Of all the regions of Italy, Sicily covers the largest land area at 25,708 km² and currently has five million inhabitants. It is also the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Floating off the toe of the Italian mainland, the island of Sicily is noticeably distinct from the rest of Italy. This is where Europe starts to take on a flavour of Greece, even of north Africa. It’s not just the sometimes blisteringly hot weather – the unique history of Sicily, much invaded and an ancient centre of ‘Magna Graecia’, has given it a unique, hybrid culture. Sicily also has its own language, a close cousin of Italian, but with Greek and other influences. It’s the first language of the island, though you’ll find standard Italian (and indeed English) spoken in shops and hotels.

History

Its position in the southern Mediterranean, with the city of Siracusa guarding the Strait of Messina, has made Sicily enormously strategically important since Classical times. The Greeks arrived around 750BC to displace the ancient inhabitants – the Sicani, the Elymians and the Ligures. They were overthrown in turn by the rise of Rome in the late pre-Christian era. Christianity arrived around 200AD, followed by a succession of invaders including the Vandals, the Goths, the Byzantines, the Lombards, the Normans, the Spanish, the Persians, the Aragonese and others.

 

Economy

Sicily is a principal source of the world’s supply of sulphur. Other minerals mined here include rock salt and asphalt. The petrochemical industry also figures in the economy of the island and is largely dependent on production in eastern Sicily, particularly in Catania, Siracusa, Ragusa and Gela.

Agriculture is still the predominant occupation of Sicilians; wheat is the most important crop. Cereal grains are grown on the larger estates in the interior of the island and along the southern coast. Smaller holdings are devoted principally to growing grapes, almonds, olives, oranges, lemons, beans, and sumac, used in tanning and dyeing. The fisheries (tuna, sardine, coral, and sponge) are extensive: a quarter of Italy’s fishing vessels sail from Sicily.

Other occupations include the production of wine and olive oil, the canning fruit and vegetables and the preparation of citric acid. Some glassware, metalwork and matches are produced in the larger cities. Sicily exports sulphur, fruits and vegetables, sumac, salt, wine, oil and fish. Its imports are mainly grain, coal and iron.

Almost the entire trade is seaborne and based around the three principal ports of Palermo (capital of the region of Sicily), Catania, and Messina. Tourism is also an important economic contributor: many visitors come to the region to explore landmarks such as cathedrals, the Greek ruins at Agrigento, Syracuse and Taormina as also other locations.

 

Produce

From early times Sicily has been coveted for its fertile land and today Sicily still has a largely agricultural based economy. Its main products are wheat (with bread and pasta being its main by-products), barley, corn, peppers, tomatoes, aubergines, courgettes, potatoes, grapes, figs, pears, peaches, pistacchios, La Ficurinnia or the fig of India (from the West Indies) and citrus fruits and almonds (introduced by the Arabs).

Dairy produce includes a number of cheeses such as the Ricotta, the Pecorino Siciliano and the Caciocavallo Ragusano.

The Sicilian fishing industry provides tuna, swordfish, sea bream, sardines, octopus, squid, prawns and mussels.

Other specialities include wine (such as Nero D’Avola, Inzolia, Cerasuolo di Vittoria, Donnafugata, Regaleali, Malvasia and sweet Marsala), balsamic vinegar, olive oil, honey, bottled water, salt and other food processing.

 

The region of Ragusa

The Province of Ragusa is in the south-east of the island having an area of 1,614 km² and a total population of 295,264 (2001). Its capital is the city of Ragusa. There are 12 communes (Italian: comuni) in the province, which are Ragusa, Vittoria, Modica, Comiso, Scicli, Pozzallo, Ispica, Santa Croce Camerina, Acate Chiaramonte Gulfi, Monterosso Almo and Giarratana. From Scoglitti to Pozzallo, the Ragusan coastline is approximately 50 kilometres long. Along the Ragusan coast one finds many fishing villages such as Pozzallo, Scoglitti and Donnalucata. The skyline of Ragusa is punctuated by the towers, domes and cupolas of the many exquisite churches for which the province is known, foremost of which is the Duomo of San Giorgio in Ragusa Ibla and the Duomo of San Giovanni in Ragusa. During the 19th century and early 20th century there was large migration from Ragusa to the more prosperous areas of Italy and abroad.

Ragusa has changed dramatically over the last 20 years largely due to tourism; however, in many places it remains untouched by the last two centuries, and has escaped unscathed from the excesses of discovery by the travelling world. In places the atmosphere of the 18th century still pervades.

The towns of Modica, Scicli and Ragusa are three of the eight Late Baroque towns which, since 2002, collectively form the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Val di Noto.