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| Sicily | |
.svg/58px-Flag of Sicily (revised).svg) Flag | |
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| Geography | |
| Status | Autonomous region |
|---|---|
| Capital | Palermo |
| President | Lino Leanza, acting (2008-) |
| Provinces | Agrigento Caltanissetta Catania Enna Messina Palermo Ragusa Syracuse Trapani |
| Area | 25,708 km² |
| - Ranked | 1st (8.5 %) |
| Population (2006 est.) | |
| - Total | 5,017,212 |
| - Ranked | 4th (8.5 %) |
| - Density | 195/km² |
Sicily (Italian and Sicilian: Sicilia) is an autonomous region of Italy in Europe. Of all the regions of Italy, Sicily covers the largest surface area with 25,708 km², and currently has five million inhabitants. It is also the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, though several much smaller islands surrounding it are also considered part of Sicily.
Throughout much of its history, Sicily has been considered a crucial strategic location due in large part to its importance for Mediterranean trade routes."Sicily", KeyItaly.com, 20 November 2007. The area was highly regarded as part of Magna Graecia, with Cicero describing Siracusa as the greatest and most beautiful city of all Ancient Greece."Sicilia\'s Urbs of Syracusa", AncientWorlds.net, 20 November 2007.
Although today it is a region of Italy, it was once a country in its own right, as the Kingdom of Sicily, ruled from Palermo. The Kingdom of Sicily ruled over southern Italy, Sicily, and Malta. It later became a part of the Two Sicilies under the Bourbons, which was actually centered in Naples rather than Sicily. Since that time the risorgimento has occurred and Sicily has been a fully fledged part of Italy.
Sicily is considered to be highly rich in its own unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, cuisine, architecture and even language. The Sicilian economy is largely based on agriculture (famously orange and lemon orchards); this same rural countryside has attracted significant tourism in the modern age as its natural beauty is highly regarded."Wedding in Sicily", YourSicily.net, 20 November 2007. Sicily also holds importance for archeological and ancient sites such as the Necropolis of Pantalica.
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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)."Sicily: Encyclopedia II - Sicily - History", Experience Festival, 7 October 2007. "Aapologetico de la literatura española contra los opiniones", Ensayo historico, 7 October 2007. 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."Sicilian Peoples: The Sicanians", Best of Sicily, 7 October 2007.
The Elymians, thought to be from the Aegean, were the next tribe to migrate to join the Sicanians on Sicily."Sicani", Britannica.com, 7 October 2007. 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."Sicilian Peoples: The Sicanians", Best of Sicily, 7 October 2007.
.JPG/58px-Sicily Selinunte Temple E (Hera).JPG)
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 colonized.
Sicily was very fertile, and the introduction of olives and grape vines flourished, creating a great deal of profitable trading;"History of Sicily", KnowItal.com, 7 October 2007. 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."Valley of the Temples", Italiansrus.com, 7 October 2007. Politics on the island was intertwined with that of Greece; Syracuse became desired by the Athenians, who during Peloponnesian War set out on the Sicilian Expedition. Syracuse gained Sparta and Corinth as allies, as a result the Athenian army and ships were destroyed, with most of the survivors being sold into slavery."Siege of Syracuse", Livius.org, 7 October 2007.
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 Sicilian Wars erupted."Sicily", Hutchinson Encyclopedia, 7 October 2007. 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."Sicily", Hutchinson Encyclopedia, 7 October 2007. The Second Punic War, in which Archimedes was killed, 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"."Sensational Sicily", 10000BC.tv, 7 October 2007.
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.
"Sicily" in the 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia.. 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. "Sicily" in the 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia.. 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.Stockton, David. Cicero: A Political Biography. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0198720331.
The religion of Christianity first appeared in Sicily during the years following 200 AD, between this time and 313 AD when Constantine the Great finally lifted the prohibition, a significant number of Sicilians became martyrs such as Agatha, Christina, Lucy, Euplius and many more."Early & Medieval History", BestofSicily.com, 7 October 2007. 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."Early & Medieval History", BestofSicily.com, 7 October 2007.
