Sicily has had a very significant historical past, influenced above all by the
many different rulers which passed through its territory. Inhabited since the
Lower Palaeolithic age, colonised by the Greeks in its eastern territories, by
the Phoenicians and by the Carthaginians in the west and disputed between
Carthage and Rome,
Sicily was the first province of the Roman Empire. In 9th-
10th century, it was conquered by the Arabs, under whom it reached its period of
maximum splendour. The subsequent internal disagreements favoured the conquest
on the part of the Normans, under whom the Kingdom of
Sicily was established.
Having passed to the house of the Swabians, the Kingdom of
Sicily was united
with the Empire of Frederick II, who, with the Melfi Constitutions of 1231,
created a State which was well organised .
With the death of the Emperor in 1250, it subsequently passed to Manfredi and
then to the Angevins (1266), ousted by with the revolt of the Sicilian Vespers
(1282). Tied to the Kingdom of Naples, the Kingdom of
Sicily broke away in 1458
and, in 1504, passed to the Spanish crown. With the treaty of Utrecht (1713),
the island was assigned to the house of Savoy and was then ceded by the latter
in exchange for Sardinia. After the peace of Vienna (1738), the Bourbons took
over and, in 1816, constituted the Kingdom of the two Sicilies, to finally be
united with the Kingdom of Italy in 1860. After the second World War, the island
became a Region with it own special statute (1946).
From the geographical point of view,
Sicily is the largest island in the
Mediterranean and also the largest region in Italy, divided from the peninsula
by the straits of Messina. It faces onto three different seas: the Ionian to the
east, the Tyrrheanian to the north and the Mediterranean Sea to the south. A
number of archipelagos and islands belong to the regional territory: the Aeolian
islands, the Egadi islands, the Pelagie, Pantelleria and Ustica. The rivers are
of a torrential nature, the longest being the Salso and the Simeto. Running
across the island is an extension of the Apennine chain, subdivided into three
parts: the Pleoritani, Nebrodi and Madonie mountains. In the southern part,
there are the Eblei, where Mount Etna is located, an active volcano and the
highest point in the region. The climate is decidedly Mediterranean, with hot
summers and brief, mild winters. Wine production here is a significant sector
which in recent years has received important recognition. Artisanship is also an
active sector, in the crafting of wood, ceramics, terracotta and filigree.
Tourism is the most significant activity: the choice of
Sicily as a destination
means having the possibility of being able to choose between the various
possibilities which the island offers; starting from its historical, social and
cultural heritage. Sicilian museums are amongst the richest in the world, in
addition to the immediately tangible elements which are present everywhere,
including Churches and the archaeological sites.
But the characteristics which make
Sicily the ideal place for every tourist are:
the sea, the sun, the good food and the culture. The seaside resorts and the
hotel and restaurant sectors are of an excellent quality, always avant-garde,
but above all, not forgetting the genuine sense of hospitality of the
inhabitants; there is a vast choice of accommodation facilities, including
various categories of hotels, farm holiday, farmhouse, residence self-catering
accommodation, b&b, rooms for rent, holiday homes, camp sites and tourist
villages.
