Historical Overview

When thinking about Italy, the first thought that comes to mind for many are the gondolas of Venice or the vibrant, elaborately depicted cities carved into history like Rome and Florence. While these cities undoubtedly live up to their reputations of glitz and glamour, Italy’s southern gem, Sicily, is often forgotten. Growing up, I understood Sicily not just part of Italy, but as Italy. My mother and grandparents were born and raised there, and for as long as I can remember, it was described in a fascinating contradiction: a place of immense beauty burdened by a sense of being left behind. Despite a strong sense of Sicilian distinctiveness and selfhood from the Italian mainland, Sicilian identity itself remains ambiguously defined, composed of layered blends of conflicting cultural elements.

Sicily’s history is nothing short of complex and tumultuous. The island was first colonized by the Greeks in the 8th century BCE, with cities like Siracusa, Agrigento, and Catania founded as independent Greek colonies. Siracusa, of Corinthian origin, even rivaled and surpassed Athens in both power and prestige. Greek civilization left such a lasting mark on Sicily that the island now boasts more ancient Greek temples than mainland Greece itself. The Roman Empire followed soon after, ruling for centuries but leaving little visible legacy in their own right, often making modifications to earlier Greek sites rather than constructing monuments of their own.

Next came the Byzantines in the 6th century, who brought lasting artistic and architectural influences. Their icons, mosaics, and church designs that remain are a part of Sicily’s visual landscape, particularly in Palermo. The Arab conquest in the 9th century brought profound changes by integrating Sicily into the Muslim world. While few original Arab buildings remain, their influence survived through lifestyle, agriculture, and craft, which blossomed a unique Arab-Norman style under Norman rule. The Normans did not just conquer, they collaborated. By inviting Arab poets to the courts, employing Muslim and Byzantine artists, and ensuring religious tolerance, the Normans fostered a sentiment of inclusion. Palermo, in particular, became a hub of cultural fusion, a place where Byzantine, Arab, and Latin styles coexisted and eventually merged into something uniquely Sicilian.

This tradition of coexistence ended under Frederick II, who ultimately removed the Muslim population and caused the slow erosion of Arab-Norman influence. With the arrival of Spanish in the 13th century came the blossoming of Baroque architecture, but even that evolved into a distinctly Sicilian expression. Even in something as seemingly unified as Baroque architecture, Sicilians hold fiercely to local distinctions, as Catania’s Baroque is not Siracusa’s, and certainly not Palermo’s. Needless to say, Sicily is not one culture, but rather a fascinating mosaic of empires, traditions, and contradictions. 

 MY journey