As the Roman Empire was falling apart, a Germanic tribe known as the Vandals took Sicily in 440 AD 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.Privitera, Joseph. Sicily: An Illustrated History. Hippocrene Books. ISBN 978-0781809092. However, they soon lost these newly acquired possessions to another East Germanic tribe in the form of the Goths.Privitera, Joseph. Sicily: An Illustrated History. Hippocrene Books. ISBN 978-0781809092. 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."Theodoric", Encyclopædia Britannica, 7 October 2007.
Depiction of the Gothic War.
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.Hearder, Harry. Italy: A Short History. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0521337199. 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."Gothic War: Byzantine Count Belisarius Retakes Rome", Historynet.com, 7 October 2007. 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."Gothic War: Byzantine Count Belisarius Retakes Rome", Historynet.com, 7 October 2007.
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."Syracuse, Sicily", TravelMapofSicily.com, 7 October 2007. The rumours that the capital of the empire was to be moved to Syracuse, along with small raids probably cost Constans his life as he was assassinated in 668."Syracuse, Sicily", TravelMapofSicily.com, 7 October 2007. 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."Sicilian Peoples: The Byzantines", BestofSicily.com, 7 October 2007.
San Giovanni degli Eremiti, red domes showing elements of Arab architecture.
In 826, Euphemius the commander of the Byzantine fleet of Sicily 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\' nose. Euphemius rose up, killed Constantine and then occupied Syracuse; he in turn was defeated and drove out to North Africa."Brief history of Sicily", Archaeology.Stanford.edu, 7 October 2007. He offered rule of Sicily over to Ziyadat Allah the Aghlabid Emir of Tunisia in return for a place as a general and safety; an Islamic army of Arabs, Berbers, Spaniards, Cretans and Persians was sent."Brief history of Sicily", Archaeology.Stanford.edu, 7 October 2007. The conquest was a see-saw affair: with considerable resistance and many internal struggles, it took over a century for Byzantine Sicily to be conquered. Syracuse held for a long time, Taormina fell in 902, and all of the island was eventually conquered by 965."Brief history of Sicily", Archaeology.Stanford.edu, 7 October 2007.
Throughout this reign, continued revolts by Byzantine Sicilians happened especially in the east and part of the lands were even re-occupied before being quashed. Agricultural items such as oranges, lemons, pistachio and sugar cane were brought to Sicily,Privitera, Joseph. Sicily: An Illustrated History. Hippocrene Books. ISBN 978-0781809092. the native Christians were allowed freedom of religion but had to pay an extra tax to their rulers. However, the Emirate of Sicily began to fragment as inner-dynasty related quarrels took place between the Muslim regime."Brief history of Sicily", Archaeology.Stanford.edu, 7 October 2007. By the 11th century mainland southern Italian powers were hiring ferocious Norman merecenaries, who were Christian descendants of the Vikings; it was the Normans under Roger I who freed Sicily from the Muslims."Brief history of Sicily", Archaeology.Stanford.edu, 7 October 2007. After taking Apulia and Calabria, he occupied Messina with an army of 700 knights. In 1068, Roger Guiscard and his men defeated the Muslims at Misilmeri but the most crucial battle was the siege of Palermo, which led to Sicily being completely in Norman control by 1091."Chronological - Historical Table Of Sicily", In Italy Magazine, 7 October 2007.
Palermo continued on as the capital under the Normans. Roger\'s son, Roger II of Sicily, was ultimately able to raise the status of the island, along with his holds of Malta and Southern Italy to a kingdom in 1130."Classical and Medieval Malta (60-1530)", AboutMalta.com, 7 October 2007. "Chronological - Historical Table Of Sicily", In Italy Magazine, 7 October 2007. 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 England.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. Significantly, immigrants from Northern Italy and Campania arrived during this period and 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."Sicilian Peoples: The Normans", BestofSicily.com, 7 October 2007.
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."Sicilian History", Dieli.net, 7 October 2007. This eventually led to the crown of Sicily been passed on to the Hohenstaufen Dynasty who were Germanic peoples from Swabia. Conflict between the Hohenstaufen house and the Papacy, led in 1266 to Pope Innocent IV crowning Angevin Dynasty duke Charles I as the king of both Sicily and Naples."Sicilian History", Dieli.net, 7 October 2007.
Strong opposition of the 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."Sicilian History", Dieli.net, 7 October 2007. During the war the Sicilians turned to Peter III of the Kingdom of Aragon 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 Frederick III recognised as king of the Isle of Sicily, while Charles II was recognised as the king of Naples by Pope Boniface VIII."Sicilian History", Dieli.net, 7 October 2007. 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."History of Sicily", KnowItal.com, 7 October 2007.
