,635
Vittoria 61,424
Caltanissetta 60,369
 
Comune Population (2006 est.)
Agrigento 59,158
Bagheria 55,283
Modica 54,008
Acireale 52,830
Mazara del Vallo 51,412

Population genetics

A graph showing Sicily's age distribution in 2005

Y-Dna haplogroups were found at the following frequencies in Sicily : R1 (30.09%), J (29.65%), E1b1b (18.21%), I (7.62%), G (5.93%), K2 (5.51%), Q (2.54%).[66] R1 and I haplogroups are typical in West European populations while J and E1b1b consist of lineages with differential distribution within Middle East, North Africa and Europe.

Surnames

20 most common names in the region of Sicily.

Government and politics

Main article: Politics of Sicily

The politics of Sicily takes place in a framework of a presidential representative democracy, whereby the President of Regional Government is the head of government, and of a pluriform multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the Regional Government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the Sicilian Regional Assembly.

Sicilian Independence Movement

Main article: Sicilian Independence Movement

The Sicilian Independence Movement (Movimento Indipendentista Siciliano, MIS) was a separatist Sicilian political party active in on the island from 1943 to 1951. Its best electoral result was in 1947, when it won 8.8% of the votes and nine regional deputies were elected.

The party was supported by Sicilians from a very wide of political stances: both conservatives and socialists were involved at some point. The purpose was first to gain independence for Sicily. Once this was accomplished MIS planned to sort out the politics of the island themselves, with the movement splintering to found new Sicilian political parties with their own personal stances.

In the 1946 general election, MIS obtained 0.7% of national votes (8.8% of votes in Sicily), and four seats, including its leader Finocchiaro Aprile. During the 1947 congress, Antonino Varvaro, former secretary and leading member of the left wing, was expelled from the party by a majority. The reasons remained unknown. Following these events, Varvaro founded a rival independentist movement, MISDR, which did not achieve much success and disbanded soon. In the first Sicilian elections held in 1947, MIS obtained circa 9% of votes, and eight seats. However, the movement lost all its seats following the 1948 general election and the 1951 regional election. Soon after the latter, Finocchiaro Aprile and several other members resigned from MIS and the movement entered into a sort of political hiatus, never being formally disbanded.

Administrative divisions

Administratively Sicily is divided into nine provinces, each with a capital city of the same name as the province. Small surrounding islands are also part of various Sicilian provinces: Aeolian Islands of Messina, isle of Ustica (Palermo), Aegadian Islands (Trapani), isle of Pantelleria (Trapani) and Pelagian Islands (Agrigento).

Provinces of Sicily
Province Area (km²) Population Density (inh./km²)
Province of Agrigento 3,042 455,288 149.6
Province of Caltanissetta 2,128 272,359 127.9
Province of Catania 3,552 1,084,674 305.3
Province of Enna 2,562 173,558 67.7
Province of Messina 3,247 654,520 201.5
Province of Palermo 4,992 1,244,012 249.2
Province of Ragusa 1,614 313,698 194.3
Province of Syracuse 2,109 402,680 190.9
Province of Trapani 2,460 435,877 177.1

Tourism

Sicily attracts many tourists in the summer months

Sicily's sunny, dry climate, scenery, cuisine, history, and architecture attract many tourists from mainland Italy and abroad. The tourist season peaks in the summer months, although people visit the island all year round. Mount Etna, the beaches, the archeological sites, and the two major cities of Catania and Palermo are the favourite tourist destinations, but the old town of Taormina and the neighbouring seaside resort of Giardini Naxos draw visitors from all over the world, as do the Aeolian Islands, Erice, Cefalù, Syracuse, and Agrigento. The latter features some of the best-preserved temples of the ancient Greek period. Many Mediterranean cruise ships stop in Sicily, and many wine tourists also visit the island.

The temple of Juno, Agrigento

World Heritage Sites

Sicilian Baroque

Main article: Sicilian Baroque
A baroque church in Modica

The Sicilian Baroque has a unique architectural identity. Noto, Caltagirone, Catania, Ragusa, Modica, Scicli and particularly Acireale contain some of Italy's best examples of Baroque architecture, carved in the local red sandstone. Noto provides one of the best examples of the Baroque architecture brought to Sicily.

