LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Sicily
built 813 days ago
According to the ancient writers, the first inhabitants of Sicily were the Sicani; later there came from the Italian peninsula the Siculi, who... do not seem to have been of the same race or to have had any national unity. The island was greatly frequented by Phoenician merchants, as it lay in their way towards Africa and Spain, and was besides a centre of their trade. The presence of these traders is attested by Phoenician inscriptions and coins as well as by articles of Phoenician trade. The names, too, of the chief towns on the coast are of Phoenician origin. With their trade they introduced the worship of Melkart (Heracles) and Astarte, especially at Mount Eryx (Monte S. Giuliano). While the Phoenicians who came to the main island continued as foreigners, the smaller adjacent islands — Lipari, Egadi, Malta, Cosura — became thoroughly Phoenician in population.
Source:
Sicily is a good destination for a touring holiday - allow at least a week, and preferably longer, for travelling around and getting a flavour of the main tourist destinations. One of Sicily's leading holiday destinations is Taormina, a fashionable resort with beaches nearby, a fine Greek theatre and a stylish film festival (in June). One of the classical world's most important legacies can be seen at Agrigento's Valley of the Temples. The hilltop town of Enna is inland, set at the heart of Sicily, and offers a different perspective on the island. Palermo, the regional capital, is one of Italy's largest cities; chaotic but with many sights of interest. Over to the south-east, the Baroque city of Catania, birthplace of the composer Bellini (remembered in the Museo Civico Belliniano), is worth a visit, and makes a good base for the lion-hearted who wish to visit Etna.
Source:
The industry in Sicily has quite big importance and is represented in two sectors: the modern one in the provinces of Siracusa, Caltanissetta, Agrigento, Messina and Catania, and the traditional one spread all over the territory. The new industries are petrol-chemical, mechanics, chemistry, electronics, etc. The old industries are mostly those producing food: wine, oil, conserved products, pasta and other products exported in other Italian regions.
Source:
Making the most of its island coasts, Sicily has some of the world's best cuisine to offer. Much of the island's food is made with creatures of the sea. Unlike the northern parts of Italy, cream and butter are hardly used for typical dishes in Sicily. Instead, the natives usually substitute tomatoes, lard (rarely) or olive oil. The cuisine is very exotic and has many spices and unique flavors to offer. Sicilians cultivate a uniquely Sicilian type of olive tree, which they affectionately call the "saracena".
Source:
There are those who are scared of Sicily's criminal side, and those who think it's glamorous or titillating. Neither view bears much relation to the realities of modern Sicily. Over the decades, headlines and court cases have borne witness to the presence in Sicily of organised crime, corruption, extortion and assassination. Shrouded by secrecy, protected by blood-oaths, murders and bribery, the Mafia - or Cosa Nostra - has long exerted its hold, particularly over Palermo and the western half of the island. This highly-organised criminal association blossomed with tacit US support during and after the Second World War, and rose to control much of Italy's politics and organised crime. The last couple of decades... has seen an unprecedented openness, as Italy attempts to come to terms with its legacies of criminality and bloodshed.
Source:
Muslim rule in Sicily slowly came to an end following an invitation by the Emirs of Catania and Siracusa for a Norman invasion. The Normans, under Count Roger de Hauteville (Altavilla) attacked Sicily, beginning a thirty year struggle against the Arabs. Robert Guiscard, with the help of his younger brother Roger, controlled much of Apulia and Calabria by 1059. In 1060 they made their first attack on the north-eastern tip of Sicily, occupying Messina with approximately 700 knights. Robert was to be frequently detained by unrest in his mainland holdings and this paved the way for Roger to gradually conquer the remainder of the island from the Arabs over a 31 year period (reminiscent of the manner they themselves had conquered the island). In 1068, Roger Guiscard and his men defeated the Arabs at Misilmeri but the most crucial battle was the siege of Palermo in 1072, and the conquest of Sicily was completed by 1091 with the defeat of the last Emir in Noto.
Source:
MORE ABOUT
Sicily