Sicily History

A visit to Sicily, one of the most important islands in the Mediterranean, is perhaps the quintessential travel experience. You’ll follow the vestiges of thousands of years of history- of conquerors, artistic splendor, architectural and scientific achievements - all framed by the majesty of the island’s natural beauty, exquisite cuisine and the genuine sense of hospitality of its people.  Sicily, the disputed land of many empires and kingdoms, is a place where visitors will, beyond any doubt, experience and embrace these evocative emotions.

Sicily was originally inhabited by several local populations, such as the Sicani, the Siculi, the Elimi and by the Phoenicians, who founded the city of Palermo. Sicily’s official debut as one of the most important commercial outposts in the Mediterranean begins with the arrival of the Greeks, who founded their first colony on the island, Naxos, in 735 B.C. Several other colonies were established shortly thereafter, the most important being Syracuse, Messina, Catania, Akragas (Agrigento), and Selinunte. The Greeks influenced every aspect of the Sicilian culture from language to public administration, and built majestic temples and outdoor amphitheaters to honor their many divinities, whose remains are still standing today (The Valley of the Temples in Agrigento, the amphitheaters in Taormina, Segesta and Tindari among many others).

Sicily’s strategic position relative to the major commercial routes of the Mediterranean was the main cause of the Greek-Punic wars, fought between the two most powerful cities of that time, Syracuse and Carthage, battling for control and hegemony of these lucrative sea lanes. With alternate success, these wars lasted between 600 and 265 B.C., when the Romans first arrived in Sicily.

After a tumultuous period of civil wars, Sicily once again prospered and flourished under the Augustan empire with Roman and Greek cultures peacefully cohabitating, for about 700 years.  The fall of the Roman Empire led to the subsequent invasions by Germanic tribes: the Vandals, the Ostrogoths and, ultimately, the Byzantines. The Byzantines ruled over Sicily from about 535 A.D. until the fall of the last outpost, Taormina, in 902. All of Sicily was eventually conquered by Saracens in 965.
The Saracens dominated Sicily until the arrival of the Normans of Roger II in 1072, when the Kingdom of Sicily was established. The Kingdom of Sicily would last until the unification of Italy in 1861, and included not only Sicily, but also the regions of the Mezzogiorno (the southern part of Italy), with Palermo as the capital. The Kingdom, ruled by the powerful house of Hauteville, extended its borders up to Tripoli, Malta and Corfu.

In 1194 the Norman dynasty of Hauteville was replaced by the German Swabian (Hohenstaufen), with Henry VI being crowned King of Sicily. His son, Frederick II, was an enlightened ruler, passionate about science, literature and poetry. The kingdom of Frederick II is considered the apogee of Sicily’s cultural, artistic and social development, with its most prominent expression being the Sicilian School of Poetry (Scuola Poetica Siciliana) - a cultural movement which introduced the concept of “zero” to Europe along with a new form of poetry, the sonetto (sonnet). The Hohenstaufen dynasty ended with the death of Manfredi, son of Frederick II, in the battle of Benevento, by the hand of Charles I of Angevin, the King of France’s brother.
French domination of Sicily was relatively short, as increasing opposition, partly fomented by high taxation, led to an insurrection in 1282, known as Sicilian Vespers. These events marked the beginning of the Spanish occupation, with the house of Aragon crowning Frederick III King of Sicily and Aragon. Periods of rule by the crown of Savoy (1713-1720) and then the Austrian Habsburgs gave way to the union (1734) with the Bourbon-ruled kingdom of Naples, under the rule of Don Carlos of Bourbon.

Sicily was joined with the Kingdom of Sardinia (later Kingdom of Italy) in 1860 following the expedition of Giuseppe Garibaldi's Mille (literally 1,000 patriotic volunteer soldiers); the annexation was ratified by a popular plebiscite. The unification of Italy did little to help improve the region’s economic misery and poverty of the agricultural Sicilian society: the central Government in Rome seemed oppressive and too distant to be able to rule effectively.

Today Sicily is a land of deep contrasts and wonders. Despite an ongoing economic and social struggle, people maintain a positive and extremely warm attitude, which reflects the true spirit of Sicilians. Every town conceals a historic center – a Baroque triumph in its own right, and a mosaic of diverse artistic and cultural influences harmonically blending together.