The Baroque style in Sicily was largely confined to buildings erected by the church, and palazzi built as private residences for the Sicilian aristocracy.[72] The earliest examples of this style in Sicily lacked individuality and were typically heavy-handed pastiches of buildings seen by Sicilian visitors to Rome, Florence, and Naples. However, even at this early stage, provincial architects had begun to incorporate certain vernacular features of Sicily's older architecture. By the middle of the 18th century, when Sicily's Baroque architecture was noticeably different from that of the mainland, it typically included at least two or three of the following features, coupled with a unique freedom of design that is more difficult to characterise in words.

The resort of Giardini Naxos at sunrise
Tourists in Taormina at night
The beach of Castellammare del Golfo
Castello di Schisò in Giardini Naxos

Archeological sites

Because many different cultures settled, dominated or invaded the island, Sicily has a huge variety of archeological sites. Also, some of the most notable and best preserved temples and other structures of the Greek world are located in Sicily.[citation needed]. Here is a short list of the major archeological sites:

Castles

Castles Comune
Province of Caltanissetta Castello Manfredonico Mussomeli
Castelluccio di Gela Gela
Province of Catania Castello Ursino Catania
Castello Normanno Adrano
Castello Normanno Paternò
Castello di Aci Aci Castello
Province of Messina Forte dei Centri Messina
Castello di Milazzo Milazzo
Castello di Sant'Alessio Siculo Sant'Alessio Siculo
Castello di Pentefur Savoca
Castello di Schisò Giardini Naxos
Province of Palermo Zisa, Palermo Palermo
Castello di Carini Carini
Province of Ragusa Castello di Donnafugata Ragusa
Torre Cabrera Pozzallo
Castello Dei Conti Modica
Province of Syracuse Castello Maniace Syracuse
Province of Trapani Castello Di Venere Erice

Culture

Arts

See also: Music of Sicily and Sicilian school
The Palermo Annunciation
Majolica painting art of Caltagirone

Sicily has long been associated with the arts; many poets, writers, philosophers, intellectuals, architects and painters have roots on the island. The history of prestige in this field can be traced back to Greek philosopher Archimedes, a Syracuse native who has gone on to become renowned as one of the greatest mathematicians of all time.[73] Gorgias and Empedocles are two other highly noted early Sicilian-Greek philosophers, while the Syracusan Epicharmus is held to be the inventor of comedy.[74][75] The golden age of Sicilian poetry began in the early 13th century with the Sicilian School, which was highly influential. Some of the most noted figures in the area of Sicilian poetry and writing are Luigi Pirandello, Salvatore Quasimodo, Antonio Veneziano and Giovanni Verga. On the political side notable Sicilian philosophers include: Giovanni Gentile who wrote The Doctrine of Fascism and Julius Evola.

Give me a lever and a place to stand and I will move the Earth!

— Archimedes[76]

To have seen Italy without having seen Sicily is to not have seen Italy at all, for Sicily is the clue to everything

— Goethe
The ornate Duomo di Siracusa, or Syracuse cathedral, an example of Sicilian Baroque architecture.

Terracotta ceramics from the island are well known, the art of ceramics on Sicily goes back to the original ancient peoples named the Sicanians, it was then perfected during the period of Greek colonisation and is still prominent and distinct to this day.[77] There are two prominent folk art traditions on Sicily, both draw heavily from Norman influence; Sicilian cart is the painting of wooden carts with intricate decorations of scenes from the Norman romantic poems, such as The Song of Roland.[78] The same tales are told in traditional puppet theatres or teatro dei pupi, which feature hand-made wooden marionettes, depicting Normans and Saracens, who engage in mock battles. this is especially popular in Acireale.[79] Famous Sicilian painters include Renaissance artist Antonello da Messina, Renato Guttuso and Greek born Giorgio de Chirico who is commonly dubbed the "father of Surrealist art" and founder of the metaphysical art movement.[80]

The Teatro Massimo Vicenzo Bellini in Catania, one of the island's and Italy's most important.

Palermo hosts the Teatro Massimo, which is the largest opera house in Italy and the third largest in all of Europe.[81] Sicilian composers vary from Vincenzo Bellini, Sigismondo d'India, Giovanni Pacini and Alessandro Scarlatti, to contemporary composers such as Salvatore Sciarrino. Many award winning and acclaimed films of Italian cinema have been filmed in Sicily, amongst the most noted of which are; Visconti's "La Terra Trema" and "Il Gattopardo", Rosi's "Salvatore Giuliano", Marco Risi's "Mery per sempre" and "Ragazzi fuori", and Antonioni's "L'avventura".

