Why Sicilia?

Sicily (Sicilia) - the largest Italian island - is located in the Mediterranean: separated from the mainland by the Strait of Messina, just off the toe of Italy's boot; also known as the Mezzogiorno (or southern Italy, including Naples and Puglia and Matera): in Italian, "mezzogiorno" means "midday" - this area is so called because the sun shines here so brightly at noon.

There is the diversity of the natural landscape, the most well-known attraction being the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Mt Etna, the most active volcano in the world and the highest in Europe. And there are numerous nature reserves including Zingaro, Malabotta and Vendicari. So I am looking forward to the walks, some of which wind down along tracks to pretty beaches below.

Sicily is noted for its food and markets, brought to the wider world's attention after the war through the books of the well-known British cookery writer Elizabeth David (and illustrated by the Sicilian painter, Guttuso). The food is no doubt influenced by the island's proximity to the sea, the fertile soil, the climate and also tradition. The term cucina povera is often used - peasant cuisine - just my style of food! The food has also been influenced by the nuns who had worked in convents and became proficient pastry chefs and by the Arabs who introduced oranges, lemons, pistachios and sugar cane - and who introduced dried pasta known for centuries afterwards simply as siciliani. So, there awaits gelato, pizza, seafood, cannoli - probably lots of couscous too. And wine - including marsala from Marsala!

And then there is its history: a see-saw of invasions and colonizations that started with the first Greek settlement in Siracuse in 750BC. There followed wars with Carthage; then as the western Roman Empire fell apart, the Byzantines, the Arabs, the German Hohenstaufens, the House of Savoy, the Austrian Habsburg dynasty and even Norman mercenaries, a French prince, a Bourbon prince from Spain and a king under Napoleon's Empire took turns ruling the island. In 1860, Garibaldi captured Sicily starting at Marsala and the Bourbons were expelled.

Consequently there is a fusion of architectural styles to be seen - wonderful cathedrals, palaces, convents and many archaeological sites such as the Valle dei Templi at Agrigento; and the language too reflects the various ocupations - Greek, Sicilian Arabic (now extinct except for a variation of it on Malta) and of course Italian.

Despite the strong investment that occurred elsewhere in Italy under the Italian Unification or "Risorgimento" (1815-1871 approx.), not much improved in Sicily and there were protests (1889-1894) against the bad social and economic conditions by organisations of workers and peasants known as Fasci Siciliani. And there was much conflict between the Sicilian mafia and the Italian government particularly in the 1920s under the Fascist regime of Mori. Some believe this is when the Mafia began, arising out of the Bourbon gangs pre-Unification. I particularly like this colourful statement: "faccimmo caccia' l'oro de piducchie" (We can get gold out of fleas).

Then in 1943 there was the allied invasion of Sicily during WWII; Operation Husky overcame the Italian and German forces with unerring ease - aided by the Mafia. Mussolini was toppled from power and in 1946, Italy became a Republic.

From 1950 to 1884, Sicily improved economically due to improved funding; and important infrastructure improvements occurred including roads and airports.

During the 1980s the Mafia was deeply weakened by an important campaign led by two magistrates (both murdered in 1992) - but this was only after 200 people were killed on the streets of Palermo in 1981 and 1982!

Still the Sicilian mafia (Cosa Nostra) exists, with its influence permeating throughout the country via organised crime, nepotism, protection rackets (pizzo) and the narcotics trade with ill-won profits being channelled into businesses such as supermarkets and hotel chains.

Apart from the mafia, the drama of Sicily is reflected in its complex culture such as the opera Cavalleria Rusticana, the great music (the composer Bellini was born in Catania), and the pageant of the festivals (particularly Xmas and Easter). Borne out of Sicily's tumultuous history, it exhibits colour and spectacle, like the rest of Sicilian life. One of the towns in Sicily - Montalbano - came to prominence through the books of Andrea Camilleri about a Sicilian detective of the same name and later through a TV series. And of course there are the Godfather films. Earlier, Lampedusa's novel The Leopard was Italy's first international bestseller.

Other key events were the Black Death which arrived in 1347 followed by the onset of the Spanish Inquisition in 1492 (when all Jews were expelled from Sicily). The eastern part of the island was hit by destructive earthquakes in 1542 and 1683 and there was a major earthquake in Messina in 1908.

Of course, Sicily has loomed large in Australian life: post-war it was the source of the second largest regional migration from Italy (after Calabria). The Sicilian mafia have been allegedly heavily involved in the marijuana drug trade here, particularly in Griffith. Names such as Corleone and Trimbole (from Calabria) have been headline news at various times, particularly over the death of anti-drugs campaigner Donald Mackay in 1977.

It'll certainly be interesting to see what it is like here. Beyond the obvious beauty that everyone talks about making this an increasingly attractive tourist destination, there is the poverty still and the marked unemployment - so much so that Sicily has been dubbed the "Greece of Italy".