Sicily Blog
The Island of Sicily sits 2 ½ miles from the mainland of
Italy across the Strait of Messina. It
is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea at almost 10,000 square miles in
area and with a population of slightly over 5 million people. Its capital is Palermo.
While Sicily has been a part of Italy since 1861, they were
an ancient land with a complex history and a culture molded from the merger of
the customs and traditions from the numerous and varied civilizations that
colonized the area from as far back as 8,000 BCE. Its location in the center of the
Mediterranean sea routes made it an easy target for the many invaders who ruled
over the small island for thousands of years.
First it was the Phoenician and Greek empires, followed by the
Carthaginians, Romans, Vandals, Arabs, and the Normans before Sicily was
unified into the new country of Italy. Evidence
of these conquerors can be seen throughout Sicily – Roman ruins in Taormina,
Greek temples in the central part of Sicily, ruins of an old Phoenician
settlement on the island of Moyta, and the Arab markets and souks in
Palermo. We will be visiting all these
sights plus quite a few others. All of
these civilizations have had a profound and unique effect on today’s Sicilian
culture and traditions. In addition to
the constant upheaval these invaders wrought on the people, they also live on
an island that has been and continues to be rocked by seismic activity (the
earthquake of 1693 which destroyed most of Sicily and the constant eruptions of
Mt. Etna), has extremely hot temperatures and almost constant sunlight, and is
subject to harsh winds from the seas that surround the island. It is not surprising then that their language
has no future tense. And perhaps it is
the many conquests over the Sicilian people that have made them fiercely
independent and proud, with a mistrust of government, so much so that they
resented being ruled by mainland Italy.
In 1946 they became an autonomous region of Italy with their own elected
Parliament and President. And any
Sicilian will tell you they are Sicilian first and Italian second.
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| Trinacria |
One of the things you notice first is the Sicilian symbol, the Trinacria (a Greek work meaning “three pointed”). You see it on the flag of Sicily and in every souvenir store on ceramics, shirts, magnets, and hats). It is the female head (said to be Medusa) with three legs attached, positioned to form a triangle that closely resembles the shape of the island of Sicily. Intertwined in her head are three stalks of wheat upon which the legs are attached. The three legs represent the three capes of Sicily – Pelero (northeast near the city of Messina), Passero (the southern most tip of Sicily) and Lilibeo (the western point near the city of Marsala). The Romans added the stalks of wheat as the island was a major provider of wheat to the Roman empire and wheat symbolizes the fertility and prosperity of the region.
Perhaps one of the main areas where they differ from
mainland Italy is their cuisine. With
its abundant sunlight and the fertile soil from Mt. Etna, Sicily enjoys
year-round farming and most of its dishes reflect the freshness of the just
picked produce. The various cultures that
have ruled over Sicily have left their mark in Sicily’s cuisine, non more-so
than the Arabs. Sicily may well be the
originator of Fusian cuisine. Many of
the flavors in Sicilian cooking date back to the spices used by the Arabs – cardamom,
cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, and pepper.
And seafood is fresh and abundant.
Most of Sicily’s seaside cities and towns have large seafood and produce
markets where people go each day to get their fresh foods. The vast majority of their cooking is
vegetarian dishes using tomatoes and eggplants.
One of the things you notice first is the Sicilian symbol,
the Trinacria (a Greek word meaning “three pointed”). You see it on the flag of Sicily and in every
souvenir store on ceramics, shirts, magnets, and hats). It is the female head (said to be Medusa)
with three legs attached, positioned to form a triangle that closely resembles
the shape of the island of Sicily.
Intertwined in her head are three stalks of wheat upon which the legs
are attached. The three legs represent
the three capes of Sicily – Pelero (northeast near the city of Messina),
Passero (the southern most tip of Sicily) and Lilibeo (the west)ern point near
the city of Marsala). The Romans added
the stalks of wheat as the island was a major provider of wheat to the Roman
empire and wheat symbolizes the fertility and prosperity of the region. The
Trinacria is in the middle of the Sicilian flag whose background is bisected
diagonally with a yellow triangle on the bottom left representing the city of
Corleone and a red triangle in the upper right representing the city of
Palermo. These were the 2 cities that
started the Vesper War against France that led to the ouster of the French
rulers and the crowning of a new king from Spain to rule Sicily.
On one of our bus rides, our TEL played the Sicilian
national anthem. It was beautiful. We had an English version so we could follow
along with the Italian words. Below is
that anthem:
Mother
Earth
You’re the smile that brings people
back
You’re the mountain whose heart you
feel
I wouldn’t change you with the
universe!
Mother earth of Men and Gods
You’re the winter that warms
The summer that makes fall in love
You’re the comet I’d follow
Mother earth of Men and Gods
Sicily my land, triangle of light in
the middle of the world
Sicily my land, an honest sun that
has no sunset!
Sicily you are what you are …
paradise is here!
History was born in your arms
On your lips – Brothers of Italy!
And to defend you I would die
Mother earth of Men and Gods
Sicily my land, triangle of peace
for the world
Sicily my land, you precious rose
Sicily my land, flag liberated in
the wind
Sicily you are what you are …
paradise is here!
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| Moor Heads |
Unfortunately for Sicily, today most people associate the island and its people with the Mafia. The Sicilian Mafia dates back to the Spanish rule in the 1700’s. These rulers divided up a lot of the land owned by Sicilians and this resulted in many legal disputes. Because most of the rulers of Sicily were “absentee” rulers, little was done to resolve these disputes, The Sicilian people turned to influential local “godfathers” who were able to quickly dispense “justice.” When the Fascist Party took control of Italy after WWI, Mussolini felt that the mafia was a threat to his rule and sent his henchmen to destroy it. Many of the Mafia members relocated to the US and during WWII, helped the Allies identify Nazi sympathizers. In a deal for their help, they were allowed to return to Sicily and re-establish the Mafia. This ushered in a period lasting until 1995 of the murders of many state officials in Sicily. The Mafia is still in Sicily (unfortunately still with ties to the US), but keeps a relatively low profile as the Sicilian police have stepped up their scrutiny of the Mafia’s activities. We will learn more about the Mafia when we have a meeting with two sons of former Mafia officials during out visit to Palermo.
We will begin our tour of Sicily in Palermo, its capital,
located on the northwestern tip of the island.
We will then drive down the western and southwestern coast before
traveling inland to the center of the island.
We will conclude our tour in Catania and Mt. Etna on the eastern coast
of the island.
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