Language

Main article: Sicilian language

Many Sicilians are bilingual in Italian and Sicilian, a distinct Romance language which has a sizeable vocabulary, with at least 250,000 words. Some of the words are loan words from Greek, Catalan, French, Arabic, Spanish, and other languages.[82] The Sicilian language is also spoken to some extent in Calabria and Apulia; it had a significant influence on the Maltese language. In the modern age, as Italian is taught in schools and is the language of the media, especially in some of the urban areas, Sicilian is now a secondary language amongst much of the youth.

One of the places that hosted Frederick's Magna Curia

The Sicilian language was an early influence in the development of the first Italian standard, although its use remained confined to an intellectual elite. This was a literary language in Sicily created under the auspices of Frederick II and his court of notaries, or Magna Curia, which, headed by Giacomo da Lentini, also gave birth to the Sicilian School, widely inspired by troubadour literature. Its linguistic and poetic heritage was later assimilated into the Florentine by Dante Alighieri, the father of modern Italian who, in his [[[De vulgari eloquentia|De Vulgari Eloquentia]]] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help), claims that "In effect this vernacular seems to deserve a higher praise than the others, since all the poetry written by Italians can be called Sicilian".[83] It is in this language that appeared the first sonnet, whose invention is attributed to Giacomo da Lentini himself.

There are also several less common, unofficial languages spoken on the island. In and around five small Palermitan villages, the Arbëreshë dialect of the Albanian language has been spoken since a wave of refugees settled there in the 15th century; these people are predominantly Byzantine Catholics and chant Greek at local Byzantine liturgy.[84] As one might expect, the language bears the marks of 15th century grammar and diction. In some cases, the Church itself encouraged the Albanians to settle on formerly monastic lands, particularly in western Sicily. In others, feudal lords welcomed the new residents. Messina and Palermo boasted the largest urban Albanian communities in Sicily. The Sicilian towns founded or repopulated by the Albanians are Piana degli Albanesi, Santa Cristina Gela, Mezzojuso, Contessa Entellina, Palazzo Adriano, Sant' Angelo Muxaro, Bronte, Biancavilla and San Michele in Ganzaria. There are also several Ennese towns where dialects of the Lombard language of the Gallo-Italic family are spoken.[85] Much of these two groups of people are tri-lingual, being able to also speak Italian and Sicilian.

Religion

The Cathedral of Monreale, an important Roman Catholic place of worship in Sicily.
See also: History of the Jews in Sicily

Just like in most Italian regions, Christian Roman Catholicism is the most diffused religious denomination in Sicily, and the church still plays an important role in most Sicilians' lives. Most still attend church weekly or at least for religious festivals, and many people get married in churches. However, there was a wide presence of Jews in Sicily. There has been a Jewish presence in the insular region for at least 1400 years and possbly for more than 2000 years. Some scholars believe that the Sicilian Jewry are partial ancestors of the Ashkenazi Jews. However, much of the Jewish community faded away, when they were expelled from the island in 1492. Since there was also an Arab presence in Sicily, the Islamic faith was also strong for a certain period in time. Today, due to, notably African and Eastern European immigration to the island, there are also several other religious minorities, such as Islam, Judaism, Temoins Jehovah, Sikhism and Eastern Orthodoxy. There is also a fair number of Evangelist Church members and practitioners who reside in the island.

Cuisine

Main articles: Sicilian cuisine and Sicilian pizza
Cannoli, a highly popular pastry associated with Sicilian cuisine
Traditional Sicilian fruit-shaped Marzipan
A Cassata siciliana

The island has a long history of producing a variety of noted cuisines and wines, to the extent that Sicily is sometimes nicknamed God's Kitchen because of this .[86] Every part of Sicily has its speciality (for example true Cassata is only in Palermo, also if make it in all Sicily, and the same is for Granita which is the Catania speciality). The ingredients are typically rich in taste while remaining affordable to the general populace.[87] The savory dishes of Sicily are viewed to be healthy, using fresh vegetables and fruits, such as tomatoes, artichokes, olives (including olive oil), citrus, apricots, aubergines, onions, beans, raisins commonly coupled with sea food, freshly caught from the surrounding coastlines, including tuna, sea bream, sea bass, cuttlefish, swordfish, sardines, and others.[88]

