If you’re pondering a trip to Sicily, we’ve just the entry-research compilation for you. We’ll go over both the basics and some niche facts about Sicily so you can have more of a grasp before your holidays. What’s the island famous for? How many people live there? All of that today.
Sicily is the largest and most populous island in the Mediterranean Sea and one of the largest islands in Europe. Its total area is 25,711 km2 and, according to 2021 figures, has a population of 4,833,329 (which amounts to 8.9% of Italy’s total population).
Though Sicily does belong to Italy, it maintains a considerable autonomy from the country. Sicily has its own president, its own coat of arms, its own flag, its own Regional Government which shares legislative powers with the Italian government. Which makes sense, given that Sicily was a separate country for centuries, as the Kingdom of Sicily only joined Italy in 1860.
Given all that autonomy, it should also have its own capital, right? Right, and it does. The capital of Sicily is the famous Palermo, a city with a population of over half a million. It is the capital in political, tourist, economic and cultural terms.
Sicily is, of course, located in the Mediterranean Sea, though we formally recognise that Sicily lies on the Tyrrhenian and the Ionian Seas, as marginal seas of the Mediterranean
Sicily’s home to the most famous active volcano in Europe, Mount Etna. It’s the tallest volcano in Europe, currently at 3,357 metres above sea level. Its height actually changes actively! That’s because the eruptions effectively pile volcanic material on top of Etna, increasing its height. Etna has more than just one crater, with over 300 vents on the sides also leaking out the eruptions
Does the name Trinacria ring a bell? If not, then know that that’s the ancient name for the island of Sicily, originating in the fact that the island is triangular in shape.
Sicily, given that it has been a separate place from Italy for most of its existence, also has its own language. Sicilian is a neo-latin language still spoken in Sicily, alongside Italian. The use of Sicilian, however, is kept to informal use and, instead, Sicilians use their own regional dialect of Italian, a compromise between Italian and Sicilian. Sicilian does not have an official language status in Sicily, though it is spoken by roughly 4.7 mln people.
Though Etna is known far and wide, it’s not the only active volcano in the area. There are four active volcanoes in Italy in total: Etna, Stromboli and Vulcano, both islands north of Sicily, members of the Aeolian Islands and Mount Vesuvius, the last volcano near Naples, the volcano which destroyed several cities of Rome in 79 AD.
Though Sicily is a very attractive tourist destination, it’s one of Sicily’s poorer regions, with the second to last lower GDP per capita in Italy. It also continues having higher unemployment than the rest of Italy, though reforms have contributed to much needed growth in recent years.
Sicily is home to the largest opera house in all of Italy, the Teatro Massimo Vittorio Emanuele. Teatro Massimo is located on the Piazza Verdi in Palermo. The building was designed by Giovanni Battista Gillipo Basile and is famous for its perfect acoustics. If you watched The Godfather III, then you may recognise the building.
Sicily is separated from the mainland by the Strait of Messina, only 2 miles wide. There’s no bridge between them still, though there were plans about such a development. Though it would be impressive in size, it would very positively impact the region.
Do you know Archimedes? Of course you don’t, he died in 212 BC. But you have likely heard the name, at least perhaps from TF2. Archimedes of Syracuse was a famous mathematician, believed to be one of the greatest of all time. And, well, he was born in Syracuse, in roughly 287 BC.
You may have heard of the Sicilian Mafia before, sometimes referred to as Cosa Nostra. Though there’s no such thing as one massive mafia, the Sicilian Mafia is a real phenomenon and a term which encompasses “families” or “clans”, basically organised criminal organisations. Though these criminal organisations continue to function today, the Italian law enforcement has also amped their efforts to combat it, with more and more members of the mafia families ending up arrested. Don’t worry, though, the mafias aren’t going to waste their time going after tourists.
If you weren’t asleep during your every single one of your literature classes, you’re no-doubt familiar with sonnets. Well, Giacomo da Lentini, an Italian poet representing the Sicilian School of poets, is usually credited with the creation of the ‘sonnet’ as we know it. His poetry was also originally written in Sicilian.
The only natural lake in Sicily is the small Lago di Pergusa, about 3 miles away from Etna. The total surface area of the lake is 180 hectares.
If you’re a crazed ice-cream consumer (like we are), you’ll be able to have it for breakfast without any onlookers. One of the traditional Sicilian breakfasts is ice cream served in a buttery roll. Look for the brioche con gelato in menus. You can choose any flavour you like, though we especially recommend pistachio and stracciatella above all in Sicily.
Whether we like it or not, and whether Italians like it or not, for much of the world, Italy is pizza. Sicily actually has its own pizza, though it doesn’t resemble the Naples standard. The Sicilian Pizza, or sfincione, is much, much thicker and the pizza is usually rectangular. A typical Sicilian pizza is served with strong cheese, herbs, tomatoes and onions.
Sicily is, sadly, loaded with stray dogs and cats. The issue has been here for many years and the authorities have scarcely addressed the issue. Catania’s IKEA actually took lots of stray dogs in for winter in 2018 to help with the issue. You’ll very likely encounter many yourself – don’t fret, though, the vast majority is friendly and just in a dire need of love.
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