The Spanish Inquisition in 1492 saw Ferdinand I decreeing the explusion of every single Jew from Sicily."Sicilian History", Dieli.net, 7 October 2007. 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."Sicilian History", Dieli.net, 7 October 2007. There were revolts during the 17th century, but these were quelled with significant force especially the revolts of Palermo and Messina."History of Sicily", KnowItal.com, 7 October 2007. 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."The Treaties of Utrecht (1713)", Heraldica.org, 7 October 2007.
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."Charles of Bourbon - the restorer of the Kingdom of Naples", RealCasaDiBorbone.it, 7 October 2007. 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."Campo Tenese", Clash-of-Steel.co.uk, 7 October 2007. 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 sixteen month period of independence for Sicily, until the armed forces of the Bourbons regained control by May 1849."Two Sicilies, Kingdom of, 1848-49", Ohiou.edu, 7 October 2007.
After the Expedition of the Thousand led by Giuseppe Garibaldi, Sicily became part of the Kingdom of Italy in 1860 as part of the risorgimento."The Modern Era", BestofSicily.com, 7 October 2007. The conquest started at Marsala and 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. An anti-Savoy revolt pushing for Sicilian independence erupted in 1866 at Palermo: this was quelled brutally by the Italians within just a week. "Palermo" in the 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia."The Modern Era", BestofSicily.com, 7 October 2007. The Sicilian (and the wider mezzogiorno) economy collapsed, leading to an unprecedented wave of emigration."Italians around the World: Teaching Italian Migration from a Transnational Perspective", OAH.org, 7 October 2007. Organisations 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."Sicily", Capitol Hill, 7 October 2007. "fascio siciliano", Encyclopædia Britannica, 7 October 2007.
The Mafia, a loose confederation of organised crime networks, grew in influence in the late 19th century; the Fascist regime began suppressing them in the 1920s with some success."The Modern Era", BestofSicily.com, 7 October 2007. There was an allied invasion of Sicily during World War II starting on July 10, 1943, the invasion of Sicily was one of the causes of the July 25 crisis; in general the Allied victors were warmly embraced by the Sicilian population. "The Modern Era", BestofSicily.com, 7 October 2007. 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."Sicily autonomy", Grifasi-Sicilia.com, 7 October 2007. 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."Italy - Land Reforms", Encyclopædia Britannica, 7 October 2007. "North and South: The Tragedy of Equalization in Italy", Frontier Center for Public Policy, 7 October 2007.
Provinces of Sicily.
Sicily is directly adjacent to the Italian region of Calabria, via the Strait of Messina to the east. The early Roman name for Sicily was Trinacria, alluding to its triangular shape. Sicily has been noted for two millennia as a grain-producing territory. Citrons, oranges, lemons, olives, olive oil, almonds, and wine are among its other agricultural products. The mines of the Enna and Caltanissetta district became a leading sulfur-producing area in the 19th century but have declined since the 1950s.
Administratively Sicily is divided into nine provinces; Agrigento, Caltanissetta, Catania, Enna, Messina, Palermo, Ragusa, Syracuse and Trapani. Also part of various Sicilian provinces are small surrounding islands, including the Aeolian Islands, the Aegadian Islands, Pantelleria, Ustica and the Pelagian Islands.
The island of Sicily 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 the Alcantara in the province of Messina, it exits at Giardini-Naxos. The other two main rivers on the island are to the south-west with Belice and Platani.
Sicily and its small surrounding islands are highly significant in the area of volcanology. Mount Etna is the only volcano on mainland Sicily located in the east; with a height of 3,320 m (10,900 ft) it is the tallest active volcano in Europe and one of the most active in the world. As well as Etna, there are several non-volcanic mountain ranges in Sicily, Sicani to the west, Eeri in the central era and Iblei in the south-east. Across the north of Sicily there are three other mountains Madonie, Nebrodi and Peloritani.
The Aeolian Islands to the north-east are volcanically significant with Stromboli currently active, also in the Tyrrhenian Sea are the three dormant volcanos of Vulcano, Vulcanello and Lipari. Off the Southern coast of Sicily, the underwater water 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.
The A29, passing through the countryside near Segesta.