Perhaps the most well-known part of Sicilian cuisine is the rich sweet dishes including ice creams and pastries. Cannoli, a tube-shaped shell of fried pastry dough filled with a sweet filling usually containing ricotta cheese, is in particular strongly associated with Sicily worldwide.[89] Biancomangiare, biscotti ennesi (cookies native to Enna), braccilatte a Sicilian version of doughnuts, buccellato, ciarduna, pignoli, bruccellati, sesame seed cookies, a sweet confection with sesame seeds and almonds (torrone in Italy) is cubbaita, frutta martorana, cassata, pignolata, granita, and cuccìa are amongst some of the most notable sweet dishes.[89]

Like the cuisine of the rest of southern Italy, pasta plays an important part in Sicilian cuisine, as does rice; for example with arancini.[90] As well as using some other cheeses, Sicily has spawned some of its own, using both cow's and sheep's milk, such as pecorino and caciocavallo.[91] Spices used include saffron, nutmeg, clove, pepper, and cinnamon, which were introduced by the Arabs. Parsley is used abundantly in many dishes. Although Sicilian cuisine is commonly associated with sea food, meat dishes, including goose, lamb, goat, rabbit, and turkey, are also found in Sicily. It was the Normans and Swabians who first introduced a fondness for meat dishes to the island.[92] Some varieties of wine are produced from vines that are relatively unique to the island, such as the Nero d'Avola made near the baroque of town of Noto.

Sports

Football manager Carmelo Di Bella

The best known and most popular sport on the island of Sicily is football, which was introduced in the late 19th century under the influence of the English. Some of the oldest football clubs in all of Italy are Sicilian: the three most successful are Palermo, Messina, and Catania, who have all, at some point, played in the prestigious Serie A. To date, no Sicilian side has ever won Serie A; however, football is deeply embeded in local culture, all over Sicily each town has its own representative team.[93]

Palermo and Catania have a heated rivalry and compete in the Sicilian derby together: to date, Palermo is the only Sicilian team to have played on the European stage, in the UEFA Cup. The most noted Sicilian footballer is Salvatore Schillaci, who won the Golden Boot at the 1990 FIFA World Cup with Italy.[93] Other noted Sicilian players include Giuseppe Furino, Pietro Anastasi, Francesco Coco, Christian Riganò, and Roberto Galia.[93] There have also been some noted managers from the island, such as Carmelo Di Bella and Franco Scoglio.

Although football is by far the most popular sport in Sicily, the island also has participants in other fields. Amatori Catania compete in the top Italian national rugby union league called Super 10. They have even participated at European level in the European Challenge Cup. Competing in the basketball variation of Serie A is Orlandina Basket from Capo d'Orlando in the province of Messina, where the sport has a reasonable following. Various other sports that are played to some extent include volleyball, handball, and water polo. Previously, in motorsport, Sicily held the prominent Targa Florio sports car race that took place in the Madonie Mountains, with the start-finish line in Cerda.[94] The event was started in 1906 by Sicilian industrialist and automobile enthusiast Vincenzo Florio, and ran until it was cancelled due to safety concerns in 1977.[94]

Sicilian lifestyle and folklore

Sicilian arrotino at a living nativity scene wearing traditional Sicilian clothing
Religious festival in Trapani
A carnival float in Acireale

The family is at the heart of Sicilian culture as it has always been for generations. Family members often live close together, sometimes in the same housing complex, and sons and daughters usually remain at home with their parents until they marry, which tends to occur later than in previous decades. Couples today have fewer children than before, yet babies and children are much revered in Sicilian culture and almost always accompany their parents to social events.[95]

Sicilian weddings are lavish, expensive, and traditional. They are normally held in church. The Catholic Church is an important fixture in Sicilian life. Almost all public places are adorned with crucifixes upon their walls, and most Sicilian homes contain pictures of saints, statues, and other relics. Each town and city has its own patron saint, and the feast days are marked by gaudy processions through the streets with marching bands and displays of fireworks.

