Sicily Landing

Reader beware... read no further unless you have a soft spot for Sicily... otherwise, the going could get tough! 

The instant our tyres hit tarmac on Sicily... as we drove off the car ferry... our phone rang... "where are you Mum", said Nathan... who had settled into an apartment down the coast. What improbable timing... conspiracy theories flashed through our mind... how did he know the moment of our arrival... hidden surveillance... after all, we are in Sicily.

Ask an Australian what is the first thing they associate with the word 'Sicily' and the answer is likely to be 'mafia'... our immigrant intake in the 1950-60 was weighted towards Italians from Calabria and Sicily. They brought with them a rich set of customs and structures... including survival techniques built around 'men of honour'... the Cosa Nostra... the mafia. Our underworld went through a period where it tried to organise itself on mafia principles... so some of us have an interest in better understanding how Sicily shaped the mafia... and vice versa.

You can understand why Sicilians would show support for a community-based secret society. Sicily has a long, long history of invading superpowers taking the rich resources of the island... firstly, to repatriate riches back to home office to help pay for the invasion... and secondly, to build monuments... glorifying the valour of the conquering heros. After a century of occupation, the trickle-down theory of economics meant that the enslaved Sicilian peasant would experience an improved standard of living. But then, one occupying force would be replaced by another... the cycle would start all over again. 

Conquerors of Sicily makes a list of 'who's who' of ancient empires. The list includes: 

Ancient tribes... the arrival of first humans coincided with the extinction of miniature hippos and miniature elephants. 

Greeks and Romans... the Greeks introduced olives and grapes... Archimedes was a Sicilian and was killed in the second Punic War. The Romans established Sicily as a province and provided a prosperous period for 700 years... give or take a few decades when local Roman despots were put in charge of the place. 

Early Middle Ages - Byzantine Empire and Emirate of Sicily: An interesting byline of the period... in 826, Euphemius the commander of the Byzantines killed his wife in Sicily and forced a nun to marry him. (This guy must have had a great sense of humour.) The Byzantines placed great strategic value in Sicily... and launched many attacks on mainland Europe from Sicily. During the Turkish occupation, Arabs initiated land reforms which in turn, increased productivity and encouraged the growth of smallholdings, a dent to the dominance of the landed estates. The Arabs further improved irrigation systems. They introduced citrus and nut trees. 

Norman Sicily (1061–1194): During this century Sicily came closest to being their own masters. They had their own 'King of Sicily'... even if he was a Norman. Significantly, immigrants from Northern Italy and Campania arrived during this period. Linguistically, the island became Latinised. In terms of church, it would become completely Roman Catholic; previously, under the Byzantines, it had been more Eastern Christian.

Sicilian Vespers and Aragonese Sicily: The French had a go at ruling Sicily... the locals didn't think much of their style and kicked them out... with help from the Spanish. The pace of change in the ruling class became more frequent... none of which seemed to benefit the locals. 

Italian Unification: The next major event occurred in 1860 with the unification of Italy. The nation made significant investments in Sicily... improving infrastructure and opening new markets. 

Sicilians have some marvellous achievements over a long and interesting history... but these achievements have been goals set by foreigners... the locals haven't been left alone long enough to make achievements they can call their own. Of the 49 UNESCO sites in Italy, 6 are in Sicily... namely, 1) The Temple of Concordia; 2) Villa Romana del Casale; 3) Vulcano, Lipari, Salina and Panarea; 4) the baroque church in Modica; 5) Necropolis of Pantalica; 6) and Mt Aetna. There is not an abundance of flat agricultural land... but the soil is very fertile... perhaps a reflection of Mt Aetna's frequent activity. 

Early written history makes frequent reference to Sicily being the bread basket for the Greek empire and then the Romans. But the period from 1900 until 1970 saw Sicily miss out on the greater wealth flowing into northern Italy. A doctor reported on conditions in Palermo in 1959 and commented that half the people were illiterate... child mortality ran at 50%... farm animals (cows, goats, mules, chickens, etc) lived in the house with their owners... only one-third of houses had running water... and almost no one ate meat... and this was 1959! 

Sicily is a remarkable' microcosm' of social evolution... I'm looking forward to getting a better feel for the place in the next couple of weeks.