The most prominent Sicilian roads are the motorways (known as autostrade) running through the northern section of the island, this includes the A19 Palermo-Catania, the A20 Palermo-Messina, the A29 Palermo-Trapani-Mazara del Vallo and the toll road A18 Messina-Catania. Much of the motorway network is elevated by columns due to the mountainous terrain of the island."A 19 autostrada Palermo - Catania", SiciliaEMoto.it, 2 January 2008. "Autostrada A20: Messina - Palermo", Sicilia.Indettaglio.it, 24 October 2007. "A 29 autostrada Palermo - Trapani - Mazara del Vallo", SiciliaEMoto.it, 2 January 2008. "Autostrada: A18 Messina - Catania", Sicilia.Indettaglio.it, 24 October 2007. The Sicilian public is served by a network of railway services, linking to most major cities and towns; this service is operated by Trenitalia. There are services to Naples and Rome; this is achieved by the trains been loaded onto ferries which cross to the mainland."Sicily Travel and Transport", ItalyHeaven.co.uk, 2 January 2008.
There were plans to link the railway to the mainland via the world\'s longest suspension bridge, the Strait of Messina Bridge, construction of which was expected to start in 2006. However, the plan was scrapped by the Italian Parliament in late 2006 due to lack of popular support, particularly amongst Sicilians."Italian MPs kill plan to bridge Sicily and mainland", Guardian.co.uk, 2 January 2008. In two of the main cities there are underground railway services; these feature in the cities of Palermo and Catania.
Mainland Sicily has three airports which fly to numerous European destinations; to the east is the Catania-Fontanarossa Airport which is the busiest on the island (and one of the busiest in all of Italy). Palermo hosts the Palermo International Airport, which is also substantially large, the third airport actually on the island is the Trapani-Birgi Airport which is smaller. There are also two small airports on smaller islands which are considered part of Sicily; Lampedusa Airport and Pantelleria Airport. By sea, Sicily is served by several ferry routes most of which are to Sicily\'s small surrounding islands and mainland Italy (as well as Sardinia), there is also a daily service between Malta and Pozzallo."Traghetti Sicily 2008", Traghetti Guida, 2 January 2008. "High speed car/passenger ferry service", VirtuFerries.com, 2 January 2008.
Cannoli, a highly popular pastry associated with Sicilian cuisine.
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."Our Man Abroad", Sunday Circle, 24 June 2007. The ingredients are typically rich in taste while remaining affordable to the general populance."The Foods Of Sicily - A Culinary Journey", ItalianFoodForever.com, 24 June 2007. The savory dishes of Sicily are viewed to be healthy, implementing fresh vegetables and fruits, such as tomatos, 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.Piras, Claudia and Medagliani, Eugenio. Culinaria Italy. Konemann. ISBN 978-3833134463.
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.Senna, Luciana. Authentic Sicily. Touring Club of Italy. ISBN 978-8836534036. Biancomanfiare, biscotti ennesi (cookies native to Enna), braccilatte a Sicilian version of doughnuts, buccellato, ciarduna, pignoli, frutta martorana, cassata, pignolata, granita and cuccìa are amongst some of the most notable sweet dishes.Senna, Luciana. Authentic Sicily. Touring Club of Italy. ISBN 978-8836534036.
Like the cuisine of the rest of southern Italy, pasta plays an important part in Sicilian cuisine, as does rice; for example with arancini."Arancini, the cult Sicilian dish", FXCuisine.com, 24 June 2007. As well as using some other cheeses, Sicily has spawned some of its own, using both cows and sheeps milk, such as pecorino and caciocavallo."Sicilian Cheese", BestofSicily.com, 24 June 2007. Spices used include saffron, nutmeg, clove, pepper, and cinnamon which were introducted by the Arabs. Although commonly associated with sea food cuisines, meat dishes including goose, lamb, goat and turkey are also found in Sicily, it was the Normans and Hohenstaufen who first introduced a fondness for meat dishes to the island."Sicilian Food and Wine", BestofSicily.com, 24 June 2007.
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.Calinger, Ronald (1999). A Contextual History of Mathematics. Prentice-Hall, 150. ISBN 0-02-318285-7. “Shortly after Euclid, compiler of the definitive textbook, came Archimedes of Syracuse (ca. 287–212 B.C.), the most original and profound mathematician of antiquity.”<