Sicilian religious festivals also include the presepe vivente (living nativity scene), which takes place at Christmas time. Deftly combining religion and folklore, it is a constructed mock 19th century Sicilian village, complete with a nativity scene, and has people of all ages dressed in the costumes of the period, some impersonating the Holy Family, and others working as artisans of their particular assigned trade. It is normally concluded on Ephiphany, often highlighted by the arrival of the magi on horseback.

Oral tradition plays a large role in Sicilian folklore. Many stories passed down from generation to generation involve a character named "Giufà". Anecdotes from this character's life preserve Sicilian culture as well as convey moral messages.

Sicilians also enjoy outdoor festivals, held in the local square or piazza where live music and dancing are performed on stage, and food fairs or sagre are set up in booths lining the square. These offer various local specialties, as well as typical Sicilian food. Normally these events are concluded with fireworks. A noted sagra is the Sagra del Carciofo or Artichoke Festival, which is held annually in Ramacca in April. The most important laic event in Sicily is the carnival. Famous carnivals are in Acireale, Misterbianco, Regalbuto, Paternò, Sciacca, Termini Imerese.

Symbols and icons

There are several cultural icons and regional symbols in Sicily, including flags, carts, sights and geographical features.

Flag

Main article: Flag of Sicily

The Sicilian flag is the flag of Sicily, and is regarded as a regional icon. It was first adopted in 1282, after the Sicilian Vespers of Palermo. It is characterized by the presence of the triskelion (trinacria) in its middle, the (winged) head of Medusa and three wheat ears. The three bent legs are supposed to represent the three points of the island Sicily itself.

The colours, instead, respectively represent the cities of Palermo and Corleone, at those times an agricultural city of renown. Palermo and Corleone were the first two cities to found a confederation against the Angevin rule. It finally became the official public flag of the Autonomous Region of Sicily in January 2000, after the passing of an apposite law which advocates its use on public buildings, schools, city halls, and all the other places in which Sicily is represented.

Trinacria (Sicilian triskelion)

Main article: Triskelion

Familiar as an ancient symbol of the region, the triskelion is also featured on Greek coins of Syracuse, such as coins of Agathocles (317–289 BCE). In Sicily, the first inhabitants mentioned in history are the tribes of the Sicani (Greek Sikanoi) and the Sicels (Greek Sikeloi), who gave Sicily its more familiar modern name. The triskelion was revived, as a neoclassic — and non-Bourbon — emblem for the new Napoleonic Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, by Joachim Murat in 1808. The actual name "Trinacria" was also occasionally used in the Kingdom of Sicily after 1302 (the English equivalent word of Trinacria is the Triangle).[96]

The symbol dates back to when Sicily was part of Magna Graecia, the colonial extension of Greece beyond the Aegean.[97] Pliny the Elder attributes the origin of the triskelion of Sicily to the triangular form of the island, the ancient Trinacria, which consists of three large capes equidistant from each other, pointing in their respective directions, the names of which were Pelorus, Pachynus, and Lilybæum.

The three legs of the triskelion are also reminiscent of Hephaestus's three-legged tables that ran by themselves, as mentioned in Iliad xviii:

"At the moment Hephaestus was busily
Turning from bellows to bellows, sweating with toil
As he laboured to finish a score of three-legged tables
To stand around the sides of his firm-founded hall. On each
Of the legs he had put a gold wheel, that those magic tables
Might cause all to marvel by going with no other help
To the gathering of gods and by likewise returning to his house."

Coppola

Main article: Coppola (cap)
Sicilian boy wearing a coppola

The coppola is a traditional kind of flat cap typically worn in Sicily. First used by English nobles during the late 18th century, the coppola began being used in Sicily in the early 20th century as a driving cap, usually worn by car drivers. The Coppola is usually made in tweed. Today, the coppola is widely regarded, at least in Italy, as a definitive symbol of Sicilian heritage.[98]

Cart

Main article: Sicilian cart
A Traditional Sicilian Cart from Agrigento, Sicily, 2003. Note the cart appears slightly raised where it is attached to the horse. This is because the cart was traditionally drawn by donkeys, which are of a slightly lower stature to that of a horse.

The Sicilian cart (or carretto Siciliano in Italian and carrettu Sicilianu in Sicilian or carretti (plural)) is an ornate, colorful style of horse or donkey-drawn cart native to Sicily.

