Sicily is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea at 25,700 sq. km and an autonomous region of Italy with 5 million people.

The island has long been known as a 'melting pot' of ancient cultures and highly prized because of its location on the major Mediterranean shipping routes.

The inhabitants have descended from a myriad of peoples with the majority influence being Greeks as well as southern Italians, Phoenicians, Saracen Arabs, Sicans (west of Sicily), Iberians and various other influences. The consequences of these influences is that Sicily has its own indigenous language, Sicilian. Many people are bilingual in both Italian and Sicilian. Sicilian as a language is derived from a 'vulgar' Latin with a mix of Greek, Arabic, French, Provencal, Spanish, Catalan and German!

Sicily is known as a country of art with many poets and writers having been born in this region. The most famous poets include Luigi Pirandello, Salvatore Quasimodo, Gesualdo Bufalino, Giovanni Verga and Ignazio Buttitta.

There are also the composers Sigismondo d'India (from Palermo), Vincenzo Bellini (from Catania), and the sculptor Tommaso Geraci.


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To find out more about other regions in Italy, the regional food and wine, people, geography and history as well as specific property offers and other information then use this link to Italy Villas and Apartments