Sicilian wood carver, George Petralia states, that horses were mostly used in the city and flat plains, while donkeys or mules were more often used in rough terrain for hauling heavy loads.[99] The cart has two wheels and is primarily handmade out of wood with iron metal components. Carts are used for hauling miscellaneous light loads, such as produce, wood, wine, and people, called "Carretto del Lavoro" (cart for work) and also carts for festive occasions such as weddings and parades called "Carretto de Gara'. The Carretto is like the 'taxi' or 'truck' of today.[100] In modern-day Sicily, the tradition continues in small, three-wheeled motorized vehicles (called lapa). They are often painted in the traditional way.

Mount Etna

A painting of Mount Etna (seen from Taormina) by Thomas Cole in 1844.
Main article: Mount Etna

Mount Etna (Αἴτνη (Aítnē) in Classical Greek,[101] Aetna in Latin, also known as Muncibeḍḍu (beautiful mountain) in Sicilian and Mongibello in Italian (from the Latin mons and the Arabic gibel, both meaning mountain) or A Muntagna ((The mountain in Sicilian because is the most massive mountain visible in that zone) [102] is an active stratovolcano on the east coast of Sicily, close to Messina and Catania. Its Arabic name was Jebel Utlamat (the Mountain of Fire). It is the largest active volcano in Europe and still plagues the island's residents with black ash with its ever current eruptions. It currently stands 3,329 metres (10,922 ft) high, though this varies with summit eruptions; the mountain is 21 m (69 ft) lower at now than it was in 1981. It is the highest mountain in Italy south of the Alps. Etna covers an area of 1,190 km2 (459 sq mi) with a basal circumference of 140 km (87 mi). This makes it by far the largest of the three active volcanoes in Italy, being about two and a half times the height of the next largest, Mount Vesuvius. Only Mount Teide in Tenerife surpasses it in the whole of the European region (though geographically Tenerife is an island of Africa).[103] In Greek Mythology, the deadly monster Typhon was trapped under this mountain by Zeus, the god of the sky, and Mount Etna is widely regarded as a cultural symbol and icon of Sicily.

Chestnut Tree of One Hundred Horses

Main article: Chestnut Tree of One Hundred Horses

The Chestnut Tree of One Hundred Horses (Italian: Castagno dei Cento Cavalli; Sicilian: Castagnu dê Centu Cavaddi) is the largest and oldest known chestnut tree in the world.[104][105] Located on Linguaglossa road in Sant'Alfio, on the eastern slope of Mount Etna in Sicily[106] — only 8 km (5 miles) from the mountain's crater — it is generally believed to be 2,000 to 4,000 years old (4,000 according to the botanist Bruno Peyronel from Turin).[107] It is a Sweet Chestnut (Castanea sativa, family Fagaceae). Guinness World Records has listed it for the record of "Greatest Tree Girth Ever", noting that it had a circumference of 57.9 m (190 ft) when it was measured in 1780. Above-ground the tree has since split into multiple large trunks, but below-ground these trunks still share the same roots.[108]

The tree's name originated from a legend in which a queen of Aragon and her company of one hundred knights, during a trip to Mount Etna, were caught in a severe thunderstorm. The entire company is said to have taken shelter under the tree.[106][109]

See also

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  30. ^ "Classical and Medieval Malta (60-1530)". AboutMalta.com. 7 October 2007.
  31. ^ John Julius, Norwich. The Normans in Sicily: The Normans in the South 1016-1130 and the Kingdom in the Sun 1130-1194. Penguin Global. ISBN 978-0140152128.
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  66. ^ (n=236), Differential Greek and northern African migrations to Sicily are supported by genetic evidence from the Y chromosome, Gaetano et al.2008, European Journal of Human Genetics (2009)
  67. ^ "Archaeological Area of Agrigento - UNESCO World Heritage Centre". Whc.unesco.org. 1997-12-07. Retrieved 2009-05-06.
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  72. ^ "Palazzo" (pl. palazzi): is any large building in a town, state or private (often much smaller than the term palace implies in the English-speaking world). While palazzo is the technically correct appellation, and postal address, no Sicilian aristocrat would ever use the word, instead referring to his or her own house, however large, as "casa". "Palazzo" followed by the family name was the term used by officials, tradesmen, and delivery men. Gefen, p. 15.
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